Not eating

So i have 2 boys ages 2 1/2... over the past month or so they have been in this phase where they feel free to get up and do whatever when its meal time (lunch is normally good, but breakfast and about half of the time dinner is a nightmare.... (they have a little kids table, with their own chairs)

They get up, do what they want instead of sitting and eating... i end up throwing most of their meal out because they hardly touch it...

today was the last straw i couldn't take it anymore i went in the closet and go their booster seats and strapped them in to the chairs and now they are "locked in" so they are at the table until i see fit to let them out...

its gotten out of line, and I don't know if what I am doing is right or wrong... it's all I could think of... I don't like the constant battle trying to get them to eat... They used to be great, they would sit down until done... not anymore

any tips tricks or suggestions

Update: so they were not happy about being strapped in, but i stood my ground explained why they were in there, and they ate their meal and asked to get down...

Maybe i will do this to get things "re-aligned" over the next couple days

 

At this age, it's still going to be hard to get them to sit for long periods of time. Have you tried letting them sit at a table their size? Also, we have consequences and incentives. You sit and finish your food and you can have dessert. I usually leave their dessert sitting right in front of them so they can see it. I wouldn't expect them to sit longer than 10-15 minutes. And just like you (if they are really being defiant,) I break out the booster seats, which they hate (they want to be big girls in big seats.) Some have suggested a timer, set it for 15 minutes and when it's time, then they can get up. Lots of patience and lots of praise as well. Good luck!

 

I would continue with standing your ground and they will realize it isn't a joke. My son still to this day sometimes wanders around at dinner and he gets one warning and then the meal gets taken away.

I hope that your meal time stuggles start to go away.

 

DH and I have had some "discussions" about this type of issue. I feel like it's perfectly reasonable to make a child sit down to dinner for a certain amount of time, and not let them get up from the table. I'm not talking about a 45-minute, 5-course meal; just about 10-15 minutes or long enough for me to gulp down some food myself!

We've kept our boys strapped in to booster seats so they won't wander off, and at this point we do make them ask to be excused. If they demand to get down 30 seconds into the meal, I make them sit until I'm at a stopping point (maybe a few minutes) because I figure it's not fair that *I* have to stop eating because *they* don't want to sit still! They don't have to eat (I never force them), but they do have to sit with the family for the meal, and behave nicely. After DH and I got on the same page, and we laid down the law, the boys have gotten *much* better about sitting at the table and being pleasant about it.

 

This is one of the reasons why my girls sat in their booster seats until after they were 4. We took off the straps at 3ish, but sitting in them was still a reminder that had to sit and eat at meal times. Like Valerie, I make them sit for a certain period of time (probably 10ish minutes until we are done eating). They have to ask to be excused from the table too. Now that they aren't in booster seats, one of mine likes to get up and wander. But a time out for wandering seems to be helping her remember to keep her tush in her seat until the meal is over.

 

If I were you I would let them sit as normal (at their little table) but explain that if they get up and start to wander before the meal is finished they will have to sit in their booster. Then give them one warning/chance if they do get up (ie tell them that they need to sit back on their chair) and if they don't sit back down straight away get out the booster and strap them in. Hopefully after a few times of that they will get the message and their behaviour will improve again.

 

Yes, what you did was really wrong. You should be ashamed.


You spent an entire month suffering through this behavior while you had perfectly good booster seats lying around unsued. That is very wrong. I would have pulled out the booster seats much sooner.

 

My boys are also 2.5 years old and are strapped in for meals. It is still a struggle getting them to eat and I have learned to just let it go (easier said than done some days). I do require them to sit as a family for 10-15 minutes and they don't get any food besides what I made. I don't know what your boys are like, but there is no logical reasoning (bribery) with mine... "You get a popsicle if you eat all your meal" absolutely does not make them eat. In fact, that makes the non-eating WORSE because after mentioning the word "popsicle," they definitely don't want their food... they want the popsicle! Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone! Good luck with the booster seats!

cat mommoy... great reply... LMAO!!

 

Aren't kids fun?

Agree with the posts...my kids are strapped in boosters and must sit for 10-15 min before they can go play. and they have to ask to get down. I'm just trying to teach them that we sit down together for dinner around a table without anyone wandering around. Breakfast i'm not so picky they can wander a little and graze on their food and just have to sit in the chair for about 5 minutes.

Eating is a whole other matter....my kids are hit and miss. I do make the same food for everyone but if I make pasta I leave the sauce off of theirs and just put some butter and parmesan on and the sauce on the side. If we have a casserole I just make plain veggies and meat for them instead (same ingredients different prep.) It is more work but I find I have had much, much better success with getting them to eat plain stuff.