Watching TV During Meal Times

I think it is awful to distract a child so they eat mindlessly. Mindful eating is an important thing for children to learn - they learn about food, tastes, textures and what 'full' and hungry feel like. Children who learn to disregard satiety cues are very likely to become overweight adults. He should also be learning that meal time is social time that involves being at the table and interacting. He learns that by being present at meals with you and the rest of your family.

BTW, Baby Einstein has had to pay $$$ in damages for misleading people into believing that they are in some way educational. They are not. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation is for zero screen time prior to age 2 (and very limited beyond that).

6 moms found this helpful

Don't do it! I fell into this trap because my husband was never home at mealtime and the TV was entertainment for me during meals. After a day alone with toddlers, I just wanted a little time to sit and relax. But it has backfired! My kids are teenagers now and always want to eat in front of the TV. It is a bad habit I have been trying to break ever since they began school. All the experts will tell you this is bad! Mindless eating and no family conversation is not healthy.

I use to worry about my younger son because he would not eat and was underweight as a toddler. I was constantly trying to get him to eat. At 13, he is now overweight! Kids will eat what they need. They will not starve unless they have a serious illness or disorder. Maybe he needs to eat more often in smaller amounts. Try a healthy snack before bedtime.

Unfortunately, eating in front of the TV is the "American Way." But I promise you it will come back to haunt you later!

4 moms found this helpful

I did it (let them eat in front of TV)! I'm not saying it's right, but it served my needs. That time in the chair in front of the tube eating was the only time I could get certain chores done AND get them to eat all their food without coaxing and focusing on it when they were babies. I didn't let them watch too much during the day and LAND SAKES, so what?

Now they are 5, 4 and 2 with impeccable table manners and LOVE family meals at home or in restaurants. Sometimes I let them eat lunch in front of TV if I have things to do and we had a full morning and are launching into full afternoon. We usually eat dinner together. I'm home full time, dad never is, but when he is, there are no problems at the family dinner table.

It's what we did, and it hasn't hurt anyone one bit. We are a healthy, active family with no cognitive disorders.

As babies, I also fed them enough all day long by constantly offering milk and snacks, sometimes they accepted, sometimes not, and yes, that is the key to sleeping all night.

4 moms found this helpful

Whatever works for you...I'm for it!

4 moms found this helpful

I think it's a horrible idea. Eating in front of the tv is a really bad habit. I wouldn't want to encourage it at such a young age.

4 moms found this helpful

We eat dinner as part of family movie time. It's rare that the TV isn't on during dinner.
We are home all day with each other as home schoolers and my husband telecommutes so he works from home. We have plenty of hours to spend with each other all day so meal times aren't set aside for that.
We pick something the family all wants to watch, either a TV show we DVRed or a movie.
It doesn't change our appetite making us eat any more then we would without the TV. We eat no more than when we go out to eat either at a restaurant or a family get together. We all know when to stop eating when we're full. TV doesn't effect us in any way.

3 moms found this helpful

We watch Cash Cab, Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune during dinner. My kids can answer the questions - we've watched Wheel of Fortune since they were little and it helped them with letter recognition.

Not every family can eat a meal with the TV on and still have a conversation. We are "lucky" I guess because the boys like to try and guess the puzzles on WOF and try to answer on Jeopardy! and Cash Cab.

3 moms found this helpful

I tend to eat too much if I watch TV while eating dinner. Its one of the reasons I have a constant battle with the belt line.

Just something to think about.

Good luck to you and yours.

3 moms found this helpful

no no and NO! Its not only a bad idea. Its a terrible idea. This will only encourage him to overeat as he gets older.

You ever sit in front of the TV with a bag of chips and all of a sudden wonder where that entire bag went??? In your belly! Study after study after study shows that watching TV while eating leads to overeating!

I am not saying that your child will overeat at 14 months old. But kids "fun" habits are hard to break and if you encourage him to eat while watching tv now, good luck breaking that habit later.

2 moms found this helpful

you should talk to your pediatrician. I cannot think of anyone recommending TV as a cure. The todddler will not starve himself. He need a strict eating schedule and appealing healthy food. If he wakes up in the middle of the night hungry that may be because there is too much sugar in his dinner meal. Talk to your pediatrician she/he is your best source of information.

2 moms found this helpful

My husband and I work together and we get home at the same time. My husband has a bad habit of first thing when we get home, is turn the tv on. So we often eat dinner with the tv on. I don't think it's a big deal as long as you have something on age appropriate for your little one. Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

As he gets older, the ideal thing is for a child to know their body's cues... for hunger or fulness. And to be allowed, to eat when hungry or stop when full.... per their body's cues. Of which, everyone has different appetites and levels of knowing when they are full.
And kids, also need to snack throughout the day. Grazing. My son is like that. He eats little at a time and grazes. So does my Husband, They are just that way. But my kids KNOW their body's cues, not eating out of emotion nor because they are getting more food put to their mouth, or because the tv is on or off.

The tv, does not impact my kids eating.
Every house is different.

Did your Doc say to give him 2 less bottles a day?
Every child is different.
Does his 2 less bottles a day make him eat more solids? Or not?
Some kids, grow like weeds and hit growth-spurts and need more intake, per their body. For my kids, I gave them milk as they needed. In a cup or straw cup. And they ate food too. I never quantified it nor had a rigid feeding schedule. Fed on demand. Especially at growth-spurts, they get hungrier more often. And they grew like weeds and were/are very lean and solid and tall. They got the intake they needed. They ate when hungry and stopped when full. By their cues.

Sorry for my roundabout answer.
But, that is my take on it. And what I do with my kids.

Your son, is going to hit a growth-spurt. 15 months is a growth-spurt.

Distraction may make a child eat more. But the thing is: is the kid full or not? Or does he want to eat more or can he? Or is it just that the child has to eat everything on his plate?
And kids this age, do easily get distracted.
At that age I also let my kids feed themselves to the best of their ability and then helping when needed. And they hated being in a high chair. They just sat at the table in a booster attached to the chair.

2 moms found this helpful

I kinda have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, he is eating better and like others have said, whatever works is fine. But it could also be creating a really bad habit where he has to have the TV on to eat and won't eat otherwise. You also don't want him not paying attention to his hunger cues and when he is actually full, and as a result end up overeating because he's distracted by the TV. I think I would be asking the nanny to not be using the TV as a crutch to get him to eat, and expect him to eat because he is truly hungry.

2 moms found this helpful

Before I had kids I was appalled by this. If your kid really likes eating and is the hungry kind, no, no t.v. This is the especially true as they get older. BUT there are kids who don't really like to eat. My son would rather play than eat any time of day. He does get hungry, of course but he is also a really slow eater. If it is food that he likes but doesn't love, I let him watch t.v. or a video on the computer once a day. I know it's not ideal, but no mom is perfect.

2 moms found this helpful

At 14 mos., the bottles should be gone and finger foods should be well on their way in his diet. Sippy cups or regular cups are the only way he should be getting liquids unless he is BF.

Regarding the TV, put him on finger foods and sippy cups and see if he still needs the distraction. Dedicating TV watching to mealtime could backfire on you at a later date.

2 moms found this helpful

At 14 months he should be eating table food. Try giving him finger foods
that he can pick up.. Make sure he has a snack before he goes to be.
He should not be waking up hungry. He might not like being fed. My
grandson had to feed himself at that age. He did fine. So try to let him
be a bit more independent when it comes to meals, and I bit he will not need
a TV to distract him.

2 moms found this helpful

Ok, my kids were the same way. They would much rather be playing than in the high chair eating. I would turn on music on my computer or I would go to starfall.com and do a learning ABC's activity. That way they are not watching tv but are entertained. Sometimes we would also use Skype and call their grandparents while eating. It was not mindless eating as some people have mentioned. My kids would stop eating when they were not hungry. They just needed something else to keep them busy. Both of my kids grew out of it and eat at the dinner table with no problem. My youngest just turned 2 and has been eating at the table with no other distractions for about 6 months now. I hope this helps! :)

2 moms found this helpful

Our kitchen TV is on during breakfast because I am usually doing other things while our 2-yr old is eating (like making his school lunch). When it's just me and him for lunch I turn it on too. I have not found the TV to be an issue with eating (or not) - he is just hungry or not. The TV is off during dinner, when we are all gathered around the table.

2 moms found this helpful

We do not have a dining room in our apartment.
Just a large living area and a kitchen with a bedroom and bathroom on either side.
So, eating at the coffee table is the only choice, no room for couch, entertainment center, coffee table, office desk and chair AND a dining room table...

So we eat in front of the TV every night.

Right now, my husband is working 60 t0 70 hours per week.
He was getting Sundays off, but now he works 10 hour shifts on Sundays as well.
So kiddo and I eat dinner alone together, we usually watch a Netflix movie or something.
When husband gets home he eats something and the 3 of us play a video game together or watch something as a family like Grimm.
It is pretty much our only family time right now.

When his hours go back to "normal" we still only get to see him on Sundays and for 3 hours or so in the evenings, so even then it is gathering together to talk and watch tv and eat each evening.

We do a LOT of talking as well during that time. I hear all about his day, he hears mine and he hears all about the stuff our daughter learned that day.
We eat organic and healthy food. My daughter is always asking "is this healthy? is this organic?"

2 moms found this helpful

I don't see any problem with it, especially since you are limiting his television watching. If it gets him to eat, use it!

2 moms found this helpful

Watching TV during mealtime is not a great idea for a family (with exceptions - a special show, for instance, that everyone wants to see). Not only are you distracted from your eating ("Oops! Where'd all that dessert go??"), but you also are hampering worthwhile communication among family members. Eyes glued to the TV may prevent bickering at the table, but it doesn't promote understanding, either. You know all this.

However, if it worked for my baby, I wouldn't mind doing it once in a while, for a short while. But not every meal, and not for so long that he decides TV must be on or there's no eating. In other words, if I were desperate I might do it.

Otherwise, I'd probably keep giving him washable toys while I was feeding him. Perhaps that will remain distraction enough. Your boy will get over this hump after a while, and get his eating habits more in order. It's always an adventure.

1 mom found this helpful

i so much prefer to have meal times where we talk about our day. Mykids are 7 and 9 we have some great discussions. Life ebs and flows though and we do something when they were toddlers that we don't do anymore etc etc.
It bugs me a little that the nanny is the one doing this, It seems a little lazy to me, but i do agree that you gotta do what you gatta do within reason.

I am concerned though that he needs small meals frequently not one huge meal. and I agree with the mom's that say finger foods and cups instead of bottles will help alot.

Goodluck to you!

1 mom found this helpful

Yes I agree that you should not start that bad habit. Dr. Oz and other so-called experts say that you will tend to overeat when your not paying attention but zoning out on the television. Is he underweight for his age? Or is he not getting enough nutrition or calories throughout the day? If he is I would not put him in front of the TV to eat. You will only regret it later on. Eat as a family whenever possible.

1 mom found this helpful

My first thought was ~ when I'm watching TV eating I can polish off a bag of chips and not even realize it! I think this is a really bad habit to start.

Your little one will eat when he is hungry. Give him a fiber rich snack before bed to help him feel full and when he wakes up don't feed him (offer him water instead). Both my kids went through this too, and it's hard in the middle of the night and your little one is hungry. But if you feed him he will keep it up and it will become both your routines. Then at breakfast make him as much healthy stuff as he wants.

1 mom found this helpful

I used to let my DD watch TV because it worked for her too - she ate much better. But...when she turned 3, we made her eat with us, to make it more of a family dinner.

1 mom found this helpful

No tv allowed during dinner. I am a meanie and even mute it while we eat. I cant even stand to hear it from the next room. We sometimes put jazz music on. Maybe that would help?

1 mom found this helpful

I avoid tv during meal times, it can be helpful in some ways, but can create mega problems later on. I'd rather deal with the small issues without the tv.

We do sometimes have fun family meals during dinner, like watching a movie with a pancake dinner of something, but for the majority of time, no.

1 mom found this helpful

The TV is on all the time when we are home. The kids watch it when they are in the room. I have no issues like so many moms do when it comes to time limiting it. The kids can live with it or without it. I like the noise.

1 mom found this helpful

I totally know where you are coming from as I have a son who is 14 months as well and not a really great eater. We are pretty much in the same boat as you. The TV is not visible from the kitchen at all, so it is not an option for us, but I have found that he likes looking out the kitchen window. Maybe you can try giving him something else to look at!

1 mom found this helpful

Yes, mine will do that. They will even eat stuff they don't eat while seated and not watching tv. When my younger is walking around and playing, he's more apt to come to me when I ask and take a bite. I guess I would say don't do it all the time...

1 mom found this helpful