What should I do if my child can’t sit still while eating?

Author: Xie Qunying, Doctor of Medicine, Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University

Reviewer: Ye Yanbin, Chief Physician, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University

Every time it’s mealtime, the kitchen smells tempting food. Mom is busy preparing food in the kitchen, while Dad is setting the dishes on the dining table. Everything seems to be in order. However, when the voice of calling the children to eat sounds, the originally peaceful family often stages a "feeding battle".

At the family dinner table, there are always one or two children who become "deserters". They can't sit still during meals, sometimes running to the sofa, sometimes crawling under the table. These little naughty ghosts make parents feel very tired and helpless.

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What is the reason why children can't sit still while eating? In fact, there are many factors behind this:

1. Excessive energy Children are naturally lively and energetic, and it is difficult for them to sit still for a long time like adults. For them, the dining table is far less interesting than toys and games.

2. Bad feeding habits. In order to save trouble, some parents often feed their children when they are playing or watching TV. Over time, children form the habit of eating during activities. Once they are asked to sit down and eat, they feel uncomfortable.

3. Inattention Children have a short attention span and are easily attracted by novel things around them. Television, toys, or even a bird outside the window may distract them and make them forget that they are eating.

So, how should parents deal with this "feeding problem"?

1. Create a dining atmosphere. Try to dine with adults at fixed times to create a warm and quiet dining environment.

2. Play a role model role and guide children to act as "discipline maintainers". Turn off the TV before meals, urge everyone to put down their mobile phones, and remind them of discipline appropriately.

3. Let your children participate in the meal preparation process, such as buying ingredients, washing vegetables, etc. Before the meal, let your children help set the table, or simply thank the farmer and the chef, so that they can feel involved and understand that food is not easy to come by.

4. Give appropriate rewards For children who can sit quietly at the table to eat, give some small rewards, such as stickers or verbal praise, to encourage them to continue to maintain good dining habits.

5. Avoid too many snacks Control the amount of snacks your child eats, especially before meals, to avoid affecting their appetite. You can use healthy snacks such as fruits and yogurt as snacks between meals to maintain a moderate sense of hunger, which will help them focus more on their meals.

6. Beautify the dining process by making food into interesting shapes, such as using carrot slices to make patterns, or adding dried blueberries to steamed buns to make cartoon images, etc., and tell children the nutritional value of each food. Through these creative ideas, children's interest in food can be stimulated.

7. Provide psychological and emotional support When eating, do not criticize or blame your child for eating slowly or not eating. Instead, you should maintain a patient and gentle attitude, encourage and praise your child's progress, and let them feel the love and support of the family.

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It is indeed hard for parents to have children who cannot sit still while eating, but through scientific feeding strategies and a good family atmosphere, we can effectively improve this phenomenon. I hope that every child can enjoy delicious food and family affection during a pleasant meal and spend a warm meal time together.