- The trend for young children to eat alone in front of
the television is creating a generation of youngsters with few social skills
or table manners, according to a new study.
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- Many youngsters, fed by mothers trying to hold down a
job as well as bring up a family, are raised on "nuggets and chips"
and rarely touch fresh fruit or vegetables.
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- A survey of 2,000 parents found that most thought their
children's behaviour at mealtimes was "appalling".
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- Nine out of 10 toddlers were allowed to eat junk food,
often in front of the television, and half did not eat the recommended
amount of fruit and vegetables each day.
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- When toddlers ranging in age from 12 months to three
and a half years were made to sit at the table, mealtimes were commonly
described as a "nightmare".
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- Seven in 10 pushed their dinner off the table and refused
to eat, six in 10 threw their food, half tried to climb down from the table
and four in 10 screamed.
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- Six out of 10 mothers say they lose their patience during
mealtimes.
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- The Mother & Baby survey said that part of the problem
was "solitary toddler mealtimes".
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- Nearly half of all toddlers never eat with the family,
only 12 per cent regularly eat out with their child in tow, and 42 per
cent have never eaten out in a restaurant with their toddler.
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- Another problem was "constant snacking". Most
parents acknowledged their children would benefit from stricter family
mealtimes.
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- Karen Pasquali Jones, editor of Mother & Baby magazine,
said: "The trend for toddlers to eat alone is a recipe for disaster.
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- "Toddlers need the experience of sitting up at the
table. It not only encourages them to eat properly, it improves their speech
and social skills and encourages them to try new foods."
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- She added: "The amount of junk food toddlers eat
is horrifying. They are the nuggets and chips generation.
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- "So many times poor adults now rely on ready meals
for themselves and cannot prepare healthy, home-made meals for their children."
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/31/nm
eal31.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/31/ixnewstop.html
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