Do your childen dine with you when they are 2

[Isaac Mom]

Hi

My son likes to dine in his room (with maid's assistance) where he can play with toys while dining. He eats well.

When he turns 2, we let him dine with us on a dining table (with maid's assistance too), but he only eats little and struggle to leave. To be honest we have tried everything to attract him to eat at the table, but in vain. This situation has lasted for a month that we have no alternative but to let him go back his room in the recent days.

One part of me questions that my son is too early to dine on a table but the other part tells I should insist.

Do you experience of this similar situation. How do you deal with it.

Thanks
Isaac Mom

 

[carang]

my son ahas always eaten in the living room, NEVER in his bedroom.

most of the time at home, he eats his dinner first, then when it comes time for us to eat, he gets a small bowl of rice(or whatever we are having) and his own set of chopsticks. sometimes he eats, sometimes he doesn't, that's fine with us, because he's already eaten his own dinner.

when we go out to a restaurant, he ALWAYS sits at the table nicely until we've all finished.

 

[jools]

My children have always eaten with us; when I say us I mean me, as we have a meal first since my husband gets home from work so late. This way they have got used to table manners and expectations. It's also a lovely family time where we get to chat about things that are going to happen during the day (whilst at breakfast), things that are happening in the day (whilst at lunch) and things that have happened (whilst at dinner). From an early age they have both been keen to feed themselves, so we have always worked with two spoons, one for them to get used to using it and one for Mummy to make sure the food gets into them. Our third will go through the same process and at six months he is already keen to find out what goes on at the table.

It has always been the norm, so both my four year old and two year old don't know any different, so there have never been any issues. Once my daughter was sitting up well enough to join us at the table we made a big thing about getting her a high chair and she sat there very proud of herself.

I think this might be one that you just have to persevere with since your son is used to having his food where he can play with his toys. Maybe suggest to him that he can choose one special toy to bring with him to the table and once he has got used to that, wean him off the toy altogether. I have found that if mine bring a toy to the table they are often less inclined to eat and we often have to negotiate the toy off the table until they have finished.

I hope that helps

Jools

 

[joannek]

mine started eating at the table since she started eating (@6 mths) now that she's taller (23 mths) we got her toddler size table & she eats there. she doesn't get to eat dinner with us, cos she sleeps at 7pm. but on the weekends, when we eat lunch at home, she eats with us at the table on her highchair. before we got her the toddler table, we used to have to entertain her while she eat (fed by mommy or nanny but also using her own spoon trying to feed herself) (she likes to multi-task). i would put some toys on the table & pretend she eats with her toys. then that didn't work, then i gave her Parents magazine. tons of toy photos & kids/babies photos, & she loves it & eats well. but since she had her own table she's been eating well. the 1st time she ate there i told her she gets to eat at her special table providing that she eats sitting throughout her meal. once she gets up, it means she done & the food will be removed. & we follow thru.

for your case, i think since your child has always been playing & eating it will be quite difficult to undo that. you probably have to tell him that becasue he is a BIG boy & BIG boy eats at the dining table, just like mom & dad., and then keep him entertained with singing songs, playing toys, reading books, whatever. good luck!

 

[Isaac Mom]

Thanks carang, jools and joannek for your response, I get some ideas from your experience to rectify my son's dining practice. Hope I will share the successful experience very soon.

This forum is fantastic I can share my worries and happiness for the child issues, and receive precious comments as if they were my friends.

Thanksssssssss
Issac Mom

 

[barbwong_130]

Dear Issac Mom,

What does your son eat like when you eat out in a restaurant?

My first two children didn?t like to sit up at the table and I guess I didn?t encourage it because it was easier to let them play and eat at home. (They used to like to eat in the bath too!) But when we went out they'd sit up and generally behave, so I let them do what they wanted at home.

When I was pregnant with my third child we went to stay with my parents and I was worried about how they would behave while eating during the stay. My mother wouldn?t have approved of playing and eating. Because there wasn?t room at the dinning table for the children my mother had bought a special small table with two chairs and special cutlery with their names on for them. I was amazed because each meal they sat at the little table and behaved beautifully.

Unfortunately once back home they returned to eating and playing. But I decided that if they could do it when it mattered they could do what they liked at home.

I?m not so lenient with my youngest child because she doesn?t eat if you let her eat and play she just plays. So I only let her go and play after she?s finished half her meal.

Best wishes,
Barb