table manners....again!

I know right now PMS is taking a lot of little things and making me cringe but in all reality....what should be expected for a 3 year old at the table? Here are some things we still deal with that irritate me:

*"poking" fork into table...this leaves marks and as I have a new table/chair set on the way I would like to nip it in the bud (don't worry I bought a protector for new table as well!)

*slamming cups and/or silverware if they are mad about something

*playing with food....Now, I don't have a problem if they are playing AND eating. For example the other night Jack ate one of his potatoes into a shape and said it was a horse and was galloping it all over the other food and then ate it. I DO have a problem with taking a potato and sticking it in your mouth half hanging out saying "my tongue, my tongue". They were homemade potato chips so they were flat. Imaginative?--yes, Gross?---double yes!!


I'm just getting fed up that they can't just sit still and eat. I will say they are pretty patient at the table and know they have to sit til we are all done...wiggly sitting, but they sit I guess I just think their table manners are atrocious and I don't know what to do about it? We've taken plates away, we take dessert away, we've set a timer, we've buckled them back into booster seats if they can't stay seated, and we've done time outs.

 

We are in the thick of this right now too! My two like to get in and out of their seats, play with their food and scream. It's like the never-ending theatrics at our dinner table. Not the dinner and show I was hoping for. :wine: We do the 123 t/o, taking away food and reinforcing the rule of "being quiet at the dinner table". Pretty much breakfast, lunch and dinner. :BDH: On rare occassions we get through a meal w/o any hassle but few and far between. I've also hit another issue where the boys are not eating. They used to be perfect eaters and now, nothing. :gah: So I'm gonna go write up a post about that and see what the girls say! Good luck!

 

I made a list of five rules for dinner time and used clip art to make a sign illustrating the rules. I used to review the sign with my oldest son before dinner, and after a while he could identify the rules that went with the pictures. He knew desert was contingent on following the rules. It worked pretty well. For us the five rules were try everything on your plate, use please and thank you, no crying or yelling, sit in your chair, and use your fork. But you could make "rules" specific to your situation. Maybe for three year olds you might only want to do 3 or 4 rules. I think I did this when my son was 4.

Oh, and something we took from daycare is the concept of a "happy plate" - if you eat all the food on your plate it's a "happy plate" and mom and dad have to clear your plate off the table. Otherwise, the child clears their own plate. It's such a small thing, but my son STILL loves having a happy plate.