nom! Children program takes
stress out of mealtimes 

nom! 

Are the kids getting enough fruit and veggies in their diets? Are we eating enough of a variety of foods in our diet? These are just some of the questions each parent asks themselves regularly, if not, multiple times a day. 

Preparing meals while managing work, housework and childcare responsibilities can feel overwhelming at the best of times. Our nom! Children programs are designed to take the stress out of mealtimes and to give parents the confidence they need to ensure their family is eating healthy and nutritious meals within their budget. 

With a toddler aged two and half years old and a four month old baby, Geraldine had been struggling to balance her family’s meal time requirements. The weekly food budget was being stretched to the limit and she was finding that she was spending too much time in the kitchen rather than being present with her family. Balancing everyone’s preferences, including her toddler who, Geraldine describes as a picky eater, – not to mention a white food category eater – while encouraging good manners and healthy habits was becoming a daily battle. Social media and parenting advice made Geraldine feel like she wasn’t doing enough and even made her feel guilty sometimes. 

The four week nom! Children program helped Geraldine streamline dinner times and even helped with the budgeting side of things. 

Held at the Child and Parent Centre Westminster in May, the nom! program covered topics such as:

• Healthy eating for the whole family and learning to eat (introducing solids and texture progression)
• Lunchboxes and nutrition label reading
• Feeding the family on a budget
• Stress free family mealtimes
• Each week included group cooking and a shared meal where children were invited to join in with their parent

For Geraldine, the budgeting and meal planning sessions were very helpful as well as covering off foods that suit various age groups. She says that the program was a game-changer and she is now more attentive to what she feeds her whole family, not just her toddler. She now has the Australian Healthy Eating guide stuck on her fridge as a constant reminder to include foods from each food group into meals where possible. Geraldine said its really satisfying to know that her family are now eating more balanced meals each day.  

After attending the nom! Program Geraldine has noticed that mealtimes are much less stressful and a planned out shopping list has huge benefits, “I realised a little can go a long way. With meal planning, shopping lists are planned out and streamlined rather than spontaneous buying. It has also helped reduce my prolonged time in the kitchen, meaning I have more time to spend with my family.” 

The impact of the nom! sessions is evident in that Geraldine has now increased the families fruit and veggie intake as well as increasing protein in their diets, “I’m now able to mix and match a variety of food to make a great healthy meal that is satisfying.” 

Meal planning and budgeting has saved Geraldine time and money, and has even reduced food waste, but most importantly planning ahead and creating nutritious and balanced meals has reduced the stress of last-minute decisions. 

We have nom! programs that suit all ages and abilities, and we can even tailor a program to suit a groups specific needs. Find out how today, and make mealtimes a fun, positive and engaging experience for all.