My Son Is Busy While Eating

I think that mealtime should be tv free so that they are focusing on something else and not mindlessly eating, but my little one is 3 and so if she's in a mood and too interested in a show, *sometimes* I'll let her watch and eat. I try to make most meals a tv-free thing though. I have no issue with music though. Music is good any time, anywhere!

Yeah I'm wondering if you're eating with him too. Since before my kids were born me and my husband have sat down at our table and ate together (no TV, music or anything else). When my kids were babies, even before they were eating solids I had them sit nearby. Then as they got older they were expected to sit at the table and eat with us. We usually talk, I ask about their day or tell them what I did at work. The kids know that the TV is off while eating, unless it's a special treat where we watch a movie and eat in the living room. No toys or books at the table either. Just start making it a habit and he'll get used to it.

May all your baby issues be so sublime. ;)
If I were you, I would keep your son focused by sitting with him and following every bite. Umm, good rice! Umm, chewing...chewing...chewing...yummy. Umm, good beans! Umm, chewing...chewing...chewing...yummy. And so on until his plate is clean.

Good luck! And welcome to Mamapedia!
"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

Hi F.,
Welcome to Mamapedia :o) Are you eating with him? If so, talk about the food that you are both eating. A good alternative to tv is reading him a story. You could read him stories about meal times, foods or whatever his favorite stories are. :o)

My 2yr old is a very picky eater. Infact, there are times she doesn't eat! My doctor says to just sit her at the table, no TV/music/etc.. And just put her plate in front of & explain that it's time to eat. She told us not to make a big deal if she doesn't eat because toddlers love the attention that comes with trying to get her to eat. I'm not sure if it will work for your son, but maybe you could try eating with him in a different room from these distractions. He will cry for a while at first but he may get use to it & he'll know it's time for eating & time for music. My little girl is slowly starting to realize that eating time is different from TV & play time. Hope this helps.

Hi,

This is pretty similar to what the others have posted, but I really find that I have to practice what I preach with my now 3-year-old. If I'm getting up to do things, he takes it that he can get up and down (and up and down) so even though in the morning it adds way too much time, I have to stay seated and eat with him.

Good luck!

Welcome!

We generally turn off the television during dinner, even when our son was very young. We spent that time talking to one another and always made sure to talk to him too!

He's still very young to focus on his meals for a long period of time, but he is young enough to have some food in his high chair as well as a few toys to play with when he is finished eating.

At this age, if he asks to watch t.v. (does he use those words?), then simply say "We don't watch t.v. when we eat. We talk to eachother" and then do it!

Hi F. and welcome to Mamapedia!

I can only tell you what we do and hopefully it helps.

I have a 4 year old and almost 1 year old and we always have music on in the background during diner. We all sit together (even when the girls were really little we had them with us at the table). We talk about our days or things that are happening in the news (that are appropriate for the kids). If my husband has to work late the girls and I sing what's on the radio and have fun eating. This distracts them from the vegetables sometimes. :-)

Also, on Fridays when my husband works late we sometimes have a "picnic". We put a towel on the ground (for the mess), the girls get sippy cups (so no big spills) and after we talk about our days we can put on a movie as a Friday night treat.

Unless we are getting up to get food (or napkins, or drinks, or anything else someone may need) we sit as a family.

~Kristal

Hi F.,
My son is like that too, he wants to be distracted by something else while eating, since he was a baby. I really really dislike having the TV on while eating. Here are some alternatives I tried:

-It helps when we sit together to eat, and also he does not have any problems at daycare when all the kids sit together to have snack or eat lunch.

-Talking or telling stories while eating. Talk about the food you are eating, what is on the table, what you did that day etc.

-Encourage him to eat himself. Put little pieces of food he can pick up himself, or give him a spoon to feed himself.

-Listening to music while eating is just fine.

-Sometimes I let him play with the food on the table, within limits of course.

-Read a book, look at its pictures while eating.

-If nothing else works, we bring a little toy to the table, although I dislike this, I still think it is better than TV!

Now that he is bigger (2.5 years old) and able to feed himself, we rarely need any of these.

Good luck!

Hi F.. A one year old really doesn't need tv at all, and it's a bad habit to start him getting used to watching tv during eating. It's really fine to eliminate or limit tv and to tell kids "no" when they ask for something that they should not have. He can ask all he wants, but he'll get used to you saying no. Background music is fine, but mealtime is for eating, not for playing or television. If he asks for tv or a toy, tell him no and that it is time to eat. Kids will ask for things that we as parents know they should not have, it's our job to know when to say no and to stick to that
Good luck :)

No electronics while eating. Actually, the pediatricians have been saying no tv/electronics before age 2 at all, for 30 years. Yes, they 'like it', but kids like staying in bed all day as teenagers and we make them go to school. Kids like hoarding and not sharing, but we require more of them. It takes a lot of effort when they are little to avoid the electronics, but it pays off hugely as they get older and can interest themselves outdoors and indoors with other things and being creative. "bored" is a word we don't allow in our house.

I've noticed playing classical music really calms our children - I' always played it in the car - having beauty surrounding their senses - what they see, hear, smell, touch, feel, forms them deeply, too.