New meal time behaviour in 15 mo, not an eating issue more sitting issue.

[SuperSesame]

My 15 mo was always great to sit with us at mealtimes. In our own kitchen or in restaurants or visiting relatives. It didn't really matter if it was a different high chair or what the food was. We followed blw and he enjoys his food mostly. He would happily eat, play with it, fling it on the floor, transfer it from bowl to tray to bowl again, etc for anything up to an hour while we could eat relatively peacefully.

In the last few weeks things have changed. We had a couple of disasterous meals out where he'd refuse within minutes to remain in his high chair. After taking him out of it, he would eat on our laps for another couple of minutes then refuse to sit on his bum by stretching and crying and want to run around the restaurant.

This is kind of understandable with a new environment as I guess he wanted to explore. But now he's doing this at home too and its suddenly every single mealtime. He will gobble up a few pieces of food and then want out. He's not eating as much as normal but I don't think the food is the problem. He will happily eat walking around or standing at his own pace. He seems to like grazing so if offered food every hour or so he'll have it.

But I'd love to solve this meal time issue. It could be he is bored of the highchair and being confined. He hates his cot too, but always did.
I miss eating out but its just not worth it.
Should I offer toys to him in high chair to make it more attractive, or tv? Or is it a phase to bear?
I have a new booster seat which I tried for dinner but same result.

No help I'm afraid, but my 15 month old is the same. I'm putting it down to the fact that he is now very steady on his feet and wants to walk ALL THE TIME - we are also having trouble with sitting in the supermarket trolley, going in his pushchair, going in his car seat, etc etc ... you get the picture! He has worked out how to wriggle out of the lap belt in his high chair and if I turn my back for a second he is standing up in the seat or trying to climb down on his own. I think the more he can do (physically), the more he wants to do.

TBH I can see it from his point of view. That doesn't help me work out what to do about it, I guess it is just a phase but I think it is one that could last for a long time...

I shall watch this thread with interest.

The climbing out of high chair is scary! We've an Antilop and I don't feel that its very secure or comfortable, it might be part of the problem.

Interestingly, there are no problems in his creche, he sits happily for them. I may need to interrogate them to find out what their trick is!

We tell DD (18 months) she can sit properly and eat, or if she's had enough she can get down from the table, but that means the meal is over. No toys at the table, no TV, no hopping down and getting back up again, no walking around grazing. Eat in a civilized manner, or get down, no more food until the next meal or snack time.

In a restaurant, we have different rules because the setting is different. She has to wait longer, so we bring some toys, sit her on our knees and take it in turns to go for little walks or whatever, we don't stay very long either. But no shouting, banging, throwing food etc, because that disturbs other diners.

I dunno how much of this she understood at 15m but we were definitely enforcing it, as she was starting to climb out of her chair, and how can she learn to understand a rule if the rule does not exist? At 18m, she completely understands. They sit properly at nursery because nursery have a rule they sit properly. I'm with the French on this.

Yes we've got an Antilop too. They are great to start with but I feel as though he is growing out of it now. The lap strap is rubbish, even when I tighten it up it just comes loose again and he wriggles out. So anyway, we're thinking about the booster seat option, although that's not going to help with the sitting still.

When he starts squirming I do tell him to turn round and sit down properly. I was wondering if that was a bit ambitious at 15 months but it's a good point weissbier that he can't understand the rule if I've never told him about it! So I will persevere.

Thought I should update as so far the problems seemed to be solved! Although now I've said that it may regress!!
After I wrote this I also looked up the blw book for any tips. It sort of explained how we may be putting him under too much pressure, looking at him to see what he's eating, too much encouragement etc. So that evening I set up a picnic on the floor. We ate pasta from a big bowl in the middle with a fork each and invited some teddies along.
It went against my intuition as he just helped himself then walked around and came back. I was starting to think he may never return to the high chair if this is too much fun. He still didn't eat very much though but seemed to enjoy it.
The following evening it was back to the high chair and a normal dinner affair. But I did move the high chair to the other side of the table because I could feel a draught and maybe the new position would work.
That evening was a complete success. So I don't know if it was the picnic or the new seating arrangment that did the trick but something worked!
We went for Sunday lunch yesterday and he was fab! Happy to eat and sit.
I think we have our old baby back.
Thanks for the restaurant tips too, Weissbier, we brought some toys to entertain him prior to dinner and removed them for eating. Will remember that for the next time too!!

Thanks supersesame, I might try some of those ideas as no progress here... in fact we had visitors at the weekend and DS ended up on my lap eating my food for about half of our meals not ideal!

Glad your DS is behaving, long may it continue :o