Eating time with the little one often makes Mom and Dad dizzy, not playing. It was very difficult for the children to sit still and enjoy their meal.
Overcoming this, Mom usually allows them to eat while holding their cellphones or watching their favorite movies on TV. This method often works, right? The children want to be quiet and eat a lot to make your heart happy.
Apparently this is not a good habit you know. Eating while doing other activities can make children not focus on eating and will become a bad habit.
On this occasion, Thevolume.net will discuss 7 reasons why eating while playing on a cellphone or watching TV is not a good thing. Mommy curious?
1. Cause obesity
Mom, don’t be surprised, it turns out that the habit of eating while doing other activities is one of the reasons children are obese.
There are many social studies that prove that the habit of watching TV or playing cellphones during mealtimes makes children eat too much and eventually become obese.
This happens because children will pay more attention to what is on the screen than their food.
2. Bad eating habits
Doing other things while eating makes children have bad eating habits. How could that be?
Wouldn’t it be better for the little one to sit at the dining table with Mom and Dad? There you can have a warm chat that strengthens the relationship between family members.
Meanwhile, if Mom’s children choose to eat with their gadgets, the child’s time with family automatically cannot be used properly.
3. Low metabolism
You know, Mom, it turns out that eating while watching TV or playing on a cellphone can lower a child’s metabolism, you know.
The decrease in your little one’s metabolism has an impact on their digestion which works longer and food is burned slowly.
This happens because sitting in front of the television or cellphone is not an activity that burns a lot of energy. So that the child’s body accumulates more food that has been consumed than burns it.
4. Get hungry fast
When eating while doing other things, children will focus more on activities that are more enjoyable than eating alone.
As a result, children often forget to eat their portions. They could eat too much or vice versa. It could also be because the child is bored and feels that the food on the plate does not run out, even though the movie being watched is fun.
Of course, your child will feel hungry quickly when he eats just a little. This habit will also result in a child’s desire to snack during the day, which can lead to obesity.
5. The possibility of children eating unhealthy food
The brain is easily influenced by wanting to eat a variety of delicious foods when the body feels hungry.
This also happens when children eat while watching TV. Often TV shows advertisements for fast food that is not so healthy for their bodies.
Because children’s hunger is not immediately fulfilled, snack or junk food advertisements will more easily stick in their heads.
6. Not feeling satisfied
As mentioned above. Eating while doing other activities obscures the child’s concentration power. Causing children to be confused with their own satisfaction.
This happens because children’s minds are more focused on what they see than the food in front of them.
Your child will still feel less full even after they eat large amounts of food. Children end up overeating.
7. How to solve it?
Now, let’s learn how to overcome bad habits while eating, Mom! Quoting from health.levelandclinic.org there are several ways you can apply to overcome this problem. Among them are:
–Do not do both activities at the same time
Emphasize children that eating should always be done not while watching. Not only for heavy meals but also for snacks. Children can go first to enjoy snacks and then return to watching.
–Make sure the child eats at the dining table with the family
Get used to children to take off their activities for a moment when they want to eat. Whatever it is, invite them to always eat at the dining table, not in the room or in another room.
–Get used to not having a cellphone on the dining table
Cell phones are often another reason children eat for a long time or don’t care. Set strict rules for children not to eat while carrying a cellphone. If you want, the cellphone must be placed in the pocket, not on the table.
–Feed children when they are really hungry
When children feel hungry they will not prioritize exciting games on their cellphones or their favorite shows on TV. This helps the child to eat more focused and fast.
Changing children’s habits is not easy, Mom. For that keep your expectations and start slowly. You can get your little one to eat for 5 minutes without a television or cellphone and then increase later. Hopefully it’s useful.
