When Will You Expect LO to Stay at the Table?

StrawberryAlarmClock · July 2011

When Dez is finished eating (ska playing), he wants down and I let him. I don't want mealtime to be stressful or him to feel trapped. Eventually, however, I will want him to sit through the entire meal with his family. At what age should I expect him to do that? Do you have your LO do that now? (Dez is 15m)

IrishBrideND · July 2011

we do it now for the most part. She likes it though. She'll sit there and "talk" to us.

If she is fussy, we'll let her down, but that doesn't happen often. I'm not sure when we'll start forcing it. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

LoveEeyore · July 2011

I make them stay at the table until their plates are cleared, but I only put a few bites on their plates. They can ask for more or declare they're done and get their hands clean. I will gradually put more on their plates to lengthen

When I take the 3 of them to a restaurant, I make them stay at the table until everyone is done, but I eat quickly- so it's about 10-15minutes. I think when I was teaching the formula was 2 or 3 minutes per year of age that you should be able to expect LO to sit and attend to a task without nagging.

Que*Syrah · July 2011

I think around 2-2.5 I'll expect him to sit at the table.

Court0026 · July 2011

Both of my kids sit at the table for our entire meal. Well, as long as DS is strapped into his booster seat. They are slow eaters and don't mind their chairs.

mari_gold · July 2011

I expect him to stay until he's done eating now, but he takes longer to eat than we do because he usually plays a fair amount.

penguingrrl · July 2011

We do now, but will let the girls go if they're both done and DH and I are deep in conversation so taking longer than usual to eat. Most of the time we do expect both girls to stay at the table until the entire family is done. Since we started requiring it of our older daughter fairly early our younger daughter has never known anything different.

anonsouthernbell · July 2011

I think probably around 3, but maybe sooner if he shows that he is able to.

Chrysallys · July 2011

DS never was allowed to get down before we were all done. He knows that until everyone is finished eating, no one leaves. He doesn't even ask or try to get down. Good thing, because it isn't going to happen.

diana.filipi · July 2011

It would never have occured to us to let DD leave the table before everyone was done. We eat breakfast and dinner and occasionally lunch together at the table as a family. DD has NEVER left the table before we all are done. We NEVER leave the table before she is done either. It's just common courtesy and the way we expect things I suppose.

benkari · July 2011

Unless someone is having an extremely rough night we all sit at the table until everyone is done and have since they were about a year old.

MammaBear81 · July 2011

I let DD2 sit with the family as long as she is happy. She is usually entertained by her siblings, but if/when she says down, I get her down. No need for stress at dinner time. I still let all the kids go play when they are done with dinner. I guess it's because the three oldest clear their dishes to the sink, and I just let them go from there.

hikerbeth · July 2011

DS is 14 months right now and I remember this phase with DD. . . she wanted to get down as soon as she was done.

We really work for them to stay the whole meal, though. Definitely by 18 months.

yourmomwreckedmybike · July 2011

dc sits at the table until we are done eating. he is pretty content to sit with us, and he usually takes a while to eat.

if he were not content, im not sure what we would do, just keep trying, and eventually learn.

liv97 · July 2011

we're trying to respect our 18mo's autonomy, so when she signs finished, we let her down. can't imagine making mealtime into anything coercive, so we aren't planning to ever force her to stay at the table.

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