How Ahimsa Solves Top 3 Parenting New Year's Resolutions
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Time to Read: 7 min
Top 3 Parenting New Year's Resolutions
As a parent, life is busy. At Ahimsa, we're here to help make it simpler (and healthier). Whether you’re working on getting through the day-to-day grind or setting goals for the new year, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for simple mealtime tips, the top three parenting New Year’s resolutions, and a glimpse into how Ahimsa can help you achieve them.
About Ahimsa
Founded by a pediatrician and mom of three
Stainless steel is the only kid-friendly material recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics
We are guided by a Scientific Advisory Council comprised of environmental and medical experts, guiding us in creating the safest products, following the latest science and promoting policy to protect human health and our planet
Want to know more? Check out our story and our products.
1. Spend more quality time with your kids
As a parent, it’s easy to get pulled into your responsibilities and drift away from the little things that matter most. One of the easiest ways to bring quality time into your family’s routine is eating dinner together. Eating meals together can benefit your kids' development, as well as their physical and emotional health.
Research studies show that family meals lead to healthier children. Children and adolescents who share family meals three or more times per week are more likely to be in a normal weight range and have healthier dietary and eating patterns. Studies also show that the frequency of shared family meals is associated with improved mental health, stronger family bonds, better academic performance, and developmental benefits in young children. So yes—this quality time around the family dining table really does make a difference!
Looking for more family mealtime benefits?
Check out these downloadable Dish and Dine cards that help start fun discussions with your children during family meals. These conversation starters help you go beyond the details of your work and school days, tapping into the incredible imagination of young minds.
And if you need new stainless steel kids’ dishes to improve your family mealtime experience, check out Ahimsa. As a Pediatrician, I designed every element of our dinnerware to make mealtime not only healthier and more sustainable but also more fun and engaging.
2. Fill your children’s tummies with nutrient-rich food
We all know the importance of fresh, wholesome meals. But life with kids gets busy, and it can be difficult to know where to start. As a mother of three, I get it. The daily decisions around what to make and serve—breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners—can quickly start to feel draining.
Ahimsa is specially designed to make healthy meals simple. Each compartment is perfectly sized—and backed by science—to help you serve age-appropriate serving sizes. Just grab our dishes and hang the roadmap on your fridge to remind you how to serve well-balanced, nutritious meals every time!
Need a little more guidance? Our age-based food guides can help you figure out what to serve and how much. Keep in mind that each child is different, but these guides can help you start to understand the big picture behind serving healthy meals. And don’t forget that children are intuitive eaters. Your job is to simply serve the food, and their job is to consume it. We’re not advocates of the clean plate club. Instead, we suggest simply trusting that your children’s little bodies (and brains) will not let them starve.
Mealtime Essentials
3. Teach your kids to be independent and confident.
Some of the best opportunities to teach your children valuable life skills occur in the kitchen and dining room. By starting chores as early as three years old, you can boost your child’s executive functioning skills—think self-control, planning, creative thinking, and organizational abilities. These skills can help children handle frustration and other challenges, leading to increased teamwork skills and an easier time in school. Not to mention the opportunity to become a successful team member in your family!
Here are a few chores to try out (at any age) to help your child get more involved in mealtime while also boosting lifelong skills:
Help unload the groceries
Help with meal prep (washing produce, chopping vegetables, measuring ingredients, etc.)
Setting the table
Loading and unloading the dishwasher
Want to dig deeper into this topic? Check out our blog on teaching kids independence at mealtime.
New Year’s Resolutions for Kids in the Kitchen
As we enter the new year, remember Ahimsa is here with mindful mealtime tools to help you achieve these resolutions. You might even consider extending this practice to your children! Here are some great resolution recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, based on specific age groups, that can supplement your mealtime resolutions this year.
Preschool:
I will try new foods when I can—the more colorful, the better!
I will learn how to help clear the table when I’m done eating.
Ages 5 to 12:
I will drink water every day.
I will try new flavors and textures of foods, even if it’s just a bite.
Teens:
About Ahimsa
Ahimsa was founded by a pediatrician and mom of three with a mission to make safer choices easier for families. Our mealtime products are made with stainless steel—the only truly kid-friendly material recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
We’re guided by a Scientific Advisory Council made up of environmental and medical experts who help ensure our products follow the latest science while supporting policies that protect both human health and our planet.
Want to learn more? Explore our story and our products today.
Cheers to a happy, healthy 2026!
References:
Dr. Manasa Mantravadi
Dr. Manasa Mantravadi is a board-certified pediatrician whose dedication to children’s health drove her to launch Ahimsa, the world's first colorful stainless steel dishes for kids. She was motivated by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ findings on harmful chemicals in plastic affecting children's well-being. Ahimsa has gained widespread recognition and been featured in media outlets such as Parents Magazine, the Today Show, The Oprah Magazine, and more.
Dr. Mantravadi received the esteemed “Physician Mentor of the Year” award at Indiana University School of Medicine in 2019. She was also named a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur in 2021, with her inspiring story showcased on Good Morning America. She serves on the Council for Environmental Health and Climate Change and the Council for School Health at The American Academy of Pediatrics. She represents Ahimsa as a U.S. industry stakeholder on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for the Global Plastics Treaty, led by the United Nations Environment Program. Dr. Mantravadi leads Ahimsa's social impact program, The Conscious Cafeteria Project, to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard student health as part of a national pilot of the Clinton Global Initiative.
She is dedicated to educating and empowering people to make healthier, more environmentally friendly choices at mealtime. Her mission remains to advocate for the health of all children and the one planet we will leave behind for them through real policy change within our food system.
More Mealtime Essentials
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I use stainless steel instead of plastic? Is stainless steel better for health?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a report in July 2018 suggesting ways that families can limit exposure to certain chemicals at mealtime, including “the use of alternatives to plastic, such as glass or stainless steel, when possible.” The report explained that “…some additives are put directly in foods, while “indirect” additives may include chemicals from plastic, glues, dyes, paper, cardboard”. Further, “Children are more sensitive to chemical exposures because they eat and drink more, relative to body weight, than adults do, and are still growing and developing.” While stainless steel items meet the recommendation to avoid plastic products in children, Ahimsa® products have the obvious advantage of not breaking like glass.
Is stainless steel better for the environment than plastic?
According to the Steel Recycling Institute, steel can be recycled over and over and over again without losing its integrity and requires less energy to recycle than to make anew. Most plastic unfortunately ends up in landfills and it is estimated to take 700 years to decompose. Our special coloring process that allows Ahimsa® products to be fully metal is environmentally friendly, so it does not produce toxic run-off into the ecosystem.
Will Ahimsa products break or peel?
No. Our steel is durable, so it won’t break or shatter with everyday use, like glass. And it won’t peel, like other colored stainless steel products you’ve seen. We use a special process that allows the colors to naturally occur in the metal.
Which Ahimsa products are best for my little one(s)?
Our products are meant to last, you can use Ahimsa at ages 1, 8 and 18! We thoughtfully design our products to be safe for little ones and our planet while reducing consumption. Once your child outgrows the Starting Solids Set and can use regular cups and utensils, the training cup is the perfect size rinse cup in the bathroom, the infant spoon doubles as a tea stirrer and the bowl is great for snacks or as an additional compartment to our modular divided plate. Our plates are great for any age as they encourage choosing a variety of healthy foods at each meal and help visualize portion sizes easily. It’s the lasting beauty of stainless steel - grows with your child and reduces waste.
