How much time do you allow for mealtime?

winery

We have #1 sitting at his little table in the kitchen, but he rarely, if ever, actually sits at it to eat. 

We tell him to come and sit and eat, and it's getting better now that we're more diligent about it, but he could "eat" for an hour.

How long do you give for mealtime before it's over?  I was just sitting with him for about 10 minutes and he talked for most of the time.  Ate one orange slice and one bite of sausage. 

Now he says he's done with breakfast because he doesn't want to sit down anymore. 

Unfortunately that means he'll whine for snacks all morning until lunch.  We have a rule that if you don't finish breakfast, you don't get snacks.  Or, you get your breakfast for snacks.

Anyway, how long do you sit with DC while they "eat"?

Jamaica_Bride

With Owen we used a booster seat until he was about 3.5- and it had a buckle. We buckled him in (and L was in the high chair) when they ate meals.

Now, both boys either eat at the island (lunch) or the table (dinner) and dinner time lasts about 20-30 minutes. I always have to remind Owen to stop talking and start eating. We teach that a little conversation is good at the table but too much and our food gets cold or our food could go down the wrong pipe.

We are not a member of the clean plate club but if you do not eat a meal you will not get a snack. Hungry for snacks = hungry enough for meals.

 

HTH!

 

xo

Reagan's Mommy

The third time she leaves the table, mealtime is over.  If she's actually sitting, we don't have a time limit.  If she starts playing with her food (smearing yogurt on the table, feeding the dog, etc.) mealtime is over immediately.

Zenya

I'm really casual with food.  We don't sit for breakfast (well we do, but it's on the couch in front of the TV).  So he can pick at his bagel for an hour if he wants.  I don't care.  DD sits on my lap and eats whatever I'm eating.

I don't really mind if he snacks a lot.  I mean if he asks for 2 things within 20 minutes then the answer is no - finish your ____ (whatever his first snack was).

The only meal we sit for formally is dinner. And for that if he leaves the table he's done.  I'm happy to give him a snack before bed though.  

I do restrict snacks for a while before dinner if it's a dinner that I know he'll eat.  I am less fussy if it's something I know he won't eat. 

It works for us overall.  I'm just not a very structured person and I have enough parenting challenges without micromanaging his appetite. I tried it on and off and it's just a PITA for me.

W&J'sMommy

DS eats sooo slowly, usually takes him 30-45 minutes to eat dinner.  I sit with him the whole time.

DandelionMom

Gracie still likes to sit in her booster so we eat for 15-20 minutes or so and then she tells me when she's ready to get down.? Once she gets down the meal is over.??

Baby4OT

DD takes 45 min to an hour to eat her meals too. She's buckled into a booster seat, so she can't just get down, but she still chatters nonstop. Some days it drives me batty that it takes her so long. In your case, I'd let him get down, but keep his breakfast for use when he wants a snack. I hate wasting food so getting something else later wouldn't be an option in our house.

jennieliz

I set a timer and she has 20 miutes to eat.  Whatever is not eaten in that time is thrown in the trash and if it's lunch or dinner she goes straight to a nap or bed if she chooses not to eat.  She learned really fast that going to bed at 6:15 sucked and that she was hungry. 

Now, she sits, eats, and we have WAY less food fights.  I remind her once that the timer is ticking so she better hurry up and most times she does.  

jennieliz

Oh- and she is never allowed to eat a meal at her little table because she just plays with food there.  She has to sit at our big table.  The little table is used for play-doh and coloring, not meals.  I do not have her in a booster because I feel that by almost three they should be able to handle sitting in a chair on their own and know the consequences of getting down.

Brewster

We have the exact same problem in our house. I've started setting a timer and telling him the kitchen "closes" when the timer goes off.  He gets it.  I really think I need a visual timer, so he can see time ticking away.  I think 20 minutes is more than enough time to eat a meal, supposing that is all the child is doing.  Noah does what yours does.  Takes a bite, walks around, etc.  It drives me batty.