Every mom knows that when you have little kids, dinner is an everyday struggle. It’s simply hard to get them to eat dinner on time. Yet these active kids are always hungry so you’re forced to let them snack throughout the day. Some parents solved this problem by pushing dinnertime to a much earlier hour and apparently, it worked wonders.
The Elite Indian is giving insight into the reasons why eating dinner early is such a great idea if you have small children.
They’re hungry when they come home from school.
At school, children don’t always eat properly and that’s normal. Maybe they’re just excited being among friends. But school activities would tire them out and by the time they got home, they’d be starving for food. Instead of just giving them a light snack, it’s better to let them eat a proper (and even better, healthy) meal since they’re really hungry and basically would eat anything.
They’d continue snacking if there was no proper meal.
While it’s a good idea to let them have healthy snacks in between meals, they won’t stop snacking if they’re truly hungry. This would defeat the purpose of snacking because it would be like feeding them a meal, only it wouldn’t be as wholesome.
And then they’re no longer hungry when dinner comes.
With all the constant snacking before dinnertime, their stomachs would be pretty full by the time you’re serving dinner. The hours and efforts you put into making homecooked meals and ensuring that they are nutritious would feel like a huge waste. You’d feel frustrated, and dinnertime would feel like a stressful event when it should be a good time to bond with the family.
They need to sleep early anyway.
Since children ages 7-12 should sleep for 10-11 hours per day, their bedtimes can range from around 7.30 pm and 10 pm. It’s advisable to wait 2 to 3 hours between the last meal and bedtime to allow for digestion and prevent heartburn at night and insomnia. So it only makes sense to give them an early dinner. If they ask for food before bed, you can always give them a light, healthy snack.
They’re better off fed when they’re hungry.
It doesn’t matter what time is the “right” time for dinner — it’s better to do what’s best for the children. If eating dinner when the sun is still up is what works for you and your kids, that’s exactly what you should do. It’s better to feed the kids when their little stomachs are asking for food than to force them to eat when they’re full.
What time do your little ones eat dinner? Let us know if this method works or if you’d try it with your own kids if you haven’t already!
Preview photo credit kimkardashian / instagram
