To celebrate Dolmio’s #TechFreeTables campaign and to encourage your family to sit around the dinner table enjoying a delicious meal distraction free, I’m giving away a £50 hamper packed with Dolmio® goodies!
The Prize
The value of the hamper is £50 and it includes:
- picnic hamper
- table cloth
- 5 of Dolmio’s most popular sauces,
- spaghetti
- parmesan cheese
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Get my top tips for tech-free family meal times here
Disclosure: With thanks to Dolmio® for providing me with the prize for this giveaway. I’ve been commissioned to create this blog post by Dolmio® to raise awareness of the importance of tech-free mealtimes.
Cook up something tasty and ban phones, ipads etc. I already ban them it it works for me as it is nice to chat with family members about their day.
Bribery! lol
Tell everyone to turn everything off & leave them in another room 🙂
Our rule is no phones or gadgets at the dinner table. Time to be sociable with everyone 🙂
Pavlovian response or classical conditioning
grown ups set the example
prepare the box and collect all of the devices
We sit and chat asbout our day or make plans. The boys have never really wanted to bring technology to the table, they tend to eat, chat and go!
take tea outside whilst the weather is nice and far enough away for wifi not to work!
Make meals ‘charging’ time – get all the gadgets charging whilst family is sociable around the table 🙂
We have a house rule that mobiles / ipads are not aloud at dinner table. Everyone has to leave them in the lounge, now it is just something we do without thinking. x
Leave all tech in another room.
Everything has to be switched off until dinner is finished.
No gadgets at the table, that’s our family time to talk about our day.
We leave them all in the living room, nice to have that family time electronics free.
I make sure all our tech is either off or on silent and what hand held tech we have goes in a box which is set aside until everyone has finished. Waiting until everyone is finished means we all sit together and talk after we have finished eating and no one tries to eat faster to get the tech back.
My tip for a tech free table is to use fun conversation card, once you get them all talking over the meal they will forget all about technology.
Turn all technology off a peaceful meal you will have
Have a complete ban at the table and make sure you chat to each other over dinner
I agree with so many of the comments. Technology has taken over our lives. So agree it is important to go back to basics of actually talking to one another.
lay down the law at the outset
Make it a rule and keep the conversation light and interesting to children , asking them questions so they get used to conversing at the table.
Just ban it – and grown ups set the example!
I have been known to ‘tell off’ my brother-in-law for answering his phone at the dining table. His parents were horrified that he’d answered it so I said something!
we never have an issue with not bring phones to the table, kids and hubby know i cant stand mobiles during as meal so leave them put away !
Leave all tech in the living room and turn the television off. Some of the best conversations are had at the dinner table.
Definitely no TV on in the background. Make them leave their phones and tablets in their rooms.
We’ve never had tech at the table during meals so it never became an issue. The kids were simply gentlyl reminded to leave their tech in the other room.
Its never been a problem, so maybe the answer is to alwaysserve tasty food
They are just banned and have to be left in another room, no exceptions. Same applies if eating out, not to be taken out of bags or pockets.
We just don’t do it, none of us do, so children aren’t encouraged to either. It’s a time for being social able and chatting
We have a no iPads or phones allowed rule in our dinning room and the kids stick to it as long as us adults do lol 🙂
We have a total ban at the table.
No TV, No phones and no gadgets at family mealtimes. It is an unwritten rule that we have always followed. I have two teens.
We have never allowed phones or gadgets at the table
Flick food on to their phones
To not bring gadgets to the table
my children know meal time is family time and there are no phones at the dinner table, they accept this, and so far it is not a problem. Parents in my mine have to show the lead by mimimising their use of ‘tweeting and liking’
they are the house rules and so they are quite good about it
No gadgets at the table
If that fails turn off the wifi
Lead by example and a simple ban.
Make sure that you have at least one meal a week & say no tech for anyone at the table then after, dinner they can get back on there tech, but you want there full attention for talking over there fantastic day’s they have had
a nice dining room what a basket outside to put mobile phones in when entering for dinner.
Turn of the WiFi
We have never allowed tech at the dinner table, so it is very easy to enforce 🙂
never allow tech at the table, so children know what to do!
I think it’s a very important rule to always have in place!
Have a rule that all tech is left in another room at family mealtimes to remove temptation and avoid distractions
Always insist no mobiles or tablets at the dinner table,it shouldn’t be that difficult
we have the wifi turned off at meal times
Lay down the groundrules well before lunch ask them to be put on silent
no devices at the table, interactions and eye contact
Get into the habit of leaving phones on the side, and if there’s a tv by the table don’t turn it on while cooking you’ll never turn it off!
The kids aren’t allowed but if someone moans, I turn the wifi off
We have a ‘Joke’ telling session – its hillarious
When going out for a meal with friends. We have a rule – 1st one to answer or look at their phone has to pay the bill.
We lead by example in that we don’t use our technology at the table either.
Involve everyone in cooking the meal, there is morechance to get their attention away from the tech for longer
I tend to make the dinner table a totally tech free zone by engaging everyone in a conversation that will appeal to us all- a fun debate, silly stories or something that we will all listen to. That way, everyone soon forgets about their technology long enough to enjoy dinner.
turn the router off
Insist if they wish to eat, no tech at the table , all switched off for the duration of the meal, called family time!
Electronics are not allowed at the table.Meal times are meant for eating and talking to each other about our day and what we are doing later.
Set a good example yourself.
Lead by example! It’s no good having a tech ban if dad’s monitoring Facebook on the smartphone and mum’s browsing emails on the tablet!
We leave phones in another room 🙂
Get everyone involved in helping to cook and lay the table. Ban all phones from the table!
otherwise first to look at their phone does the washing up!
I always make sure there are no mobiles at the table
Everyone has to leave their tech in another room, less chance of being tempted!
It has always been an unwritten rule in my house, we go to the table to eat and phones don’t come with us
Make everyone leave their mobiles and tablets somewhere else!
My kids just don’t have gadgets at the dinner table, they are able to leave them for 10 minutes 🙂
Our family ground rules are that no phones are allowed in the dinning room at meal times. The same goes for IPods and all other tech gear.
Just ban mobiles etc from the table, with extra washing-up duties for transgressors!
Theres no gadgets or tech at the dinner table until everyone has eaten and then they can have the tech once they’ve left the table
screen-free times through day
I make sure all electronics are in a different room
Just say no, works for me and my hubby
Engage your children in conversation-ask them about their day
Leave them all in another room
No tech in the room. Simple
I think it is easier with a dining room table but in the summer i like eating outside with family away from technology
A simple ban, and that includes adults too, and stick to it
We always have a family dinner at the dining room table with no phones or tablets allowed.
Leave all gadgets in another room so they aren’t tempted to look at them
We use a different room, where the focus is on the dining table rather than the television or phones … luckily my son isn’t really yet at the ‘glued to a phone’ age so that helps!
Have a countdown, 5 minute warning to meal time to wrap up conversations, send that snapchat or send that last text then make a real effort to get the family talking at meal times 🙂
I ban all electronics, that includes kids and adults and I try to make interesting meals
Get the kids involved in preparing and serving the food
TECH FREEZONE
I’d never allow tech at the table! My little boy has never had it so wouldn’t know to ask for it. If you don’t allow things at the dinner table from a young age they get used to it. When on a night out though, we put phones on the middle of the table. Whoever looks at their phone pays the bill! Simple xx
Simply enforce a no tech rule at the dinner table xxx
our eldest 2 children in their late teens are very tech,however when it comes to a hoe cooked meal made by their mam or dad then yep their phones are left in the other room and its fab family time with good crack and how everyones day has been xx
Food time is “family time” which means nothing other then dinner & cuddles!
Ugh. Get with the times. We live in the 21st century! Embrace it! The days of boring chit chat at the dinner table are over!
put them all in a basket and put in another room and make it a family rule before mealtimes.
Turn off the internet and confiscate any tech found being used at the table
I just turn the WiFi off. We have the children on a different wifi name to us so it means don’t have to turn everything off if I am downloading or my partner is working. The majority of things these days need internet which is great for me as it saves me shouting them for dinner because as soon as it goes off they know lol.
Talk
Mobile phones and tablets are banned from 6 – 7 every evening
first person to touch tech has to do the washing up
First person to get their phone out gets the chore of washing up!
I find routine helps – everyone knows what time dinner is and to be unplugged before that time!
I lead by example. My husband and I do not use tech at the table and do not allow the children or our visitors to do so. It is nice to chat about our day
ban all mobile phones ,ipads ect from the dinner table.x
Use the time to plan things – like days out, meals for the rest of the week, holidays etc – get the whole family talking!
Turn off all technology
some kind of finger food with each meal….the kids never want to get their phones dirty 🙂
No phones or tablets at the table!
Just say not allowed…my dinner table , my rules
It works when you switch the wifi off xxx
Teach them from a young age to never bring anything like that to the table.
Set by example, so even the adults don’t bring phones or tech to the table.
None of my kids have any tech yet, and I’ve never brought any of mine to the table so we don’t really have that problem! Although that will probably change during the teenage years haha
tech is banned from the dinner table as my eldest takes long enough to eat his dinner without distractions 🙂 We use dinner time to catch up with what each other has done that day
When they are young you just have to be firm and say all food must be eaten at the table and tech has to be turned off. When they get older…well…good luck 😉
We haven’t ever allowed it, so they don’t ask. I wouldn’t put it past my eldest, 10, though.
I make sure they eat with a knife and fork then there’s no hands left for tech. I have never allowed it meal times are always spent at a table eating and chatting
We always talk over dinner so there’s not enough time for tech!
just tell everyone that they are to leave them whilst eating
No gadgets at the table, that’s the rule. It’s not a problem in our house. They’re all too busy eating!
No phones or tablets at the table!
Dinner time should be family time and should be as a rule that’s one tradition that should be kept xx
Start early and never break the rule yourself.
have a rule not to bring to table and have it as charging time
Set a good example even when they are very tiny and it becomes the accepted family tradition. We have never had tech at the table when eating any meal.
Ensure everyone sticks to the rule and include TVs.
Set the ground rules early on, my children are 35, 31 and 29 and they wouldn’t dream of using their phones at table, they are setting a good example for my Grandchildren.
We have never had any tech up the table it is an unwritten rule
lead by example, and give at least 10 mins notice for dinner so that everyone can say brb to their friends. iF the minions are rebelling try doing a few days a week to start and build up but be consistent
Everything has to be switched off
I usually set a time, so say 5pm and everyone has to have all tech and gadgets switched off by this time so we can eat. This way its not a sudden surprise and everyone can finished what they are doing knowing what time it has to be switched off.
In our home at meal times we put all our electronic gadgets into a basket and talk about what we did during the day then when everybody is finished the meal we can get our gadgets back.
turning the router off
We try candles and relaxing music – it helps with the temptation to look at the phone
Make a rule that all tech must be left in another room whilst eating
ban all technology – its family time!
I don’t have any tips, tech is simply not allowed at the dinner table by anyone
All technology is banned and phones, ipads etc placed in a box which is closed until after dinner.
I started with the no phone at the table rule as soon as they got their phones
A tech box, for phone during dinner where they are kept until its over
ban all devices from the table
At meal time we turn off the wifi and ban phones from the table
Dinner time is family time NO tech allowed!
put the devices up somewhere out of reach!!
Ban the mobile…..
Lead by example
i turn the wifi hub off till after dinner lol
We each have a dinner time that we decide what subject to talk about and you forfeit your choice if you bring tech to the table it works a treat as we all want to be heard don’t we
The TV is always turned off and isn’t allowed back on until after pudding
ban technology at meals- as simple as that – I don’t need techniques-
I have already banned them at the dinner table. They have to be left on the side while we eat. Its such a short time and quite precious when we all sit together having a meal so no interruption by calls & text are needed
Tech is not allowed at the table, plenty of time for that before & after. Just got to be consistent
No tech allowed at table and ensure good table conversations. Start with everyone discussing the highs and lows of their day or week
We eat in a room that doesn’t have a tv, I put dishes in the centre so we can serve ourselves and have to ask for each other to pass things over and communicate
Nobodies allowed gadgets at the table all was has and always we’ll be the rule in our house
Not allow tech at the dinner table and get the family talking!
Give the youngsters a chance to pick a topic that they would love to talk about…it could be anything – pokeman dinosaurs, Dr Who… Whilst they’re chatting and engaged they also eat better too
We say time at the table is talking time not tablet time
Tablets / Phones / Games anything like that is not allowed at the time – table time is family and food time!
Keep a squirt gun at the table. Anyone touches tech, you squirt it. They won’t want to risk a waterlogged phone.
We’re too busy eating tasty food to worry about technology
turn them off 10 mins before you eat
Get everyone to help out – the last one to the table is the one who has to do the washing up rather than the mixing and mashing.
telly off, phones and tablets on the sideboard otherwise NO DINNER!!!!
The rule in our house is no phones at the dinner table
The dinner table is a place for food, not phones!
Having dinner in a room where there are no tvs or electronic devices
All tech is banned from the dining table. We try and encourage steady conversation as we eat to erase boredom!
Involve everyone in the preparation of the meal and setting the table and engage all in conversation at the table.
My suggestion is ban them / but say the first one touch them does the washing up!
We always talk about what we would like to do at the weekends and talk about things we would like to do on our next holiday. Wd have a no.phone/ipad rule at the table
Turn off the WiFi!
Eat together as a family at the dinner table and have a conversation about your day.
Lead by example, if the adults don’t use Tech round the dinner table then its easier to make it a rule for the whole family.
Have lots of chat about your day
For A Tech Free Dinner, I get all the devices. Take the batteries out of them and hide them!
pre warn people so they can plan for it
Make conversation
A blanket ban or no grub. you have to take charge.
turn off the wifi
Colourful place settings – make the kids not want to tear their eyes away from what’s in front of them! Allison. @Amtree201
Make not using them at dinner a condition of being able to use them earlier in the day.
Make not using them at dinner a condition of being able to use them earlier in the day.
Generally no phones or no pudding works in our house !
Bribery!
not making it into an issue…!
I just a rule. No television or gadgets at the table or after 6pm for the kiddies. x
It’s no sweets/desserts thoughout the week if the gadgets are on. The desserts always seem to win out!
start as you mean to go on – ban it from the off! we use dinner time to talk as a family, about our day, school, work, weeks plans, weve never really had a problem with tech at meal times
Never introduce it in the first place. Dinner is time for everyone to sit together.
Lead by example by leaving your own devices in another room, and listen carefully and respectfully to what everyone has to say, including the littlest ones.
Leave them in the lounge until everyone has finished eating xx
Everyone sit to table. No phones/tablets allowed.
It is part of the golden rules in our house
Turn the wifi off!
We don’t allow tech at the table and the kids know if they bring their phones and are caught with them we will turn their net access off
no phones allowed until everyone has finished, so they all encourage each other to eat up
We have always had the rule of no toys/tech at the table – so everyone has always been used to it x
It really helps to have a separate dining room and have no TV in there – perhaps just some music
Make sure that everyone is involved in the dinner conversation.
No dessert if they bring any tech stuff to the table!
We just say that no toys or other distractions are allowed at meal times.
Build it into a routine, remotes, tablets, phones go in a box and chat about your day
to leave it all in another room , turned off
lead by example!
We have always had a no-tech rule at dinner time, that also includes no tv. As the children have grown up knowing it’s not allowed at meal times it has never been an issue in our home. I give them plenty of notice, by letting them know there is 20 minutes to go, 10 minutes etc, so they know how long they have to finish their games or conversations.
we have to all put phones on silent on the shelf in the kitchen-all adults included – when we eat !
LEAVE THEM IN ANOTHER ROOM
We have banned all phones and tablets from the dinner table
Lock the tech in a cupboard
conversation
Eat at a table, with no telly, radio or other digital gadgets on or around the table. This must be for everyone at the table, parents included. No phone calls to be answered either, just let it ring or take it off the hook.
Make no exceptions, if you know there is an emergency pending or you are waiting on a call that must be taken, tell the family, why it must be taken, as you sit down, but have the phone away from the table so you need to leave to answer it.
Make it clear at the outset that there are no phones at the table, and don’t make exceptions. Give the kids a few minutes notice so they can finish a conversation, game or whatever
We put the 2 year old in charge of the no tech rule, no one messes with her! If you so much as glance at a screen she pipes up “well, thats a bit rude”
Quite simply it is just a rule. Adults have to follow the rule too to make it fair xx
we are a family and we have one meal a day we have together, no gadgets
Have the kids help with making the meal so they are more excited to eat it and talk then use tech
We live by example and leave all tech in the living room
Rule that everyone knows.
Have an hour tech free, including dinner