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A: This is a common problem with young children. Toddlers and preschoolers are usually very active, energetic, and curious about their surroundings. There are several things you can do to help improve your children’s behavior and make mealtime positive and fun. For example, you can have your children help out with making the meal or setting the table. When it’s time to eat, have the entire family sit down to eat.  If an adult is up walking around, your children may be learning that walking around during dinner time is okay.

Remove all distractions. This includes the TV, cell phones, tablets, or other things that take away your child’s attention. Encourage conversation to keep your child focused on what is happening around the table. If possible, try to have dinner around the same time each night and establish a routine both before and after dinner. Predictability can help your children’s behavior improve because they will know what to expect each night.

Use of praise can also improve mealtime behavior. For example, if your children sit down for five seconds and take one bite, praise that. If your children are restless but still sitting and eating, praise that. The more praise you provide for the good mealtime behaviors, the more likely it is that your children will start sitting for longer amounts of time during the meal. If only one of your children is showing the correct behavior, praise that child. Often praising one child may result in better behavior from the other children because they want praise too. If your children get up, provide reminders about the expected behavior and give praise when they follow your directions.

 

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