mealtimes drive me mad. Help needed!!!

[poppiesinaline]

DS who is 9, will not sit still during mealtimes. He has always been this way. He is not hyperactive and has no trouble sitting still for other activities - only eating! Food does not interest him and he is a fussy eater.

I end up nagging him so much during mealtimes I even bore myself! 12 times this tea time I asked him to sit down. He shuffles on his chair to a point he sometimes falls off it, he gets up on his knees, he gets up and walks around the table, or walks completely away from the table or even sometimes, climbs across the table!!!! He also still does not use a knife and fork! although they are placed beside his plate every mealtime. I asked him 7 times this mealtime to 'USE THE KNIFE AND FORK PLEASE!"

This is driving me mad!

I can sympathise... there have been times when I could have thrown DD threw the window followed by her food!!!

Things improved when:-
She helped to make the food...
The food was put on the table and she could help herself.
She can choose what she wants at least once a week
There is bread or rolls on the table so she won't go hungry
She has to taste new food.. but if she really doesn't like it she doesn't have to eat it..
She started on fish oils..

phew.... We are far from the "ideal advert" family but things are much better.

funnily enough daughter doesn't like to use a knife or fork either, she is left handed and we got her a grippy sort of cutlery.

What does your son like to eat??

The food itself isn't the problem as even during his most favourite meal (roast dinner) he is still awful at sitting still at the dinner table! Even during dessert he can not sit still. Had chocolate cake for a treat tonight and he ate it standing up! His sister (3 years younger) sits perfectly and uses cutlery with no problem.

Heeelllpppp.

PS That did make me smile 'could have thrown DD threw the window followed by her food!!' I know how you feel!

can you get him to sit down then move the chair in so he is "wedged" in

No, he is too old and can move himself out of the chair with great ease even if wedged in!

Like the helping your children make the food as a tactic to get them more interested insitting to eat it.

Poppies, have you asked your son why he finds it so hard to sit still? Maybe he has a simple answer to that which is perplexing you so badly?!

What happens if, for a week or two say, you don't nag or ask him to sit still. Could this break the cycle? I have heard this works quite well on husbamnds, etc.

Could you do a deal with him where he has to learn how to sit and eat nicely for the purposes of social convention and show you he knows how to do this and then he is allowed to eat 'freestyle' pretty much the rest of the time?

Is he uncomfortable at the table. Are the chairs hard/too high/too low?

Odd that it only sitting to eat that he finds hard. How is at sitting to do homework?

Homework is a nightmare too!!!! I have asked him and he says that eating is boring. Homework is boring too so I suppose that fits the pattern! I don't mind a bit of wriggling. I am not expecting immaculate table manners or anything but his behaviour is truely beyond a joke and as I said, he sometimes actually falls off his chair (he has broken one and once hit his head on the wall) so I feel this really needs to be addressed.

my ds has always been like that and he is 11 now I was at my wits end up until quite recently and now I have decided it's just him and I try to ignore it.

stuff is boring - something kinds have to face - that you are not his personal entertainment system and will not pander to his every need.

i would just firmly without emotion say "sit down please" i would not enter into any form of conversation, telly off, no music.

if he doesnt eat it - do not feed him anything. repeat everyday