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.

I have a fold up camping table from Decathlon but it's mostly used as a place to build my Lego.
We eat different meals at different times so don't need to sit and "bond over food" or whatever.

I wouldn't like to be without a dining table. It's so versatile.

That said, when DH and I moved here, we took 9 months to buy a table because we were waiting to see what my new disability needs would be, and so what would suit.

We ate from the corner of my office desk sitting at 90° from each other.

Couldn't do that with kids though.

Do you have a breakfast bar? MIL uses that with some fancy chairs

I have 3! A small one in the kitchen that the 4 of us mostly use, a gate leg one I use as a desk in what was the dining room before COVID and as a table at Christmas, and another drop leaf one in the living room that my DD often uses as a desk, crafts, etc. as it’s the warmest, sunniest, room in the house. You can pick up a drop leaf/gate leg one on Marketplace really cheaply. My dining room one was free and my living room one was £40. The best thing is that you don’t need to completely unfold them - they can just be folded half way if there are only a few of you.

We didn't eat at a table growing up. We made use of the floor, coffee table and trays on laps. Usually with the TV on. It wouldn't be something I'd want to emulate with my own kids to be honest. Sitting at a proper table and having a conversation is so much more pleasant and comfortable.

And of course, even in my 40s, I can be spotted a mile off eating with my mouth open, shoving my roast dinner into my chops using bare hands, wiping gravy down my blouse and spluttering away on my sippy cup. A cautionary tale if ever there was one!

I found a circular table seemed to take up a lot more space. Try a drop leaf or extending table maybe?

I have 2

One is really old and folds down so you only have to have half of it up or even both sides folded

You definitely need a dining table imo

I also had a gate leaf table in a very small house and dd used to eat at it when she outgrew the high chair

@gamerchick , I was just generally curious about the alternatives to a table. I was not for one minute suggesting that because I find anything other than a table impractical, that everyone else should agree. Perhaps nobody else is as messy with gravy as I am. 😃

We don't have one. We're happy sitting on knees. You can get small table and chair sets for children to sit at until they're also old enough to eat from knees. TV doesn't have to be on, you can still talk as a family during meal times. You can also teach them to eat at tables when you're out and about at restaurants/pubs.

At mother in law's we use these. I keep meaning to get one for home.
Her place is tiny so an actual table would be a pain in the arse and in the way.

Yes if course, that's what laps are for

We had one off these got it from Argos
brilliant
folded away easily and the bonus of it not get piled up with random shit as folded

no great hassle to open it up

we have a circular drop leaf, in the kitchen. perfect, not limited to 4 people for example

Haven't read other people's opinions so as to not affect my post. We got rid of ours as it became my work desk and I got a new job. We converted that room into a tv room for DD. The plan is to put a dining room table in the conservatory but it just hasn't happened yet and it's been around 6 months.

We are heathens so don't eat at the table anyway. We have a nest of tables for board games that isn't quite right but works well. I don't regret it because of the benefit we have instead but I wouldn't recommend it for a family with young kids who aren't savages.

I would look on Rightmove and see how neighbours with the same house as you make it work (sold price search if none for sale).

I’d hate to be without one. I live alone and still eat all my meals at the dining table in the kitchen. Currently enjoying prawn sandwich as I type sitting at the table. I have a drop leaf one - I keep one leaf up permanently, two chairs out. Other two chairs are folding and stored in the cupboard under the stairs.

No. I mean we could, obviously, but it would be losing the centre point of our home.

I never know how people manage without a dining table - so useful for so many things other than eating.

Try a table with drop or hide away leaves. IKEA is a good starting point.

I'm living in a building site and haven't had a dining table for 2 years. We eat on sofa and coffee table with telly on.. my son and DH prefer to sit on floor.

It's grim. Messy and I can't wait to have a fully functional kitchen and dining area where we can eat properly!

Mate, you definitely need a table. Just get a smaller one with chairs/benches that fit underneath.

Well we've not had a table for around 27 years now, so I guess the answer is yes.

We only use ours for Xmas and birthdays!

Meals are usually at different times due to us all having different routines.

We don't do crafts. Board games only on holidays.

I don't really like the DCs having tv dinners but that's just the way life has worked out!

How is a table where the chairs tuck fully under it a faff? You just… tuck the chairs in?

Where would you eat though? I'm so confused. We eat every single meal at our dining table.

Fridays we have a floor pic nic dinner with a family movie night but I would never ever be able to live without a dining table.

We've not had one for 11 years, though we've had a kitchen island for the past year since we moved house so we treat that as a dining table. At our old flat we didn't have one, we'd have stools against the kitchen counter (but it wasn't really a breakfast bar as it had no overhanging bit so there was no space for your knees). Or sat on the sofa or on floor (we had foam play tiles). Dcs had high chairs with trays or a little seat with tray, then older one had a small desk and chair where she'd eat and do crafts etc.

Not ideal but it was a 2 bed flat and preferred to have lots of play space.

Fair enough. We have a mixture of lap trays (the type with a bag of beads underneath) and stand alone table trays things (not sure of the wording'.)Everyone has a surface to eat off.