Dinner time in your house
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14343
Printed Date: 22 July 2025 at 8:47pm
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Topic: Dinner time in your house
Posted By: FionaS
Subject: Dinner time in your house
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 7:22pm
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How does dinner time go in your place?
We recently stayed with family in Oz who had a 17mth old boy, same age as Elle. He sat at the table in a booster seat, waited patiently for dinner, ate quietly with his fork and spoon and ate everything on his plate. He drank from a normal cup and sat until everyone else was finished. Is this common at this age? I won't even begin to describe Elle's dinnertime in our house.... ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Replies:
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 7:40pm
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Hahahahahaha! No! Not in our house! We ditched the highchairs coz the gremlins could get out of them and now dinner time consists of them prancing around their red table flicking food at each other and making a giant mess. They don't actually eat much.
Altho from memory Maya was better at dinnertime, but then there was only her and I, I think the gremlins egg each other on. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 7:55pm
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It's a bit like a zoo at our house. But Ella has a friend the same age as her who drinks from a cup (not a sippy-cup) and I think that's so impressive! Nah, we're far from what you described at your friend's. ------------- Andie |
Posted By: Brenna
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 7:56pm
Not like that in our place either!!!! Lots of mess, food all over face, hair, floor etc. Much more fun that way  ------------- My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
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Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 8:02pm
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We're nowhere near that good! DD sits at the table becuase she was climbing out of her high chair, and has started drinking out of a normal cup (but we have to keep a close eye on her still). She uses a fork or spoon but stuff still goes everywhere and no way does she wait quietly until everyone is finished! Actually, she eats heaps earlier than us so often we won't be eating at the table with her anyway. But once she's done she starts playing with her food, tipping the bowl over, standing up in her chair etc. etc.
------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 8:13pm
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Well for us the biggest problem is that Elle won't eat anything for dinner. She just cries, screams and throws everything....
------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 9:11pm
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Dinner time at our place is a very messy affair James tries to drink from normal cup but gets it everywhere so he's not quite ready for that yet I agree with Anna it's a lot more fun and they look so cute with food all over them. Although I did catch myself saying I can't wait till he's older so he isn't as messy then Jesse goes I'm 30 and still spill things. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 09 February 2008 at 10:20pm
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ours can be messy but it is mostly civilised.
I give her a cup / sipper bottle with water if she is in highchair waiting, and then i sit and feed her, or put pasta / fritters etc on her tray and stay with her while she eats. She for the most part sits there so nicely and eats! She will demand her drink back if i take it off her sometimes...and if she is worn out from DC she can get grissly but otherwise fine. Then I know she is done when she starts feeding the clean up crew (the dogs under the Highchair!). I say Ok youre done...and she is allowed out...I dont leave her there if she isnt eating. She knows she is in it to eat...and same system at DC which is good. sounds like the little boy might have had a similar system before too. shes not there to play - she is there to eat. |
Posted By: AliaDawn
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 12:09am
Seb can barely use a spoon - unless the idea is to *stab* his weetbix that is  -------------  
 
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Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 6:11am
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Our 'system' (if you can call it that) is similar to what Bombshell describes. We only feed Gina on the high chair and if she's finished, we let her go - no playing etc. She's mostly OK but has her tastes and won't eat everything.
Also as a rule if we offer her a range of things and she refuses to eat, we leave it at that and let her go - we don't keep offering different things endlessly. I figure if she's hundry, she'll eat and it works most of the time - she generally polishes most of dinner. She's not yet using a spoon to feed herself and we've never given her fork. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 9:33am
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welcome home fiona...
what a well trained little boy that was... i wonder what they did to get to that stage? certainly doesnt describe out house and the kids are older than that... maybe hes just one of those kids tho really likes to copy adults... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 11:52am
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The boy has a 3 year old sister and copies her with everything. He is very compliant, goes [reasonably] quietly to the naughty spot and sits there for a minute before giving hugs and kisses to everyone. He is very skilled physically and jumps into the pool, swims around (with floaties) etc. I think he just copies everything his sister does.
We're having major problems with dinner i.e. she hasn't had it for a week as she just gets beside herself when we try. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 5:34pm
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What do you do when your toddler throws their food on the floor? For a while we assumed it was developmental so ignored it with the idea that if we didn't make a big deal over it it would stop. Now I say "Gabrielle, please do not throw your food on the floor" and try to focus on encouraging her on the rare occasion that she eats some of it. However, she just looks at me and keeps throwing.
I now say "ok, your not hungry" and get her down. She is very happy about that as it means she gets away with not eating. Should I do something different? ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 5:49pm
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McKayla is not as good as this boy but I think she is doing pretty okay. She gets her plastic sheet out at night and puts it out and puts her plastic table on there and when food comes she eats as much as she wants and tells me she is full. Put the rest in the fridge and then she eats of her dads plate when he comes home and they share her food again.
She doesnt however wait patiently for food she wants it and she wants it now. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 6:24pm
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fiona throwing food in our house meant they had finished too...
Maybe dinner time is too late for her? or maybe she wants to sit somewhere different? is she in the highchair on at the table. ? I try to encourage sitting at the table even when the boys arent eating so they dont get to run away and play and eating with them is always easier. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 10 February 2008 at 6:31pm
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In a high chair at the mo but we've tried at the table a few times.
She only eats if the TV is on but I'd rather have the TV off at mealtimes. She will also eat if running around but I'd like to have family meals. We've tried dinner earlier with no success. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: mamawendz
Date Posted: 12 February 2008 at 3:57pm
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I think having an older sibling to 'copy' can make a huge difference.
Layla-Mei (19 months) sits at the table quietly, eats all her dinner on her own and uses a normal cup. She has been doing this for atleast 4 months now? I have a feeling that this is mainly because of Maddisyn (our 6yo) who is very well behaved and she tends to want to be the same. In November last year my husband and I went away for our Wedding Anniversary and the girls stayed with my Aunty & Uncle... the first thing they mentioned to us was how well Layla-Mei eats and how well behaved she was at the table. It wasn't til then that I started to notice the difference between her dinner time habbits and her cousins (all a similar age) who couldn't sit still. But its not always smooth sailing... she is still a typical toddler and has her cranky days where food ends up on the floor or she wants to sit on my knee and eat off my plate! It doesn't matter that its the same food. haha ------------- mama_wendz My Girls: Maddisyn Tylr & Layla-Mei Virginia
My Baby Boy: Noah Aotearoa
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Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 12 February 2008 at 8:58pm
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lol dropping it on floor in our house is a definate sign of being done....and she knows that the clean up crew (two dogs) are just waiting to be let in or are under her waiting for the food drops!
pretty embarassing when she did this at yum cha tho!!! DOH!!! no clean up crew under her chair there! |
Posted By: Kazzle
Date Posted: 12 February 2008 at 9:06pm
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Rhiannon sits at the table with us, in a booster type seat, she eats what we eat, with a fork and spoon, drinks out of a plastic tumbler, tends to feed the floor and general enjoys her meals ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: rosewood
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 4:23pm
Our Daughter sits at the table with us and has to stay there until we are all finished. She sometimes says that she doesnt want it or doesnt like it which is fine but she must sit with us regardless if she is going to eat it or not. To us its is an important time as we all get to talk and be together as well. 9 times out of 10 she starts to eat it after a little while. She knows she cant have a pudding until she has finished her dinner so that usually spurs things along a bit! God, I sound like a tyrant dont i - LOL
It is also important to us that if we go out for a meal that she can come with us and I know that she will sit at the table with us to eat rather than run around the restaurant. I cant enjoy a meal when you have children running around you while you eats - sorry thats my opinion! ------------- Gill http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 14 February 2008 at 5:51pm
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I need to get a booster seat but can't really find them anywhere. I guess I'd better start looking online or on TM. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |