This time I want to share with you about the habit of eating in front of the television in children, and some tips that can help to change this routine.

I think this topic is very important as children nowadays can spend hours and hours in front of the TV, especially in this holiday period, or connected to other devices, so they are prone to do some of the meals watching TV, which can have some unwanted effects on family behaviour.

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Sometimes as parents you can be in a hurry, busy, focused on another matter or simply want to please your children, even as adults it is possible to have snacks or dinner watching a programme on TV, but the fact is that you may be encouraging certain inappropriate and unhealthy habits, however the important thing is to learn and find the most appropriate way to guide them with love, affection and patience, trying to ensure their wellbeing.

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As parents there will always be the concern that children eat well, so we are constantly looking for ways to make children eat all their food from an early age, and sometimes mistakes can be made and mistakes can be made in the way used to achieve this and may opt for example to tune in to one of their favourite cartoons, a music video, among others at mealtimes.

However, this is not a good habit, ideally children should not be connected to the TV or any other device while eating, because they take too long to eat, they lose their appetite, they do not eat their full meal, among others, perhaps because they are distracted or because they can watch more of their favourite programme, and this is harmful both for them and for the whole family, considering that mealtime is the right time to share and strengthen family ties, and because food should be given the importance it deserves.

Mealtime is a time to share the experiences of the day and is an opportunity to prepare food as a family, in this way you can teach them the benefits of food and also get to know some of their tastes. It is very important to be examples for the children, so eating in the rooms or using the phone at the table should be avoided.

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When shopping for food they can be allowed to make suggestions about a food or meal, this will encourage interest in food, its preparation and then sharing it as a family, rather than ignoring it to watch TV.

Games are also important, all children learn by playing, and by showing them as a game that we will teach them to behave at the table like adults, to use the knife or fork as adults do, or something else, can motivate them more to go to the table.

Well friends, as parents we continue to learn every day, I hope you find the information I have shared useful, for the moment I say goodbye, thanks for reading!