February 2013 Moms

Cleaning up after meals

Does anyone else's LO hate getting cleaned up after meals? DD has fussed about it for months, but lately it's getting worse. As soon as she's done eating, she'll rip off her bib and start yanking at the high chair tray to get out. When I come over to wipe off her hands and face, she will start bawling. She hides her face from me to the point where it's almost impossible to really get her clean. Today she also started pulling at the strap because she wanted unbuckled. I just didn't know if this is normal behavior or not, and I don't really know what to do about it besides keep telling her it will only take a minute and I'll let her out as soon as she's clean. 
PCOS with long, irregular cycles
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013 
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014

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Re: Cleaning up after meals

  • I consider it normal behavior around here, although it seems to come in phases. They also haven't been so extreme about it as you're describing, but there was/is crying and protesting and shoving at the washcloth.

    BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
    BFP2: 3/18/12, blighted ovum, natural m/c @ 7w4d
    BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence

  • Yep, totally normal.  DS1 did it too.

    My solution is to sing while I clean.  Do you know the clean-up song?  "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere!  Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share."

    It seems to help...

    GL!

     




     

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  • fignewt74 said:

    Do you know the clean-up song?  "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere!  Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share."


    Haha, this song is burned into my brain from DS1!

          DS1: Quinn - 10.22.10 and DS2: Cole - 01.18.13

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  • Same here - he's figured out how to get out of his straps and will stand up in his chair if I'm not being super-diligent.  What works for us is for me to take DS straight from the chair into the bathroom and shut the door, then do whatever cleanup is needed.  Everything wipes off surfaces in the bathroom easily and it's a contained space. 

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  • ericalee27ericalee27 member
    edited August 2014
    I'm just throwing this out there -- do you think it has more to do with being in the highchair?  Like they don't want to be in one anymore?  DS2 started fussing in his highchair like crazy a few months ago and we moved him to the table to be with everyone else.  His at table behavior has been great ever since.

          DS1: Quinn - 10.22.10 and DS2: Cole - 01.18.13

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  • I'm just throwing this out there -- do you think it has more to do with being in the highchair?  Like they don't want to be in one anymore?  DS2 started fussing in his highchair like crazy a few months ago and we moved him to the table to be with everyone else.  His at table behavior has been great ever since.
    I don't think it's the high chair, since she does fine in it otherwise. She will point at it when it's time to eat and she never fusses except at clean-up, which she has done for a long time. That said, I do think we can consider moving her to a booster seat soon, although I don't know if that would make her tolerate being cleaned up any better. 
    PCOS with long, irregular cycles
    First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013 
    BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014

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  • M has resisted cleaning her mouth and hands after meals after every single meal since she ate a solid.  I have pretty much given up--give her a swipe and call it good.  Since she was about 12 months, we have been giving her a cloth so she can do it herself, but she mostly just uses it to wipe off her tray, which is okay, but not exactly what we want.  It does indirectly lead to cleaner hands and reduces the chance that she'll put her head down in the gravy left on her tray...  Her more recent behavior is that she will not stay in the high chair at all when she is done, and sometimes wants out before she is done.  She will stand up, and it is dangerous. Or she will cram her whole meal into her mouth at once and stand up and say "up, up" before anyone else has even started.  We may have to move to a booster, but I don't really want to encourage the idea that she has a choice about how long to stay seated.
  • After meals at home, I take DS to the bathroom sink so we can wash the face and hands right there. I sit him on the counter with his feet in the sink. He sometimes fights and fusses, sometimes not. He likes being able to play in the water, smack the mirror, and turn the faucet knobs, which helps. 



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  • DD fights it too, especially her face. But lately she's been insisting on feeding herself with utensils, so food gets everywhere. She mostly has the spoon concept down, but she still turns the spoon upside down before putting it in her mouth. So unless it's something sticky, it falls off. I pretty much just have her in a diaper for meals, and then she goes in the bath to rinse off afterward.
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  • We have done a few things to try and change this

    1. no bib. We are foolhardy people

    2. Hook on seat in lieu of high chair

    3. paper bag on floor to collect mess

    4. Provide baby fork and spoon

    These attempts at being more like mom and dad during dinner have seemed to help.  LO still fights us but no bib+ high chair have really changed things.

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  • edited August 2014
    My LO still dislikes being cleaned up, but he used to HATE it. A couple that have helped us make it better:

    1. Focus on what can be done AFTER they are clean. Want to walk around? Let me clean you. Want to play puzzles? You have to get cleaned up first. Etc

    2. Let him wipe his own face. We use baby wipes for meal clean-up, so I give LO one to wash his face w/ while I do his hands. It's not perfect, but it's usually good enough & it's teaching a good habit!

    We are also in the "utensils & no bib" camp, as PP have mentioned. He has become quite skilled at using silverware & staying cleaner.

    YRMV, but hope these help!
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  • luxannie said:
    No advice to give, but this whole thing just makes me laugh at how different little kids are.  DS asks incessantly for a bib before eating his meal.  He gets SUPER messy while eating but as soon as he's done he starts repeating "wash" while making a handwashing motion.  I take him to the kitchensink, wash his hands and throw water all over his face.  He loves it!
    Sometimes DS will ask to wear a bib (if he finds one in the laundry or something) just for fun. He's such a goober. 



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