My Kids Are Going To Eat Me Out Of The House

I love my children to death, just as any parent does, but now that they are growing they are ALWAYS hungry. I guess I should start watching what I say . . . I'm always joking " one day my kids are going to eat us out of the house ". The realization of that seems definite with the price of groceries & the amount of times my little ones are saying they are hungry. But when does the eating go from being hungry to being bored ? I don't by any means deprive my children of food but I started to notice that when they became bored they would ask for something to eat. Snacking from boredom is what makes us all over weight so I didn't want my kids picking up this bad habit at such an early age, something had to change.

Where to start? Before I get discouraged I motivate myself with a little quote, It takes 21 days to break a habit, so let's just take it day by day.

Start by setting out a good time frame that works for you & your family to have your meals & snacks.

For example ours looks like this:
Please feel free to create your own time frame, you don't have to follow mine, this is what works for our daily routine & how we do things.

Your time frame will also go along with making the rule "the kitchen is closed", my mom & dad use to say this when I was little but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Help everyone be aware that if it's not a meal or snack time the kitchen is "closed" & it will be "open" again during the next snack / meal time. I like to give a little reminder while we finish up our food "last call the kitchen will be closing after this & mommy will be off duty so if you want anything else to eat you better tell me now".

Now you need to set boundaries, setting boundaries where you are allowed to eat is not only beneficial for your children but for you as well. For instance, telling your children they are not allowed to eat in front of the TV helps them focus on what they are actually eating instead of watching TV & mindlessly stuffing their face with snacks. Research suggest that for children, even snacking while watching TV can be a harmful habit for them because it interferes with the natural cues the body is sending which can cause them to over eat or even under eat. I'll admit turning the TV off while eating isn't always so easy, in this day & age it's normal for the TV to be on while families eat, but taking out the extra time to do it will be so beneficial to your family's growth. Plus you don't have to deal with a mess in your living room because it is now off limits to eat in.

Stay active, if your time is occupied by doing something productive your little one will be less likely to stay "hungry" because he / she isn't just sitting around being bored.

 It's important that everyone tries to stick to this as much as possible so your children become accustom to the plan, but don't beat yourself up if you slip here & there. Not only will you see a change in your kids eating out of boredom but you should start to see a change in your own mindless snacking behaviors as well, which every mother will enjoy.
I hope this helps you, leave a comment below to let me know if you think your little ones are about to eat you out of your house.

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