Screentime and mealtimes…is it ok?
Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant
Child eating while watching a phone
There are always a lot of opinions when it comes to the use of screens with children and this could be a whole blog in itself, but for this blog I want to specifically focus on the use of screens (ipads, phones, TV’s) when a child is eating.
We live in a world where we have portable devices which allow us to access games, videos and TV wherever we might be. Whilst there are benefits of this, there are also times when it can cause some issues. We might remember the time when there was a lot of talk about ‘TV dinners’ and what impact these might be having on the family mealtime but also on our children…fast forward and we are now looking at the impact of screentime (specifically portable devices) on our children’s eating and mealtime experience.
Are there any issues with it?
As with anything to do with children we always have the very best intentions and sometimes we can get into situations which are then hard to change. We might find that we use a screen a couple of times during tricky mealtimes and then find that it slowly starts to creep in more and more.
‘Unconscious eating’ is something that we want children to avoid as this doesn’t always lead to them having healthy associations with food. But what is unconscious eating? This is the term for when you are distracted with something else, in this case what is being watched on the screen, and not being fully aware of the act of eating or appreciating what is on the fork or spoon.
The issues that this can bring for our children are:
That they are not engaging with conversation and so social interactions are more limited. By having social interactions at the table you are encouraging children’s positive associations and feelings around meals and eating.
When watching a screen it can put the brain into a state of inactivity which in turn can impact on them receiving hunger cues. It may then mean that they eat less as they are not aware if they are still hungry or they keep eating as they don’t recognise when they are full.
If a child only eats with a screen they can then develop the association of only wanting to eat if they have a screen. If it is not possible to have a screen this can lead to resistance of mealtimes or flat-out refusal leading to potential mealtime battles.
We can find that we use the screen as a distraction to get little ones to eat as by distracting them you can get them to open their mouth and swallow with very little resistance. While this can feel like a win at that moment, in time it can lead to challenges further down the line.
What can I do?
If you have introduced the screen at the table do not despair…it is all about weaning your little one off it. Start by gradually reducing the amount of time that the screen is on over the mealtime. It might be that you start the meal and wait 2 minutes before introducing the screen, then 2 days later make it 5 minutes before you introduce the screen, then 10 mins and so on until you find that you are no longer having screens at the table and your little one is eating without one.
Introduce a mealtime routine, for example eating in the same place each time, hand washing before mealtimes, getting them to help lay the table / prepare / serve the food etc. It is also important that mealtimes are at the right times of the day when your child is hungry (as children get older it can be that the timings needs to be adjusted to account for this). It is also good to think about how many snacks they are having over the course of the day and whether this is affecting their main meal - these might need to be reduced to help ensure they are hungry at main meal times.
Making mealtimes fun and not about the food – read our blog on this here. It is important that we are role models for our children for example sitting with your child while they are eating and eating with them (and not looking at our screens!) - making the mealtime about conversation, interactions and not focused on the food and how much or little they are eating. In addition, by not using a screen at the table you will set the example that you would like them to follow - try to have your phone away from the table so that you aren’t tempted to look at it!. Try to avoid any pressure at mealtimes as this can then lead to battles which you want to avoid at the table.
Don’t make mealtimes long and drawn out so that your child gets fidgety and bored. Keep it to a maximum of 20-30 mins at the table (starting with 5-10 mins at a time – see my point below)– some children might be able to do more but it is unlikely.
Be prepared with other activities (colouring or sticker books, a small bag of toys which they like to play with, story books, fidget toys etc), especially when you are eating out with your child and you are waiting for food. Check out our blog on eating out with children here.
When preparing food for your little one it is important that there are 1 or 2 foods on the plate that you know they like - this can help your little one to feel comfortable with eating especially if they don’t have a screen to distract them.
Before a mealtime it can sometimes help to get them physically moving - this might be dancing, climbing, rough and tumble etc. so that when they get to the table they have got out all the ‘wiggles’ that they might have. Avoid having your child sitting at the table for a long period of time, initially it might be a max of 5-10 mins and will then gradually increase with time and patience.
Ensuring that your child is sitting comfortably at the table will also help with the mealtime overall. Have a read of our blog on this here to make sure that your little one is sitting correctly.
We also have lots of blogs on helping with little ones eating if they are particularly choosy or picky here.
Moving screen time to other parts of the day. I am certainly not saying to never let your child on a screen as that is not realistic. Moving it to other parts of the day where it is not related to food can help to balance things out.
As I have mentioned, if your little one is having a screen when eating don’t despair as it can be resolved. It may take a little time and patience, along with some creativity (e.g. making mealtimes fun) but you will get there!
While you are here we have lots more blogs on various topics which you can find here, as well as our downloadable webinars on topics such as behaviour and emotions, sleep and toilet training.
Don’t forget that we offer parent consultations should you need support with anything from sleep to behaviour and so much more! Details of the packages we offer can be found here.
We also have a Podcast ‘Newborn to Teen and Everything in Between’, you can listen here.