Avoiding Tantrums at the Dinner Table

                           

BLW (baby led weaning) or spoon feeding, it really doesn't matter, I'm here to give you my top tips for avoiding battles at the dinner table regardless of your method. *All opinions are my own and are based solely on my experiences with Cyril. Every baby is different so as always use your judgement and as my friends always tell me Calm The F*** Down (CTFD)

1. Give your baby 4 food choices, including dessert/pudding at the same time. Cyril's pudding is fruit or yogurt and I always put it down with his savoury food. Nine times out of ten he eats all the fruit first and that's ok because fruit is good for him and it is teaching him that all foods are created equal. I never say you can't have your fruit until you finish your main course and guess what after he's finished his fruit he usually starts right into his main without any fussing.

2. Let the baby control their appetite. If they're turning or shaking their head or pushing all their food off the tray they've probably had enough. As soon as Cyril's mood starts to deteriorate at the table I remove him from the situation. Eating should be an enjoyable experience for the whole family, if he's crying or throwing food he gets taken out of his seat immediately. Trust me, if the baby is still hungry they'll come crawling back for more. And if they don't, offer a light snack to see them through until supper.

3. Try to eat as a family at least once a week, it teaches the baby table manners and reinforces that eating is an enjoyable activity. Cyril eats supper at 5 which often makes it difficult for Josh to join us, however we have family night every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and we do our best to eat together then. All other days I eat the majority of my meals with Cyril. Hobson also joins us by loitering around the table looking for free handouts from Cyril.

4. Try to eat similar foods to the baby, especially if you're doing BLW. Whenever I eat something different than Cyril he refuses to eat his food and I end up without a meal. This technique will also save you valuable time. Just remember no added salt, sugar or honey. I've gotten so used to eating the same foods as Cyril that I can't stand food with added salt anymore and as a result I'm losing weight, it really is a win win!

5. Avoid toys or distractions of any sort from the beginning. Once they have it they'll want it every time. It's important for babies to learn to stop eating when they're full to avoid obesity related issues later in life. If they're distracted they switch off this mechanism. Also, sitting with no distractions builds stamina which they'll need when they start school. Lastly, it's the perfect opportunity to communicate as a family.

6. Play music, it's an instant mood booster. When I visited my brother, his wife and their baby last August they had music on 24/7. Not only did it relax me instantly but I found the most mundane tasks like nappy changes more enjoyable. Now if I find myself getting worked up I run to my computer and put on one of my favourite playlists from Spotify. More often than not it ends in Cyril and I dancing around the living room while Hobson does pirouettes with his bone.

7. Variety. I can't stress this enough, do not give the same food two meals or even two days in a row. It's so tempting when you have leftovers but we don't like to eat the same thing over and over again  and neither does the baby, unless it's fruit, Cyril would eat oranges ALL. DAY. LONG. We were in Aldi last week, he spotted an orange, and it was game over, he refused to carry on with the shopping until I peeled that orange and fed it to him right then and there. 

8. If your baby doesn't want small bites, give him the whole thing and vice versus. Sometimes Cyril wants food in teeny tiny pieces, other times he wants the entire thing, don't believe me, check out the photo below.

9. Expose your baby to restaurants early on. You don't want to take them out to a swanky restaurant at 9pm, as you'll no doubt get a lot of disgruntled customers, but we've found it useful to bring Cyril to cafes, pubs, restaurants, etc. from an early age. Now that Cyril is nearly a year old we feel like we can take him into most adult environments without a meltdown. In fact his behaviour is usually ten times better when we're out because there are so many distractions. We always have a back up plan if he kicks off. This usually involves asking the waiter to bring us the bill and a takeaway box ASAP.

10. Lastly, if the baby is sick all rules go out the window. Try not to force them to eat. Usually I offer him his favourite foods and increase his liquid intake. If he only wants breast milk/formula that's fine, trust me their appetite will go back to normal and usually it comes back with a vengeance. Obviously I'm not a doctor so consult with your health professional if you're concerned.

Bananas and almond butter on multigrain toast a go to for me when Cyril is sick or fussy.