Help please ladies

[baby D]

Meal times are becoming such a battle - she likes to eat and loves her food. Great! However, she will not sit in her highchair - she gets out of her straps and tries to sit/stand on the tray to eat - I have tried her at the dinning table with us but then she continuously gets down and and runs away - or she will try to walk around the house with her plate of dinner - spilling it everywhere!

She is 19 months now and needs to learn that she has to sit at the table for her meals. I let her toddle about with some things that aren't going to cause a disater - so box of raisins, cube of cheese - snacks basically. But if i ask her to sit for he dinner she refuses - tells me no and screams at me nothing I do works - she'll just throw her dinner if I try to forse her in chair or if I say no dinner intil you sit in your chair she'll just tell me no and scream/walk off --- she needs to eat her dinner but can't keep following her round the house with her bowl of food to feed her!

I'm ranting - sorry

Any ideas?

 

[charliebear]

Personally, I wouldn't let her wander around with any food. To me, by doing this your saying its acceptable to eat food away from the table/not sitting down.

AJ has to sit down when eating, snacks/meals. This has always been a rule and he will now automatically go and sit down to eat/drink, 7/10 without being prompted.
At home or at the childminders he has to sit at the table for his meals, if he doesn't he goes in the highchair to eat. Fortunately AJ doesn't escape the highchair.

 

[quaints]

I think I would let her sit at the table and then if she walks off then move the plate out of her reach so not able to walk around with it. If she's hungry later on then she has to go sit at the table and finish her meal.

Do you think she feels involved at meal times? Like help with setting the table and being chatted to about her day? Also, maybe you could do something fun like a teddy bear's picnic for lunch (on a big messy mat) to encourage her to sit still with her food?

 

[Mommy Dearest]

Since dinner time is such a hassle, have you considered making her eat snacks at the table too? I would say that once her mind knows that "okay, we eat food at the table" then it would be okay to let her walk around with her snacks. It just sends a mixed message to her little brain, especially when they're at that age when they want to push to see with how much they can get away with :doh:.

I hope she cooperated with you soon mama. Good luck!

 

[Laura2919]

If Chloe and Jaycee dont want to sit in their highchairs they dont eat until they get in. If they want to get up and play I take the plate away. They are not having both and I want them to have table manners.
They are much better now because when I tell them its dinny dinny time they go straight to their highchair and sit down.
You have to just tell her no your not having the plate until you sit down and be firm.

 

[Blah11]

I now let amelie sit infront of the TV to eat She was the same as Amelia and i just couldnt be bothered with the aggro so 8/10 shes infront of the tele! Shes good though, she sits on the sofa or a cushion on the floor and eats her dinner til its all gone then she toddles off and empties what she doesnt want into the bin and/or puts her dish and spoon next to the sink for washing and takes her bib off and puts it in thw ashing basket.