“Beyond ‘good’ and ‘bad’: exploring varied conceptions of mealtime rules and practices in Finnish early childhood education context”

In health and education policy, mealtimes in early childhood education (ECE) settings are important moments for supporting children’s overall well-being and development. While mealtime practices are often guided by national recommendations and curriculum, more information about how ECE professionals perceive and experience them is needed. Rather than evaluating practices against guidelines, this study emphasizes the diversity of professional interpretations and the situated nature of mealtime experiences in ECE. The study explores Finnish ECE professionals’ conceptions of mealtime rules and practices, with a particular focus on what they consider functional – or conversely, confusing. The data were collected through an online survey (n = 150) and analyzed using the phenomenographic method. The findings reveal a range of perspectives on mealtime practices, highlighting both shared principles and tensions in everyday pedagogical situations. Mealtimes are culturally and institutionally framed situations, where professionals must navigate conflicting norms, pedagogical goals, children’s individual needs, and personal conceptions. These contradictions highlight the need for dialog and reflective, child-centered practices that balance the nutritional, educational, social, participatory, and institutional dimensions of mealtimes.