Evening all,
I have a lovely almost 2yo DD who is very...spirited. Since birth she has always been on the move and in a rush to do things- started walking at 8/9 months and has been unstoppable since.
She is constantly on the go and rarely sits down to engage with any activity for longer than a minute or two- she'd much rather be running around outdoors. This has meant missing out on certain events and gatherings as I know she just isn't cut out for it- I accept that she's just more energetic than most kids her age.
My only issue is meal times. She won't even sit for food! She might sit for just enough food to take the edge off her hunger and then she's demanding to be out of the highchair so she can go explore/play again. If I resist, there's not much point because she won't eat and will just melt down. I get more food into her by just letting her run around and play and feed her bites in between. Not ideal, I know. It does take ages and trust me, I judge myself more than anyone else does. I try to avoid screen time to keep her sat down.
Has anyone else had a child like this? I have a few questions:
- When did they learn to sit and engage with a toy, activity or best of all...a meal???
- Is there a way to gently train her to sit? I'm considering putting her back in the highchair everytime she comes back for a bit of food...even if it's just a bite or two before she wants to be out again, just so she gets the message and makes the association that she will only get to eat whilst sat down?
- Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!!!
Sincerely,
An exhausted mum.