eating at the dinner table

zazzu

W is a few months out yet from sitting in a chair and eating. However, I wonder if I'm already setting a bad example by my dh and I eating dinner in front of the tv. He's getting better about not crying while we eat so we can mostly eat at the same time now. It's important to me to have family dinner at the dinner table when he's older, but we rarely use the dinner table now because it's in an awkward place. We don't plan to live in this house but maybe another year.

 Do you eat dinner as a family at the table and when did you start?

MissLauraQ

When he was in a high chair and we made dinner for the whole family.

I hate cooking - so I never made dinner until I absolutely had to.  So when he turned about 2

Alli923

We do eat as a family at the dinner table now.  We started when Lucy started eating solids, so around 5 mos.  Before then (for 9 years!) DH and I always ate in front of the tv.

But, we really like the new standard of eating together at the dining room table. We talk more, we interact with Lucy, it is really nice family time.

massagegirly

Every night! I usually would just sit her in the swing or in my lap while I ate!

McJen715

We bought a new couch 3 years ago and haven't eaten on the couch since. We eat dinner together every night at the dinner table. It's been harder since Maddy arrived, dinner time ranges whenever she falls asleep so I can put her down in her swing.

TJ cooks most of the time now. Pre-baby we both cooked, we used to make dinner together almost every night.

ETA: Our house has an open floor plan though, so our living room turns into our dining room which turns into our kitchen. So while we eat at the table the TV is on in the living room, which we can still see/watch when it's on.

ckmommy

If we are home for dinner, it is eaten at the table. Carter is now in his high chair and sits with us and we all eat at relatively the same time. If we are not home, we try to at least eat together even if it's not at a table.

MissLauraQ

BTW - I want to say we eat EVERY meal at the table as a family now.  Just I didn't really start it til we had the "family" part

sunmountain

We have pretty much always eaten together at the table but definitely when DS started sitting in his high chair (6 mos) we included him in our meals. I make dinner pretty much every night and just eat with the kids at the table if DH is running late which is one or two nights a week. I'll sit with DH when gets home though (DD is usually down by then and DS will either just sit w/ us and visit or play independently). It's an important ritual in our house that flexes with certain days and ages of the kids. But if it's not expected that they sit at the table to eat from the beginning, it's much harder to get them to start the older they get. We also started signs w/ both kids around 8 months for "all done" and "more" etc. which really helps too & is a great way to start that communication. This practice at home makes going out with them easier too.

jcyahne

We really just started doing this more in the last few months now that Jillian is sitting in the booster seat.

Seattle_JiLLn

We always eat dinner at the table with the tv off. Our tv is on so much. It's a good time to turn it off and sit together. IMO if your child is sitting in a high chair eating you should all sit together and eat.

BriAndSean

We ate dinner at the table even before K was born. And unless a little one is sleeping, they have been at the table with us since we brought them home from the hospital. I would just hold them or set them in the bouncer next to me. We started using the highchair as soon as they could sit (4.5 months for G and 5 months for K) and now we all 4 eat together.

We also have an open floor plan but try to keep the TV off during meal times. I like the family time to chat about our days and demonstrate appropriate table manners for the littles.  

tfarabians

We try to eat together whenever possible but dh often does not get home until way after C's dinner time and C rarely will eat what we eat anyway.  He has his own little table and chairs and I will sit with him there while he eats.  If dh is home then we all sit down together but honestly these days its very uncomfortable for me to sit at our table because its a built in booth and I feel squished in it like I can't breath. 

Seattle_JiLLn

BriAndSean:

We ate dinner at the table even before K was born. And unless a little one is sleeping, they have been at the table with us since we brought them home from the hospital. I would just hold them or set them in the bouncer next to me. We started using the highchair as soon as they could sit (4.5 months for G and 5 months for K) and now we all 4 eat together.

We also have an open floor plan but try to keep the TV off during meal times. I like the family time to chat about our days and demonstrate appropriate table manners for the littles.  

This is exactly us too

MSTie24

We can rarely have a meal where C is content- if she is, we'll put her in the swing and eat at the table, where she can see us.  If not, someone's holding her while the other trys to wolf down food as fast as possible.  This is more often the case.  Once she is old enough to use the high chair and doesn't flip out so much when she's not being held, we'll do family dinner around the table.

preston18

We've been focusing on eating all together at the table a lot more in the past two weeks.  N now asks to be excused and other manners are improving.  We went out to eat last night and he did great!

Before, It was usually N eating and then DH and I eating (usually seperately) after he went to bed.

stacylu

As much as we can we eat around the table together as a family but probably 50% (or more) J eats by herself at the table (I sit with her) and he and I eat after she goes to bed (usually in front of the tv).

Between DH getting home late and not having time to cook dinner before she's ready to eat we don't do great in this area but we're working on it.  She used to go to bed at 7pm sharp so we got into this habit but now that she stays up a little later we have more flexibility.

kaskade

We have a reclining high chair, so we've all eaten together for quite a while.  I think we got the high chair at around 3 months or so.  We used to set her in the swing and have it on the floor next to the table, but I had a coupon so I bought the high chair and she absolutely loves it.  I think she likes being at our level.  It immediately bought us at least another 15 - 20 minutes of time to eat because she was a lot happier and we can interact with her as we eat.

But I'll confess...with me working swings, I'm not home for dinner time four nights a week.  So I know DH eats in front of the tv usually when I'm gone.  It's also the reason we make a point to try to eat at the table when I'm here, so we at least have three nights of a family dinner.