Could you live without a dining table?

[87mum]

Could you live without a dining table?

Current set up is - round dining table in the living room with 4 chairs that take up a fair bit of space. It's quite compact, well the table is but the chairs don't fit store neatly under it.

We have a 6 year old with a 2nd on the way. Ideally we'd have a smaller dining table but I can't find anything that would be suitable/I like.

For those who got rid/don't have one, what do you do with your children at tea time? My 6 year old occasionally spills etc and we've always had one even though it's mostly used as a dumping ground/can be quite difficult to get into due to the location it's in.

We've tried rejigging the room but it's a weird shape and we are trying, again, to make the best of the situation.

You def need something,
am astounded that some don’t feel the need for one at all (unless you genuinely don’t have space that is).

I understand how schedules might mean that you don't sit together much but even when I am eating on my own, I still sit at a table. I had a dining table even when I lived alone (a 2 person one that expanded to 4).

Where do you eat?

I am confused. Are people talking about having a dining table in addition to a kitchen table?

I couldn't imagine not to have one.

We always eat together, DD did her homework there until Y6 and still sometimes in secondary when she needed lots of space.

Arts & Craft
Baking
Board games
having people over for dinner/parties

Friends have space issues, tiny living room and they got one they push against the wall and have still space for 4 chairs.

you said your kitchen was narrow but would there be space for a 2 person breakfast bar in there? Not for family meals but useful for the kids with spillages etc I could imagine

I didn’t say manners generally, I said table manners specifically.

No table makes it hard to learn table manners.

It’s always easy to spot adults who didn’t have tables as children.

“It’s always easy to spot adults who didn’t have tables as children.“

haha at this

no it isn’t

unless you’re an absolute weirdo who surveys everyone you meet just to check whether you’re right

No kids but I couldn't not have a table. Where would you eat a dinner with gravy or set out a few dishes?

My dh's mum only got the dinner table out for Xmas day, so roasts, everything, was eaten on knees on the sofa or standing at the kitchen counter.

I grew up with a table and found trying to eat a roast on my knees annoying.

Only way to deal with it is to cut it up at the kitchen table then go through to the sofa.

If you are forever cutting up your kids food and giving them sippy cups or bottles, you are doing them a disservice.

Everyone should learn to eat properly at a table with a knife and fork. They just look like animals otherwise.

*kitchen counter

I imagine very few families have no table at all. You can also eat together without being around one singular table, our sitting room is not that big, we certainly are eating together.

Manners generally include table manners, or are they considered to be seperate things in the UK? You don’t need a table to eat politely, I grew up surrounded by people who had tables in their homes, they were very easy to spot eating with their mouths open, wiping their mouths with their hands, or even wiping their hands on their clothes.

A round table takes up more room than you might think. I couldn't be without a table of some kind to be honest. Not just for eating from either.

As others have said, Ikea do a lot of space saving tables. We used a fold up table in our previous tiny house, . When we moved here we eventually got an Ikea table which extends in length when required

I think next used to do a table where the chairs push right up into it taking up little space
Try to keep your table if you can, I love eating dinner round the table chatting about our day. I find if you eat on the sofa you tend to watch TV instead.

We've always had a dining table and eat all our meals at it. My DS used it for homework and until recently I used it for work.

We always ate dinner together at it to catch up on the day.

I would never be without.

My DC are older now but meals together when they were growing up so important-both for the family as it means everyone is together with no distractions and great time to chat and share ideas and talk about our days.
I also think that you model behaviour here for restaurants and schools that set them up with nice manners for life.

Now that they are a bit older there are often conversations about politics or current events. We have some of the little boxes of quiz questions that we get out occasionally and everyone loves trivia. It is nice to sit and take it in. DD brought a friend from Uni home to visit and she said to DD how much she enjoyed it and how her family ate in front of the telly and never talked like that.

Now that's not to say we don't ever eat in front of the telly or on the run but it is nice to have both options.

Over the years it has been used for homework, model building, parties, messy crafts, board games (even now they were spread out with The Settlers of Catan after dinner) jigsaws, Christmas dinner etc.

It is very much used and central to our family life-writing this made me realise just how much I value the time we share around the dinner table.

One similar to this where top folds in half may work. They aren't common though

https://www.laredoute.co.uk/ppdp/prod-350232893.aspx?dim1=1&dim2=1&cod=Google-PPC-Shopping-20485265410-&gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA9ourBhAVEiwA3L5RFkWdeGQtCJ6U2xePpz9jHboootruyAqOCTGnmmMiSAAPhGN8gapanxoCUJ0QAvDBwE

You don't need a dining room table, but, imo, you do need a table that everyone can sit at and eat. Or draw. Or paint. Or do anything that needs a desk or table type surface.
Whether that's in the kitchen or the diningroom or the lounge is less important.

We had a table with bench seats that just slotted under when we had a studio flat.

We managed years without one. Do appreciate having one now though.

My friend doesn't have one they all eat around a coffee table in the living room japanese style.

I couldn't.

Definitely need a table if there's space as it's not just eating like civilized creatures but all the games and craft activities etc which comes with children.

Yeah, definitely. There's only 2 of us. I only have room for a very small one anyway.

I taught early yrs and infants for nearly 18yrs. You may not be able to recognise this when they're adults but that's probably because nursery and school have spent a lot of time working with, modelling good behaviour because you can definitely pick them.out in a school setting.
I know some houses do not have room for a table but many families make use of a coffee/nest of tables.

Definitely need one

Get one with better chair storage. How about a bench for two and buying x2 of those round footstool like storage stools? They can be kept elsewhere in living room or kitchen or hall and used for toys or hat/ glove storage and just bought over to table when the three of you eat.

Also if you have a 6 year old and new baby, it’s going to be handy to have a high up surface for small toys or food where crawling baby can’t reach.

If you’ve got a kitchen table then fine, but otherwise you need one for family meals and some activities.

Get one that goes against the wall and folds out.

It’s important for family life, and for your kids to learn to eat at and sit at a table