Establishing Daily Mealtime Routines That Actually Work For Your Family 

Do you think “routine” is a dirty word? Or maybe you’re all for routines, but you’re not quite sure how to design a realistic daily mealtime routine that you, your child, and the rest of your family can stick to?

No worries!

Once you start viewing routines as a flexible tool to help make your daily life easier, you’ll learn to embrace the life-changing magic of simple daily routines. The tips outlined in this post will also help you make sure your routine makes sense for your family & their unique needs!

In this post, we’ll cover a little bit about why daily mealtime routines are so important for kids, how to design the perfect routine for your family, and then we’ll send you off with a quick win: A daily mealtime routine of your very own!

Sound good? Let’s get started!

But, first… Grab your free Mealtime Routine Planner!

So… what is a mealtime routine?

When we use the phrase “mealtime routine,” we’re really talking about 2 things:

2 | Established routines (things you do) before, during, and after each meal

This includes stuff like setting the table, sitting at the table for a certain amount of time before being excused, & cleaning up after yourself when you’re done.

Why are mealtime routines important for toddlers?

• Routines – including mealtime routines – let children know what to expect each day. In practical terms, your toddler will be much more cooperative (read: fewer tantrums) when they can rely on a consistent, regular routine each day.
• Mealtime routines also help children develop more regular feeding schedules. Basically, their bodies will “learn” when to expect food each day and begin to adjust. That means, your child won’t be asking for random snacks throughout the day (or at least, not as often!)
• Keeping a regular mealtime routine will help make daily meal planning & prep a breeze. Since your mealtime routine stays the same each day, you’ll never be left scrambling last minute to whip up some dinner because your lil one decided they were absolutely starving at 4:45 PM. (No more short order cooking, kay?)

How to design the perfect daily mealtime routine for your family

1 | Make sure the rest of the household is on board

Routines only work if you’re consistent with them – that’s why they’re called routines. So, you’ll want to recruit your SO, older kids, and/or any other members of the household to adopt the new routine too. This doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just let everyone know that you’ll be trying out a new daily mealtime routine – call it an “experiment” if that helps! – to simplify your life. NBD.

2 | Work around your schedule

It sounds obvious, but your routine should work for you, not the other way around. Design a routine that works with your family’s schedule, and you’ll be much more likely to stick to it.

Think about work schedules, your tod’s weekly dance class, and anything else your family has scheduled on a regular basis. You don’t want to schedule breakfast during ballet!

Also look at the natural schedules in your daily life: What time does your child wake up in the morning? When’s naptime? Write down the times that ~everything else~ has to happen each day, so you can create a daily mealtime routine that fits your life like a glove.

3 | Fill in the blanks

Now that you have a loose daily schedule filled out (and I mean, super loose – just the basics), the next step is pretty easy. Fill in a few of the blanks with your family’s daily meals and snacks!

Choose time slots that complement your schedule, as well as your little one’s needs. Consider things like what times of day your tod tends to get hungry – mid-morning? just before bed? – and how frequently they need to eat throughout the day to keep their energy and mood up.

Remember: There really aren’t any hard-and-fast rules! As long as your routine works for you and your little one, you’re nailing this whole thing!

4 | Toddler-proof your routine

Children thrive with routines – as long as the routines (and your expectations) are age-appropriate. Here’s how you can make sure your daily mealtime routines are toddler-friendly:

• Leave plenty of time for your tod to transition between mealtimes and other activities. Give your lil one plenty of warning before transitions and plan for each transition to take about 15 minutes – don’t rush!
• Talk your toddler through the new routine frequently until they’re comfortable with it. “Now, we’re sitting for breakfast. In 15 minutes we can get up and clean our dishes together if we’re done eating!”
• Set realistic mealtime expectations for your child. Know that your toddler has a hard time sitting at the table for long? Start by having them sit for a few minutes, and then gradually increase the amount of “table time” before they can get up. Meet your child where they’re at!
• Involve your toddler in mealtimes as much as possible. Kids love to be “helpers”! Maybe your tod can help you choose what’s for dinner tonight, help out in the kitchen with simple, toddler-friendly tasks – like pouring pre-measured ingredients or stirring ingredients together. Even younger tods can learn to set the table with a little bit of coaching! Make these tasks a meaningful part of your mealtime routines.

5 | Be consistent – but flexible

Consistency is key when it comes to routines. But the most important thing to remember is that your family’s routines should (duh) work for your family. That means that you may need to experiment for awhile to find the routine that works best for you! Try to be flexible and patient as you work on developing the perfect routine to fit your family’s unique needs. And don’t be afraid to change things up if they’re not working! 

Fill out your new daily mealtime routine planner!

Download your free planner below to get started designing an awesome daily mealtime routine for your family! Again, don’t worry about getting everything perfect! The best way to find out what works for your family is to write down ~something~ that might work, try it out, and go from there. 

PS. If you need more help, feel free to check out the sample mealtime routine (included in your free download) for inspiration!

Questions? Struggles? Successes? 

Leave your thoughts below! 🙂

Until next time!

♥ Meg