• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
STOCKPILING MOMS™
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Freezer Meal Plans
    • Menu Planning
  • Travel
    • Travel Reviews
    • Travel Tips
    • Disney
    • Kentucky
  • Life
    • Back to School
    • DIY
    • Frugal Living Tips
    • Gluten Free Tips
    • Healthy Lifestyle
    • House
    • Life and Parenting
    • Pets
    • Stockpiling 101
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Elf on the Shelf
    • Valentines Day
    • St Patrick's Day
    • Easter
    • Lent
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Party Planning
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Life
  • Holiday
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Life
    • Holiday
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Lifestyle » Life and Parenting

    Tips for Making Mealtime Easier

    Published: Apr 6, 2011 · Modified: Apr 20, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links

    35 shares

    Tips for Making Mealtime Easier

    Tips for Making Mealtime Easier. Mealtime is a very important time for our family.  We dedicate our evening dinner time as "precious family time".  We eat at the dinner table and there is no TV, phones or toys.  This is something that we feel very strongly about.  For us dinner time is an important time to re-connect from the day and allows us to have 30 minutes of uninterrupted time together.

    Tips for Making Mealtime Easier:

    My son sets the table while I finish up dinner and then when my husband gets home, we sit down for our meal.  My son is six and has been setting the table since he was 4!  He actually asked me if he could.  At first, I helped him but now he has it down to a science.  He likes to set a formal table too and I honestly let him.  He likes to put out a fork, spoon and knife with napkin at every meal.  Regardless of if we are using all the utensils, I think it is important to teach the value of setting the table correctly, so I always allow him.  Sometimes he asks if we can use stemmed glasses and I always agree.

    We like to keep dinner time early at our house.  We normally have dinner ready no later than 5:30. If my husband is going to be late then we fix him a plate for later.  However, there are very few nights that he doesn't make it home.  We all really value dinner time so he goes in very early so that we can keep our family dinner ritual.  We really like to have our dinner meal at 5:00 or before.

    During dinner we have simple conversation.  My husband always asks my son to tell him 3 things he learned at school that day and I always ask him what his favorite thing was at school.  This is something that keeps the communication lines open.  It is funny because now my son asks my husband how his day was and what I did while he was at school.

    It is very important to us that my son sits in his own chair while we eat, and he is honestly normally the last one finished.  We wait for him to finish before we get up to work on the dishes and it is every person's responsibility to clear their own place at the table.  Again, teaching him responsibility.

    Now when it comes to eating, we have a rule that you must "try" every item that is prepared.  If you have tried it in the past and you didn't "like" it, then you don't have to try it unless it has been 6 months.  If it has been 6 months, then you have to try it again.  My son is a picky eater, so the one bite rule works for us.  Another idea may be that your child has to eat as many bites as their age.  Whatever works for your family?

    I hope some of these tips help you make your mealtime easier; they work well for us.  If you have a picky eater you may want to check out this post Top 10 Picky Eater Tips.

    Do you struggle at mealtime?  Please leave a comment and let us know!

    Melissa Jennings

    Melissa is a football and soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 24 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.

    « How do I Build a Stockpile?
    How to be an Extreme Couponer »
    35 shares

    Check out these favorites!

    • Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake
    • 15 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in 90 minutes
    • 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Meals in 4 Hours
    • Crockpot Ranch Chicken
    • How To Do Weight Watchers For Free
    • Easy 3 Ingredient Banana Bread

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Melissa Jennings, Owner & Shelly King, Owner

    Hey Y'all!

    Melissa Jennings and Shelley King are the bloggers behind Stockpiling Moms®. Since 2009, they have been sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.

    Learn more about us →

    Trending

    • Loaded Chicken and Potatoes Casserole
    • Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler
    • 2 Ingredient Crockpot Pork Chops
    • How to Season your Beef for Spaghetti

    Footer

    Join Us!

    Get all of the recipes & more delivered to your inbox Sign Up Now

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    HOME | ABOUT | CONTACT | RECIPE INDEX | ADVERTISE |

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 Stockpiling Moms
    DISCLOSURE - PRIVACY POLICY - TERMS OF SERVICE