Stupid question about sitting down to eat

[Anonymous]

Between the impatient condiment addicted 5 year old, the two year old who needs things cut into small piece and a four month old baby, it seems like my options are either warm food eaten hastily over the kitchen sink or cold food after everyone else has gotten their ketchup, milk, seconds, hands cleaned, etc. The two year old always seems to wander in as I'm plating and I fall into the trap of giving her food first, then she will be finishing as the adults are sitting down to eat, and of course she will try to come graze off our plates. Any pro tips? I miss eating warn food with both hands without a kid hovering.

[Anonymous]

Ooof you have three young kids. Sorry, but I think you are still a ways away from a calm, warm family dinner. Simplify and lower your expectations? One day you’ll be sitting around the table with a bunch of adults missing the chaos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ooof you have three young kids. Sorry, but I think you are still a ways away from a calm, warm family dinner. Simplify and lower your expectations? One day you’ll be sitting around the table with a bunch of adults missing the chaos.

I was worried that would be the answer.

[Anonymous]

Tell the 2yo she has to eat at the table. Put her in a high chair she can't get out of if she insists on wandering. Plate everyone's food (including yours!) in the kitchen and bring them all to the table at once. Add condiments when plating if you're restricting 5yo's ketchup portions? And eat as quickly as you can while at the table because someone will need something before you blink.

[Anonymous]

We have kids the same age. I think having the kids and one adult eat at the table at the same time is important and it cuts down on chaos. So I make sure kids and DH are all seated and I run the waiter triage. Need a drink, food cut, more condiments? I’m on it. When everyone reaches a happy point I sit down to eat too. Generally the rest of the family is still eating and about 75% done when I join them. I eat as they finish.

I just run my kitchen like a restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Until my kids were 5/7, an adult (or both adults) would sit with them while they ate dinner, but we always cooked/ate for ourselves after they were in bed. Now that they are teenagers, they are lovely meal companions and have great manners and I look forward to family meals.

As they got older, it became possible to have pleasant family dinners but I just wanted to let you know that it is absolutely ok to abandon them in the short-term right now. Or to do "adult" meals a couple nights a week for sanity.

[Anonymous]

Make it a rule if it’s not on the table they don’t get it. If they want it on the table they put it there BEFORE you set the food on the table. Teach them to set the table, teaching independence is key to sanity even though it takes longer and seems harder at first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell the 2yo she has to eat at the table. Put her in a high chair she can't get out of if she insists on wandering. Plate everyone's food (including yours!) in the kitchen and bring them all to the table at once. Add condiments when plating if you're restricting 5yo's ketchup portions? And eat as quickly as you can while at the table because someone will need something before you blink.

She would be highly offended to be strapped down. RRREAAAAAAAGHghh is an approximation of the noise she would make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell the 2yo she has to eat at the table. Put her in a high chair she can't get out of if she insists on wandering. Plate everyone's food (including yours!) in the kitchen and bring them all to the table at once. Add condiments when plating if you're restricting 5yo's ketchup portions? And eat as quickly as you can while at the table because someone will need something before you blink.

She would be highly offended to be strapped down. RRREAAAAAAAGHghh is an approximation of the noise she would make.

Yup, that was what mine did. After two days of getting up and then being strapped in immediately after, she stopped wandering. (I am highly motivated to keep eating to the table because we have carpeted floors.)

[Anonymous]

Can you try family style? Have the food at the table and then have the kids plate themselves? I know it’s extra dishes, but family style helps a ton for our family. If your 5 year old wants ketchup or ranch or whatever, have them get it before sitting down. Or they can get up and get it from the fridge. How old is your 2year old? They are on the older side, I say they are old to understand “mommy needs to eat too, I’ll help you as soon as I eat” and maybe that’s only taking 4 bites before helping the 2 year old. Let them know that you also are a person and need to eat too and wants to ENJOY their food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have kids the same age. I think having the kids and one adult eat at the table at the same time is important and it cuts down on chaos. So I make sure kids and DH are all seated and I run the waiter triage. Need a drink, food cut, more condiments? I’m on it. When everyone reaches a happy point I sit down to eat too. Generally the rest of the family is still eating and about 75% done when I join them. I eat as they finish.

I just run my kitchen like a restaurant.

I did this too, but I hate the gender politics (womens needs don’t matter, serving husbands at table.

[Anonymous]

At those ages our kids ate, then played while we cleaned up, then they were bathed (or not) and put to bed. THEN we ate. We were not really eating dinner with them on a regular basis until they were about six.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until my kids were 5/7, an adult (or both adults) would sit with them while they ate dinner, but we always cooked/ate for ourselves after they were in bed. Now that they are teenagers, they are lovely meal companions and have great manners and I look forward to family meals.

As they got older, it became possible to have pleasant family dinners but I just wanted to let you know that it is absolutely ok to abandon them in the short-term right now. Or to do "adult" meals a couple nights a week for sanity.

We do this and it works for us. They are not heathens and they can sit down for a family meal or eat out at a restaurant, but this is what works for us day to day.

[Anonymous]

Feed the 4 month old before dinner is served. Get a harnessed booster for the chair and insist the 2 year old sit. Cut her food before you serve it to her. No wandering or sitting on you. You get the condiment and that's enough. Sounds like the 2 year old needs more food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Feed the 4 month old before dinner is served. Get a harnessed booster for the chair and insist the 2 year old sit. Cut her food before you serve it to her. No wandering or sitting on you. You get the condiment and that's enough. Sounds like the 2 year old needs more food.

Get a seat like this and strap them in: https://princelionheart.com/products/boostersquish