Making Mealtimes Fun: Building a Positive Relationship With Food From the Start

If you’re a parent you already know mealtimes can swing between calm and complete chaos. Some days your child eats like a hungry giant, most days they act like food is poison. I’ve been through both with my son.

Over time I realized it’s not about finishing the plate. It’s about helping kids see food as something fun and normal. Eating shouldn’t feel like a battle. Here’s how it went for us.

6 to 12 Months: Building Positive Associations

When Advik was around 6 months we got him a feeding chair. That was the first step. He sat at the table with us and slowly understood that sitting there meant it was time to eat. We also got silicone suction plates and baby spoons so he could play around safely.

One thing we were clear on was to never use TV or digital devices. Instead we sang songs, told little stories and sometimes even flew spoons full of ragi “like an airplane.” It kept his attention on food without making it mindless.

We also let him explore the food, hold the spoon and even try a few bites on his own. Of course this meant spills, splashes, food on the floor and food everywhere. Total mess! But that’s how he learned. It gave him a chance to feel the textures, notice the colors and get comfortable with food in his own way. Messy but totally worth it.

Advik and the mess at 11 months. And yes, that’s ragi on his face!

1 to 2 Years: Learning Hunger and Reducing Pressure

At this stage I made one mistake. I kept offering him something every alternate hour. Snack, meal, milk, repeat. He was never really hungry. Later I realized he needed that hunger cue. Without it no amount of coaxing was going to work.

We also had to break the cycle of saying "kha lo kha lo" that adults around him would fall into. The more we said it the more he pushed back. Imagine someone putting food right in your face again and again. You’d resist too. Once I stopped this, meals actually became calmer.

2+ Years: Giving Him Control

As he grew older we started giving him choices. Small ones like “Do you want to eat roti first or dal first?” or “Blue spoon or red spoon?” Sometimes even “What should we cook today dosa or paratha?”

Of course he’d sometimes say dosa and then not eat a bite. That was frustrating but I reminded myself the goal wasn’t to get him to eat everything. It was for him to feel like he had a say. And trust me most days it worked.

Making Food a Game

One of the best ideas that stuck is what we call the ‘Shakti Meter’. It’s actually just our weighing scale. Before meals we’d say “Oh no your power is going down.” After eating he’d step on it and we’d clap “Woow!! Just look at your power now!”

We also made veggies into superheroes. Bhindi makes you tall. See the bones feel so hard and strong because of the dal you ate. Suddenly food isn’t boring. It’s like charging up superpowers.

Consistency Over Perfection

There still are evenings when he eats two bites and walks away. Earlier I’d get stressed and keep trying. That only made things worse. Over time I learned to let go. If he doesn’t eat it now, I will try in another hour. If not today, maybe tomorrow.

The less I am stressed, the calmer mealtimes are for everyone.

Looking Back

I’m glad we slowly moved away from “just finish your food” to making meals fun. There was a phase where we slipped into force feeding because of weight worries and family pressure. That backfired badly. We had to reset and go back to what worked for us, fun, choice and patience.

Looking back, it’s the little things that made the biggest difference. Letting my child pick the spoon, turning veggies into superheroes, sitting together and laughing through messy bites, that’s what made mealtimes fun.

If you’ve tried any little hacks or fun ideas to make mealtime enjoyable, do share them in the comments below