Meals Without Screens: Tips to Prevent Screens During Meal Time

Meals Without Screens: Tips to Prevent Screens During Meal Time

Ever tried and failed in feeding your kids without screens? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered!

Children requiring screen engagement can be a source of distress to both parents and the kids themselves. According to the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) guidelines, children between the ages of two and five years should ideally limit their screen time to less than one hour per day. Requiring screens while daily meals, can definitely lead to surpassing this limit.  

Some tips

So here the question is what can be done to prevent screens during meals? Let’s look at some tips:

  1. Create a consistent no screen routine: curate a strict no screen meal routine. For kids, following a routine is easier than unpredictable changes everyday. 

  2. Make sure you practice what you preach: when we tell kids to not use screens during meals, make sure everyone in the house follows the same rules. No one uses screens during meals, no matter who it is!

  3. Tell a story about the food: telling stories based on the food being eaten creates an engagement and connection with the food.
    For example, while serving biriyani, engaging the child with the history of biriyani in an age appropriate manner, would help in screen free eating while connecting your child with the cultural heritage.  

  1. Make the plate interesting for the child: try to serve the food in a pattern that interests the child. Adding more colors, serving the food in the shapes of animals or objects, serving food just like in their cartoons, helps them look forward to their meal time.

  2. Count the colors: make your child count the total colors and the colors eaten by him/her. For instance, asking him/her questions like “have you eaten orange yet?”, helps in keeping the meal routine super fun and exciting. 


  3. Ask them engaging questions: asking them fun questions during their meals helps them in eating more mindfully. 

    For instance some questions can be-

    1. What does “green” (or any color) taste like?

    2. What object does a broccoli look like?

    3. What animal has the same color as rice?

    4. What is the texture of chickpea?

    FAQ

    1. Can these tips be strictly followed?

    Remember, don’t be too rigid with kids. Anything exceeding the limit is dangerous. Breaking these once in a while is absolutely normal.

    1. Will these work for all kids?

    Each kid is unique in their own way. Not all of these might work for every kid. Try mixing and matching these tips for effective results.