Toddler will not sit in one place to eat!

[Loops81]

My 21 m/o is driving me nuts at mealtimes. She rejected the high chair about a month ago in favour of sitting in my lap (getting food all over me and kicking the table...). So we moved her into her sister's booster seat, which kept her happy for a little while. But now that's not working either: meal times are like musical chairs with her screeching to get down, sit in my lap, get down, sit on her own in a normal chair, etc etc etc. Meanwhile, she will eat her meal, but I end up feeding a lot of it to her, which I don't like. At nursery they all sit happily around a low table on little chairs but I am reluctant to do this at home because then we can't all eat together (plus we don't really have the space). I would like to be firm and just say "If you've got down, that's the end of the meal." But then she will cry and beg to be picked up, stressing out her (older) sister, and me. Coping strategies to get through this "phase" please?!?!

[Lazypuppy]

Stop giving into her and follow through. If she gets down x number of times then dinner is over.
Do not feed her if she is capable of feeding herself, and ignore her tantrums.

[Bluebelltulip]

If it was my DD I would say that she either sits nicely or she goes back into her highchair until she can behave at the table. At home my DD is strapped into a booster seat and if chairs are suitable she gets a chance to sit on a normal chair when we are out, if she miss behaves then she goes in a highchair.

[AladdinMum]

• "she will cry and beg to be picked up"

I agree with previous posters, if you make threats you need to follow though, even if it means her going to bed hungry. She will cry and beg because it works, i.e. you give in, and if it works why would she stop doing it?

[Loops81]

You're all right of course, it's just so much harder in practice than in theory!