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The Importance (& Healthfulness) of Table Manners

As a pediatrician, I spend plenty of time talking about what to eat. But just as important — possibly even more important — is how to eat.

When I told my kids that I was writing about table manners, they looked at me with one-eyebrow-up skepticism.

“What do table manners have to do with pediatrics?” they wanted to know.

I asked them to guess.

“If you don’t have good manners, you might slip and cut yourself with your knife,” my younger daughter suggested.

“Or,” said my older one, “if you don’t take small bites, you could choke.”

Okay, sure. Choking or injuring oneself with cutlery are medical issues that do concern me as a doctor. But table manners also matter for many less obvious reasons.

To clarify, I’m not talking about Which-salad-fork-should-I-use? kind of manners here. These are the basics: We sit at a table. Our bums are in contact with a chair. Food stays on the table, and feet stay off the table. Food is not a projectile. Nor is it an art medium (usually). General cleanliness is encouraged, and disgusting habits are discouraged. The TV is OFF (really!). And all phones are out-of-reach.

Oh — and no one is permitted to insult food that has been thoughtfully purchased, prepared, and offered to them.

Using manners at the table is all about taming impulsivity. And because willpower and self-restraint are recognized predictors of success in life, they’re worth nurturing. Expecting children to control themselves at the dinner table is the right way to begin teaching these skills.

How Table Manners Affect Health

Busy schedules and the availability of on-the-go foods have reduced the amount of time we spend eating together at the table. But our table habits really do affect our — and our children’s — health. Here’s why:

• Not using proper manners can result in the spread of germs and illness.

• Eating casually from a package, or in a car, decreases our satisfaction with meals and makes us want to eat more.

• Eating from a plate, at a table, allows us to regulate portion size — both for ourselves and for our kids.

• Eliminating electronics during meals makes us eat with more awareness. When we pay attention to our food, we are more likely to enjoy it. This is true: watching television when you eat will make you eat more, but enjoy it less.

• If there are no electronics during a meal, you and your family will talk to each other. It’s true! And these frequent, casual conversations form the roots of important and protective relationships.

• Data suggest that eating meals as a family reduces risk-taking behaviors in teenagers. And who wants a risk-taking teenager?

• When children learn to eat with good manners, they will be less likely to offend, and more likely to impress, when they find themselves in pivotal social situations later on.

So, at what age should we start teaching table manners? The answer might surprise you.

SIX MONTHS.

Maybe even four.

(Really.)

We start teaching table manners the moment we sit our kids in a highchair and start feeding them with a spoon.

The Keys to Teaching Table Manners

There are two keys when it comes to teaching table manners to young children: repetition, and modeling.

Young children don’t learn good habits quickly. Set the rules, keep them simple, and then repeat them a zillion times a week (as needed) until they’re mastered. (Be patient. This may take years.)

The second part, modeling, is harder. This means you have to lead by example. Like it or not, your children are learning table manners by watching yours.

Do you want your children to eat slowly and politely, without shoveling in unregulated portions or nibbling straight from the package? You have to show them how at every meal. Do you want them to be mindful and enjoy their meals, without continually being distracted by texts or calls? Do you want them to make family conversations a priority? Then the dinner table needs to be no-phone time for you, too.

Wait… Did I say I expect a six-month-old to use good manners? Ha! Of course not.

This is what I expect of a six-month-old: They sit in a highchair to eat. They interact with food on a table or tray. The food goes into the mouth, and not anywhere else.

Oops. No six-month-old can do that last part.

This is where repetition and modeling come in. You don’t punish babies when they put food in their hair. Instead, you repeatedly demonstrate the food entering the mouth, and you refrain from putting food in your own hair. Eventually, they get it. And, most importantly, you set the stage for the next set of manners by modeling all of them from the beginning (yes, including that part about the TV).

As they grow, you raise your expectations.

Of course, every adult in the house is part of the equation here. I know this is challenging, but… it’s parenting. And it’s worth talking about, because raising well-mannered children is in everyone’s best interest.

Dr. Kerry McGee is a former Kids Plus provider.