Mealtime Recommendations for the Holidays
What kinds of thoughts does this holiday season bring to mind for you?
Perhaps you think of slicing a perfectly cooked turkey, friends laughing and gathered together, spices in the air, or presents piling up under the tree. Maybe you remember the smell of pine needles throughout the house, the color change of leaves outdoors, and the crisp air.
For families of children with special needs, the holidays can bring a very different list to mind.
Sensory changes like new and different foods, textures, and smells, can present uncomfortable feelings, along with groups of people and a lot of noise. It can be difficult to manage something others may not even consider to be a potential problem, like a meal together. Holiday mealtimes can create a lot of stress and worry for families with kids with special needs, so it is important to be mindful of those in your life who might be experiencing something similar. But, there are ways you can incorporate some ideas to ease the tension and create a smooth mealtime for everyone this holiday season!
Here are a few ideas you can consider implementing at home to help your dining experience this year:
Smoother Holiday Mealtimes
Play Sous Chef: Let your kids help you cook! Kids are more likely to be invested in the meal if they are involved in the process of making it. That might mean letting them help you mash potatoes in a bowl, mix together ingredients or measuring them out for you. You can also consider adding a meal component that allows them to build their own plate, like separate ingredients in a salad or toppings for dishes. Check out Parent’s recommendation for little sous-chef friendly recipes for Thanksgiving like their cranberry-cheese pinwheels!
Family Nostalgia: Think about the things you did when you were a kid around the holidays. Can you remember anything in the kitchen that you would help with? Sometimes passing on a family tradition (like breaking the wishbone at Thanksgiving) can be shared as a story, making the moment feel memorable and special. Ways that you can involve your kids in the meal preparation and process will help them when it comes to sitting down at the table to eat.
Set the Table: Let kids help with gathering utensils and placing them at each place setting. For picky eaters, consider using a divided plate or colorful plates to help make the dining experience easier. You might label chairs or seating to make it feel more special. This can also help the children with anxiety know what is coming and feel more prepared with all the guests arrive.
Review Together: It can help to give your child specific examples of the behavior you expect at the dinner table, along with the behavior that is not acceptable. Provide examples of scenarios and allow your child to respond with whether they think the behavior would be acceptable or not, like getting under the table or standing on the chair compared to passing the gravy or helping clear the plates at the end.
Prepare Ahead: Getting your family, company, friends, or even yourself prepared for meltdowns is always a smart idea. Consider the changes to your routine and what might feel different and throw off your child. You can create feelings of familiarity for your child in new situations or if your routine is disrupted by implementing visual or other sensory signals to calm.
Way to Decompress: If you are traveling or visiting family for the holidays, you may want to consider a way to separate and decompress if that is what is needed. Sometimes kids with special needs experience sensory overload and have trouble processing. Keeping something like noise-cancelling headphones or music on hand and finding a place that is calm and quiet can provide the decompression needed.
Relax: Although you can take time preparing and trying to plan for every scenario, it is also important that you relax and let go of keeping everything exactly under control. You child feels a lot of what you feel, and if you are stressed and uncomfortable, chances are they will be too. Check in with yourself and take time to find calm - remember to communicate with your child about how they are feeling and reinforce the same calm.
Although the holidays can be stressful for everyone, we can all take time to recognize and be mindful of others this season. It goes a long way just to be understanding toward families of children with special needs. Learn more about how you can be more mindful during the season in one of our past resources: Helpful Holiday Mindfulness. You can also find a handy printout you can add to your fridge or give to others to help spread the word. Share it on Facebook or Instagram this holiday season and help us encourage everyone to be mindful in the upcoming months.
Tilton’s Therapy for Tots provides resources like this one for parents and caregivers to gain insight, encouragement, or support for their child’s developmental journey. Check out some of our amazing therapists and get to know the team at Tilton’s! We also regularly put together great developmental activities for families to do at home together. Find printouts and easy DIY fun for your kids in our resources!
Additional Resources:
https://kghconsultation.org/blog/post/5-tips-for-surviving-the-holiday-season
https://www.andnextcomesl.com/2017/03/mealtime-hidden-rules-social-skills.html
https://www.parentmap.com/article/creating-new-family-traditions-making-mealtimes-more-meaningful
