5 Reasons you should eat meals with your babies and Toddlers

Do you eat meals with your children? It is beneficial for youngsters, their parents, and siblings to eat together. Today, in conjunction with moKee, makers of the popular Yummee High chair (pictured throughout this article), I want to share some of these benefits with you.

Choosing a highchair for your baby or toddler to join you at the table

If you are looking to buy a highchair that your baby or toddler can use at the dining table you use as a family, then there are a few things to consider.

Is the tray removable? The ideal highchair has a tray that is either removable or easy to flip over so the little one can sit at the table and use it rather than their tray.

The height of the high chair. Will the baby be sitting at the same height as the rest of the family so they can see you at their eye level?

Whilst booster seats are a great option for older children and for travelling to different places for your child to eat, they often do not put the child at the correct height.

Look for a highchair that is the perfect height so the little one can look at their food on the table and reach it with ease.

Consider if you would like one to match your dining table in the same colour or wood. Whilst this isn’t necessary, it can look much more fitting if it is a similar colour as opposed to a bright pink highchair with flowers on, for example.

Consider a highchair that lasts until a child is big enough to use a standard chair. An adjustable highchair such as the moKee Yummee is perfect as the footplate can be adjusted easily as the little one grows.

Consider the comfort of your baby or toddler, and when buying a wooden highchair, consider a cushion made for it.

Always use the harness designed for the highchair. It prevents the little one from being able to topple the highchair over, fall out of it or reach things they shouldn’t whilst in their chair.

5 Reasons it benefits you and your child to eat together

It helps your child know they are worthy of your time. It is a good time to talk together and ensure they feel wanted, accepted as they are and part of the family.

Eating together encourages good table manners and the use of cutlery. Children learn by example, and watching you eat even before they can use cutlery will encourage them to do the same.

Children who eat with their parents often have a wider range of foods they eat. This is because, naturally, children want what someone else has. If you always offer them a little of your food, once they are able, they will easily develop a broader palette.

Children who eat at the table are less likely to be distracted and learn to recognise when they are full. Whilst this is more for older children, it can start to develop from a young age so it is important to start this young.

It is much safer for children to sit at the table to eat with you. It means they are not moving around with food in their mouth but it also ensures you can see them constantly and know if they are struggling with chewing anything. Equally, you can more easily experiment with the next stage of foods by seeing how they cope with them.

Did you eat with your toddlers? Are you a new parent who is undecided about what to do for the best?

If you are looking for an excellent highchair for toddlers to eat at the table with you then the moKee Yummee I have featured here is perfect and is currently just £119 so well worth considering.

Perhaps you could buy it for their first birthday or Christmas? Let me know your thoughts about the idea to eat meals with your children in the comments below.