Mealtimes with a new baby can be a very stressful time
for new parents. It can often feel like an impossible task and not to mention
an incredibly messy one.
Having successful mealtimes – both for yourself and
your baby – is going to take a lot of planning ahead (and no small amount of
patience!)
Here are 4 ways to make your baby’s mealtimes a lot easier
on you.
1. Plan Ahead
Spontaneous meal ideas will not work well for you and
your baby and can only risk an increase in stress. Planning meals ahead and organizing
them at the beginning of the day – or even the beginning of the week – can help
you to manage mealtimes a whole lot better.
This also helps you to ensure that you’ve planned ahead
and considered all of the ingredients that are required for your baby’s diet
and nutritional needs.
Furthermore, mealtimes are about you, too. You don’t
want your own healthy eating schedule to be neglected while you focus on your
child. Meal
planning for the week for your own meals will be beneficial, too, such as
preparing in advance and freezing anything you need.
2. Don’t Give
In
It may feel easier and a lot less stressful to bring
an alternative for your child if they are refusing to eat something, but in the
long run, this won’t make anything easier. It may not be pleasant at first, but
standing
your ground and refusing to offer an alternative to food means that you are
teaching better habits. You don’t want your child to continuously demand
alternative food, knowing that you will surrender.
Instead, stay firm and only ever offer what you choose
to offer and what you prepare for your baby to eat.
3. Set Up Their
Highchair in the Best Way
Think about the easiest location and position for you.
It doesn’t have to be at the dining table if you’ve a more comfortable table
you would prefer. Whatever makes it an easier and relaxing mealtime for you and
your baby. You should also think about the area around the highchair; it could
get messy, so you may want to position over easy-to-clean floors (such as wood or
tiles instead of carpet) or put coverings down beforehand.
You can also invest in innovative accessories, like a long sleeve weaning bib supplied from Bibado, which can be attached
easily to your highchair and mean that food and mess doesn’t even get a chance
to reach the floor!
4. Have
a Clear Structure
A good and healthy routine is going to be
extremely helpful for both you and your baby. Setting up the right environment
for mealtimes can help to create a more relaxing environment, and also help for
your baby to get used to when mealtimes occur.
You may want to think about:
- Always using the same
table, room, or spot for mealtimes
- Turning off the TV in
the background, or eliminating smart devices
- Having mealtimes at the
same time every day, or at least a similar time.
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