The Importance of Pre-meal Routines

They are more important than you think.

Jan. 26, 2022

Baby led weaning bib by Bibbrella

Pre-meal routines are about more than just handwashing. Routines help your babe transition to mealtime and get them ready to focus on eating. They can even help reassure fussy children or picky eaters that mealtime isn’t a string of unpleasant surprises. And getting a little creative with pre-meal routines shows kids that mealtime can even be fun!

Why Pre-meal Routines Are Important

Pre-meal routines include tasks that are practical such as washing hands or turning off devices. But they serve a much more important function. Pre-meal routines help signal that mealtime is approaching. As an adult, that may seem like overkill. For children who have not yet developed their own habits and routines, this moment before a meal provides an important segment of time in which they can mentally prepare to sit down and focus on eating. In other words, a successful pre-meal routine allows a healthier engagement with mealtimes.

This doesn’t mean that a militaristic routine needs to be set in motion. As mentioned, this string of tasks should be a way to encourage positive attitudes towards mealtimes. Incorporate fun activities that can help make mealtime fun for your little one but still get them settled and focused on eating. 

Common Pre-meal Routines

- Giving a heads up
- Turning off devices
- Handwashing
- Helping prep food or set the table (if age appropriate)
- Putting on a full-coverage baby bib

Creative Pre-meal Routines

Storyboard routine: If your kid is more visual or doesn’t respond well to verbal directives, an illustration of routines can help communicate pre-meal expectations. Plus, it gives you a chance to make tasks feel a bit more like play than work! Feel free to incorporate speaking carrots, stern onions, and silly broccoli into the drawings.
Coloring or drawing: These two activities are a great transitional activity, because they are still fun and creative yet require concentration. It doesn’t hurt that they also keep kids seated. Superhero celery drawings encouraged!
Food play: Allow food to become fun. While you may not want to encourage painting the walls with raspberry jam, is there really any harm in allowing children to create spaceships and robots made from cut veggies? Grab a full-length baby bib and set out the peanut butter to prepare for blast off!
Ingredient-focused games: Prefer something slightly less messy? How about a tic-tac-toe game with fruit or veggies? Fun games can encourage positive associations with certain foods. That cucumber slice may appear slightly more appetizing after being used to win an enthusiastic game.
Meal prep: If keeping your babe seated seems like an impossibility, have them assist with meal prep. Mashing potatoes may feel like a chore to us, but don’t underestimate how exciting smooshing food can be to a kid! 

For more tips on how to make mealtime a snap, check out our post here!