You are all set to go out in five minutes for your work, but your child’s plate is still untouched.
You can’t postpone your work or make your child’s food finish in five minutes.
What to do? How can you make your kid eat faster?
As a parent, it is frustrating when your child takes forever to eat his/her lunch and wastes time playing, talking, and hardly touching the food.
Many parents relate to these situations, and as a parent myself, I understand the struggle. So here I would like to share with you the most effective method that might work for you.
TIME LIMIT & SAVED MINUTES:
You may have already tried the timer method.
I tried too, but with a small change. That slight change helped me, and I hope it helps you too.
TIME LIMIT:
Here let me tell you my example first.
I want my kid to finish his lunch in 30 minutes, as he used to take more than 1hr before.
So, I started using the timer method with zero distractions.
And I told him they would lose screen time for the day if he didn’t finish in time.
It went well for a few days, but then he started giving up slowly and told me that he didn’t want screen time for that day and instead started irritating his brother and me to get screen time.
I yelled at him several times and talked to him patiently, but nothing worked. So then, I implemented the “saved minutes” technique.
SAVED MINUTES:
What is saved minutes technique?
Well, my kid usually likes to take challenges because he knows he will get something to finish his challenge, such as his favorite toy (not an expensive one, of course), board game night, a visit to his local favorite place, etc.
I told my kid to try to save some minutes every day from his 30-minute timer and wrote those saved minutes on a fridge note visible to him. When the saved minutes reached 45 minutes, he would get some prize.
This way, he tried to save minutes every day. One day he saved 30 seconds, and the other day 2 mins,0 mins, and 8 mins like that. After reaching a 45-minute challenge, I took him to his favorite place, as promised.
This way, my kid adapted to the new routine and is now finishing his food on time.
It’s important to remember that change doesn’t happen overnight.
For example, if you start a workout and do it every day, it takes a minimum of 30 days for your body to adjust to the new routine.
In the same way, it will take several days for your child to adapt to the new routine of finishing their meals on time.
Consider taking a 30-day challenge and follow the routine consistently every day.
A 30-day challenge can be a helpful tool to help your child establish new habits and achieve long-term goals.
While you use the above method, make sure you do the following things as well:
- BE PATIENT AND BE CONSISTENT: Kids are smarter than you think. They will observe how consistent you are with the new routine and how patient you are. They will check your limitations. So always be patient and consistent.
- GIVE ATTENTION: Eat with your child at least once a day. This will make your child not feel alone.
- AVOID FEEDING TOO MUCH: Start giving them in small portions. This enhances/ builds confidence in your child to finish their food. On the other hand, it will be overwhelming if they have a lot on their plate.
- PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Make sure your child has enough physical activity. This improves their hunger.
- AVOID SNACKS: Avoid giving them snacks if they don’t eat lunch. Instead, tell them they will only get it during snack time.
- NO YELLING: DO NOT yell at them if they don’t finish their food. It makes the situation worse, and you will end up losing your patience.
Also, one or two gentle reminders are enough. Don’t put pressure on them. The more pressure you put on them, the less interest they show in food, and it might become stressful for your child.
They know the consequences of not finishing the food. So you don’t need to remind them every day. And if they don’t finish it, show it in action.
- NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Avoid watching TV, PHONE, or any electronic devices, including YOU. If you watch, then it makes no sense if you tell your kid to stop.
- NO TALKING: Don’t talk about food and its nutrients unless your child asks about it. Instead, talk about their school stuff or anything else.
- OVERTHINKING: Do not overthink about foods, whether it is healthy or not. The food itself has many hidden nutrient values. No matter if it is sugars or fats. Too much intake makes it unhealthy.
- NO BRIBING WITH DESSERT: If you don’t want your kid to eat sugary foods like candies, do not buy them. But remember, It makes your child have more cravings. So, giving them once a day is fine, and make sure they have regular dental checkups.
By putting these all together, the saved minutes method works effectively. If you still find difficulties in feeding your child. Talk to your pediatrician.
Remember that patience and consistency are the keys to success when dealing with kids.
Have a peaceful family life!