What to Feed Kids When the Rest of the Family Is Fasting for Shivratri
Quick answer: On a fasting day like Shivratri, kids who aren’t fasting can eat their normal meals, but a few small adjustments, eating in a separate space or slightly later, avoiding strong food smells near the puja area, and involving them in the day’s other rituals, tend to help everyone feel included rather than singled out. Our first Shivratri with a fasting household and two hungry kids who weren’t fasting was genuinely more awkward than I expected, my daughter kept asking why she couldn’t eat in the kitchen like normal, and I hadn’t thought through the logistics of a full fasting day with young kids in the house.
It wasn’t that anyone actually minded her eating, but the day’s rhythm, quiet, some family members hungry and a little tired, made a completely normal breakfast feel oddly conspicuous in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
What Actually Helped
Feeding the kids in a slightly different space, or at a different time than we’d normally eat together as a family, took away the sense of everyone sitting together while only some people could eat, which had been the actual source of the awkwardness, not the food itself.
Keeping stronger-smelling foods away from the puja area, and slightly later than usual if the family’s fast-breaking meal was planned for evening, helped the day feel more considerate without actually restricting what the kids ate.
Involving the kids in the non-food parts of the day, helping set up for the evening puja, learning a bit about why the day mattered, gave them something to genuinely participate in, which mattered more to how included they felt than the food itself did.
What I’d Tell a Parent Facing This for the First Time
Kids not fasting is completely normal and doesn’t need to be treated as an issue to manage carefully, the goal is really just making sure the day’s practical logistics, timing, location, don’t accidentally make a normal meal feel like something to hide or rush through.
I’ve also found that being straightforward with kids about why some family members are fasting and they aren’t, rather than glossing over the question, tends to satisfy their curiosity without making the day feel confusing or unfair to them.
Parent Tip
Parent Tip: The awkwardness of a fasting day with non-fasting kids usually comes from the day’s shared rhythm and space, not the food itself. A small shift in timing or location for meals solves this more effectively than trying to feed kids something ‘fasting-appropriate’ when they’re not actually fasting.
Quick Comparison
| What Caused Awkwardness | What Actually Helped |
| Eating together while others fast | A slightly different time or space for kids’ meals |
| Strong food smells near puja area | Keeping meals away from that space, especially before evening puja |
| Kids feeling excluded from the day entirely | Involving them in non-food parts, like puja setup |
| Vague or avoided explanations | A simple, honest answer about why some family members are fasting |
Practical Tips
- Feed kids in a slightly different space or time than the usual family meal to reduce the sense of contrast.
- Keep stronger-smelling foods away from the puja area, particularly close to the evening ritual time.
- Involve kids in the day’s non-food traditions, like helping set up for puja, so they feel genuinely included.
- Answer questions about the fast honestly and simply, rather than avoiding the topic.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Trying to restrict kids’ normal eating out of a sense that it should somehow match the fasting day’s mood.
- Avoiding honest explanation when kids ask why some family members are fasting and they aren’t.
- Overlooking the day’s logistics, timing and space, which tends to cause more awkwardness than the food itself.
The Short Version
Kids not fasting on a day like Shivratri is completely normal, and the awkwardness some families feel usually comes down to shared timing and space, not the food itself — a small adjustment to when and where kids eat, plus involving them in the day’s other traditions, tends to resolve it more effectively than trying to change what they eat.
Related Reading on PlayAndGrow
Our Sawan Shivratri meaning and wishes for family
Our Sawan Somvar vrat katha for kids, simplified
Our Sawan month explanation for kids
Our full guide to healthy lunch box ideas for picky eaters
FAQs
Should kids fast on Shivratri if the rest of the family is fasting?
This is a personal family decision, and many families let kids eat normally while adults fast, without any expectation that children need to participate in the fast itself.
Where should kids eat if the rest of the family is fasting?
A slightly different space or time than the usual shared family meal tends to reduce the sense of contrast and awkwardness more effectively than any change to the food itself.
How do I explain fasting to a child who isn’t fasting?
A simple, honest explanation of why some family members are observing the fast tends to satisfy a child’s curiosity without making the day feel confusing or unfair to them.
