Toddlers meal time

[Lilac]

Hi Girls, Again not sure if this has been posted before but I wanted to ask about toddlers meals and HOW you feed yours?

Are you formal and place toddler in the high chair and make meals a no nonsence type event where its a serious affair to a degree......or are you OK with handling the jiggling toddler a triangle of vegemite sandwhich as s/he walks/ runs around the house/ yard?
Is that OK or will that encourage bad behaviour in regarding to table manners down the track?
Interested to hear your point of view.
Thanks in advance!
Lx

[Jenko]

I actually do both. If it is messy stuff that needs a spoon etc I put DD in the highchair and let her feed herself and offer the odd spoonful myself so it is a bit quicker, otherwise she starts playing with it. If it is a snack or a sandwich for lunch, I sit her at her little table but she usually wanders off - sandwich in hand. As long as she eats, I don't mind at the moment (18 months).

I'm not sure about the table manners.....I don't think it would really instill bad habits yet, maybe 4 or 5 years old. Not sure, others may disagree??

[rynosmum]

For breakfast, DS has his toast or fruit etc sitting at his little table. I do ask him to sit and eat and sometimes I will sit with him so he does.

For lunch, I'll either put him in his highchair or let him sit at his table.

Dinnertime is more formal these days. We used to eat dinner in the lounge room, now we sit out on the deck at the table. Ry can usually sit at the table for his full meal, then will say 'Away' when he's finished, I let him run around while I get his dessert, then make him sit at the table whilst he has his dessert as well. If he's fidgety, I get his highchair and strap him in.

For snacks, I don't mind if he runs around with a museli bar etc.

I'm a firm believer in learned behaviour. I want him to learn by example now so we don't have to resort to discipline for the same lessons later. At restaurants, we're always told how well behaved he is. And he is ! ...most of the time anway, but we all have our bad days:D

[nemosmum]

O sits at his little table, if he starts to get out of his chair we are strict and say "No more food" so he understands that if he gets off the chair dinner is over etc

We are strict because O is a "testy" child by testy I mean he will test the boundaries and push the limits, he really needs to know whats expected of him.

I find he is very good at meal times and responds well to the sit and eat routine as he loves food :p

That said I will give him snacks if we are out and about (shopping or at friends places etc)

[razzle]

Eloise tends to sit down and eat her snacks herself, either on the couch or on the floor. I don't like her running around in case she trips and hurts herself. Mealtimes are at the dining table in her high chair with either DP or myself sitting with her. We don't eat dinner with her but perhaps just have a drink or something. It's more of a "keeping her company" type of thing. Breakfast is a family meal though.

I'd rather get her used to eating at the table with us earlier rather than later. Every little bit helps I think.

[pthalokitty]

We try to have our son sitting down for meals, either at the table with us (so far the most successful method of getting a full meal in to him), or we have him sit on his little couch with his plate. (he sits quietly and eats like a dream in front of the TV...I know that's awful so we only do it when he's really not eating much). Don't like him running around with food and I emphasize the "sitting down" factor when it comes to a meal or snack, but at this age running around is all he wants to do, so it's a compromise at times depending on what it is he's eating- messy foods and harder foods must sit down. He will sit down really well with a lot of other kids (playgroup and daycare)- we just find when he's just with us its not so easy (he's 2.5 y.o.). And he's gone through cycles of being really good with food to really picky, sitting down well to not sitting down well. He hated the high chair from day one so once he was old enough, we started using a booster travel chair for his meals, so he feels more like he's sitting the same way we do...its always easier when he gets the same meals as us, with the same cutlery (in the smaller version), and a drink to clink to ours....
good luck!
e xxoo

[BlessedWithBlue]

I try to get my 2.5 yrs old ds to have his meals at the table, he can't sit still for long always has to be moving. When he has something that isn't messy i don't mind his wriggliness (if that's a word lol). If it's messy he has to stay at the table and i sit with him, that usually keeps him there long enough. He used to sit at his little table but yds would be crawling around and take his food away from him lol so now he sits at the big table. Snacks he'll usually sit on the couch or have his snack on the table and pick at it:rolleyes: Yds sits in his highchair for all of his meals.