AIBU to eat one-handed in restaurants? (The Table Edge Fear!)

[AnxiousMum001]

Quick q for other mums of babies/toddlers!

We went out for lunch this weekend and my 10 mo kept almost hitting his head on the table. I realised I spent the entire meal with my left hand on it to stop him from hitting it. My sister-in-law was doing exactly the same thing with her baby. We looked like a pair of goalies guarding the table edge instead of enjoying our food!

Is this just us being paranoid/anxious? Or does anyone else do the 'Hand Guard' manoeuvre when the highchair is pulled up to the table?

I either pull the high chair right up to the table so he can't hit his head, or push it away from the table so he can't reach... I figure it's just a phase.

I don’t remember ever having to do this but maybe that’s because I’m struggling to work out what’s going on. How would a baby sitting in a high chair hit their head on the table? I can’t picture it in my head. DD2 is only 3 so it’s not been that long but I genuinely can’t figure out how it would happen!

@Clefable If you use a highchair with a tray, it doesn't happen as the tray blocks them... The problem happens in restaurants that only have those wooden 'stackable' highchairs with no tray, or when you take the tray off to push them right up to the table. Their mouth/head is then at the exact height of the table edge. If they get excited and lunge forward or look for something they've dropped - they hit their head (in my experience)...

@Goldpanther That's exactly what I try to do! But I find when I pull him right up close like that, he treats the table edge like a giant teether and just gnaws on it...

I can't picture this either - even with your additional explanation. I've only ever used highchairs that pull right up to the table and my son has never hit his head nor had his mouth low enough to be near the edge of the table. It sounds like the tables are really high which is a problem with the cafe/their choice of highchair rather than the highchair itself. Or maybe your baby is just a bit small to be in that particular highchair?

Either way, if my son wasn't safe or comfortable in the highchair I'd sit him on my lap rather than eat with my arm splayed awkwardly over the table.

We also have this gnawing on the table edge 🤣

And there's no way I could hold him on my lap, he would wriggle and try grab everything within reach.

My friend has one of these placemats, so if baby gnaws at the table they are just eating the placement instead. I'm trying to resist getting one!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Placemats-Resistant-26-5x30-6CM-Table%EF%BC%8CDishwasher/dp/B0F7LB8NWF

It’s quite a quick phase so you’ll be out the other side soon.

Were you there with your partner? They should have been doing half of this to let you eat. We tag in and out of baby duty during meals to let the other one eat in relative peace for a short while.

Huh? Also have DC past this phase and can't figure out what you mean. Why is the table so high it's at their mouth level? Are you using one of those portable cloth chair things that ties onto a standard dining chair? Is there some new cheap highchair that all the cafés are using that's weirdly too low?

I can certainly see a baby of that age WOULD chew on a table edge if presented to them at the right height, I've just never encountered it because IME the high chairs place the baby with the table at roughly waist to armpit height.

I initially thought you were talking about when you're sitting at a table with a BF baby and you have to avoid bumping their head on the table edge while feeding.