How a Pre-Meal Routine Can Help Your Toddler Eat Better
August 2022
Last reviewed: August 2022
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Coauthors:
Stefanie Kain, B.S. M.Ed
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Author:
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Coauthors:
Stefanie Kain, B.S. M.Ed
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Inside: Create a pre-meal mealtime routine for your toddler to help them eat better and have a calmer meal.
Picky eating, mealtime tantrums, and not wanting to sit down are all common parts of meals when you have a toddler. One way to help your toddler get in the right mindset when they come to the table is by starting each meal with a consistent mealtime routine.
Establishing a mealtime routine before meals can help your toddler have less picky eating and help reduce stress for the whole family. Pre-meal routines help your child transition from playtime to sitting at the table.
Mealtime routines benefit both parents and children. Pre-meal routines help signify to a toddler that playtime is over and it’s time to sit at the table and eat.
When a toddler knows what is coming next, they also know how they are expected to behave.
Of course we are dealing with toddlers here. So, your toddler may decide at any moment that they are unhappy with the situation and they need to have a tantrum about it.
Even if this is the case, toddlers still love routines.
How to create a pre-mealtime routine for your toddler
Here are the four steps to establishing a pre-meal mealtime routine for your toddler.
Decide when to start the mealtime routine.
Choose which activities will be part of your routine.
Choose the order of activities.
Repeat without changing the routine.
Creating a pre-meal routine for toddlers is easy to explain but can be harder to do. Mealtime routines are important though, because they can actually help your toddler eat better.
When your toddler is in the right mindset and ready to eat, they are more likely to try new foods and may be less picky.
If you do have a picky eater, our free picky eater guide can help you get your child on the road to eating more foods.
Decide when to start the mealtime routine
You can choose to start implementing a pre-meal routine with your toddler at any time. If you feel it’s necessary, you can pick a low-pressure time, like a weekend or a day when your child doesn’t have school.
Let your child know about the new routine. You can say, “At dinner time, we will wash our hands and sing a song, then sit at the table. Then we will eat our food.”
Choose activities to prepare your toddler for the meal
Toddlers are always on the go and often prefer to run around instead of eating. Starting mealtime with a routine of calming activities can help them know that food is coming and they will need to sit at the table.
Sitting during meals is important for many reasons. Sitting helps to prevent choking in toddlers. It also helps toddlers concentrate on their food, which can help prevent picky eating from getting worse.
Choose calm activities in your pre-meal routine to help your toddler transition from playtime to mealtime.
Examples of pre-meal calming activities for toddlers include:
You can choose whatever pre-meal activities are important in your family, just be consistent.
Repeat your pre-meal routine consistently
Your toddler loves consistency, so the more often you repeat this routine, the more your toddler will accept it.
When your toddler knows the order of activities, they will come to the table more willingly and be ready to eat. This will help them eat more foods and help keep picky eating from getting worse.
Feeding toddlers at mealtimes with less stress
Read more advice from our experts about feeding toddlers and managing mealtimes.
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Jennifer Anderson is a registered dietitian and has a masters of science in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 2019, she founded Kids Eat in Color®, a public health resource that improves child and family nutrition and mental health. Prior to starting Kids Eat in Color® she coordinated youth nutrition programs at a food bank, performed research in inner-city food deserts, and consulted for the USDA national office SNAP-Ed program. Her academic background is in public health nutrition, cultural anthropology, and economics.
Inside: Create a pre-meal mealtime routine for your toddler to help them eat better and have a calmer meal.
Picky eating, mealtime tantrums, and not wanting to sit down are all common parts of meals when you have a toddler. One way to help your toddler get in the right mindset when they come to the table is by starting each meal with a consistent mealtime routine.
Establishing a mealtime routine before meals can help your toddler have less picky eating and help reduce stress for the whole family. Pre-meal routines help your child transition from playtime to sitting at the table.
In this article, we talk about:
The benefits of mealtime routines for toddlers
How to create a pre-mealtime routine
When to start the pre-meal routine
Pre-meal activities
The order of activities
Repeating your routine consistently
The benefits of mealtime routines for toddlers
Mealtime routines benefit both parents and children. Pre-meal routines help signify to a toddler that playtime is over and it’s time to sit at the table and eat.
Toddlers love knowing what to expect, so they like mealtime routines. (Note: This is also why children like eating meals and snacks on a schedule.)
When a toddler knows what is coming next, they also know how they are expected to behave.
Of course we are dealing with toddlers here. So, your toddler may decide at any moment that they are unhappy with the situation and they need to have a tantrum about it.
Even if this is the case, toddlers still love routines.
How to create a pre-mealtime routine for your toddler
Here are the four steps to establishing a pre-meal mealtime routine for your toddler.
Creating a pre-meal routine for toddlers is easy to explain but can be harder to do. Mealtime routines are important though, because they can actually help your toddler eat better.
When your toddler is in the right mindset and ready to eat, they are more likely to try new foods and may be less picky.
If you do have a picky eater, our free picky eater guide can help you get your child on the road to eating more foods.
Decide when to start the mealtime routine
You can choose to start implementing a pre-meal routine with your toddler at any time. If you feel it’s necessary, you can pick a low-pressure time, like a weekend or a day when your child doesn’t have school.
Let your child know about the new routine. You can say, “At dinner time, we will wash our hands and sing a song, then sit at the table. Then we will eat our food.”
Choose activities to prepare your toddler for the meal
Toddlers are always on the go and often prefer to run around instead of eating. Starting mealtime with a routine of calming activities can help them know that food is coming and they will need to sit at the table.
Sitting during meals is important for many reasons. Sitting helps to prevent choking in toddlers. It also helps toddlers concentrate on their food, which can help prevent picky eating from getting worse.
Choose calm activities in your pre-meal routine to help your toddler transition from playtime to mealtime.
Examples of pre-meal calming activities for toddlers include:
Should toddlers clean up toys before meals?
Cleaning up toys may also be a calming activity, or it may be a tense activity if they do not want to clean up.
As a result, you might choose to put away toys first if you want cleanup to be part of your mealtime routine.
Choose the order of activities
Different families will have different mealtime routines. Here are some examples of pre-meal routines you can do with your family:
Mealtime routine example 1
Pre-meal routine example 2
Calming routine example 3
Pre-mealtime routine 4
You can choose whatever pre-meal activities are important in your family, just be consistent.
Repeat your pre-meal routine consistently
Your toddler loves consistency, so the more often you repeat this routine, the more your toddler will accept it.
When your toddler knows the order of activities, they will come to the table more willingly and be ready to eat. This will help them eat more foods and help keep picky eating from getting worse.
Feeding toddlers at mealtimes with less stress
Read more advice from our experts about feeding toddlers and managing mealtimes.