Dinner on the sofa most nights

[lpylu]

Anyone else? Or is this a strange household habit we have.

My husband and I have been like this since we met 10+ years ago. To start with he lived in a flat without a dining table and then when we moved in it was a small unappealing thing and now we just have no excuse, we eat on the sofa 99% of the time.

We tried to make Sundays a table dinner at 5.00pm with our son but with illness and life we've not succeeded in that for some time.

@Jk987 are you serious???? What did you think had happened to it?

No. We also eat every meal at home with 3 year old. (Dh and I work from home). Ds has always eaten at table since weaning. I can’t imagine the mess feeding him on the sofa.
we also all eat together 6-6.30pm. So no we don’t eat at 5pm, but I have time or inclination to make meals twice, cook twice, clean up twice. Dh finishes work at home around 6pm, and we aim to eat not
long after. All eat, kitchen cleaned up. And then 7-8pm is relaxing time together. Take Ds up to bed around 8pm

As the kids have got older I am more relaxed about them eating away from the table, but we all eat at the table every night (whoever is home, anyway!). Pizza/picnic and movie nights in the lounge sometimes, and DH and I will sometimes have a takeaway in there, but 99% of dinners are eaten at the table.

Only occasionally eat lunch (sandwich/crisps etc) never a main meal, that's always at the table (in the kitchen). Dining room only gets used for high days and holidays.

If I ate my main meal on sofa I would end up with shocking heartburn! ☹️

It was like this in one house share I was in - no table and so every meal was eaten on the sofa. I seemed to have permanent indigestion and it really kicked off IBS symptoms.

Haven't eaten a meal sat on the sofa since moving out of that house! No further stomach problems. Now we have children no food is allowed in that room either.

We eat at the table for every meal. I couldn’t balance a tray/plate on my knees and use a knife and fork.

Do you both wfh and look after your 3 yr old?

That must mean you all stay in all day?

Breakfast and lunch at kitchen table and dinner at the dinner table. I have never eaten in living room on sofa. Dh is the same.

@Jk987 - no. We all eat breakfast around 7am together. Then I start work from home, 7.30-11.30am. Dh drops Ds at nursery around 8.30am, and I collect 11.45am. We all then eat lunch at home together. Dh works 9-6pm at home. Afternoons I don’t work as have toddler. After 6pm we all then eat dinner together. Hence we all eat, all three main meals at home every day.
One weekends if we are at home then again all meals at table, together. Obviously there’s some days we eat out for whatever meals ie lunch out, picnic. But at home, it’s at the table

And Ds is 3, but I have had to wipe the table, his face and hands still after every meal and snack so far today. I can’t imagine the state of my sofa if he had been eating porridge, tomato pasta and yogurt on the sofa. At 16 months it would have been a massacre

For THE THIRD time, my 16 month old sits in a high chair to eat at 5pm after nursery school every day. Husband and me eat at 7ish, when both of us have finished work and one of us has made dinner. NO 16 month eats on the sofa in my house.

Just nursery, just one child, 16 months. Nothing to do with school. Can't edit that out,

I don't allow food in my sitting room at all. All food is eaten at the kitchen table or dining room table (special occasions only). Once in a while when I was young, my dm would do a little supper in the sitting room on a Saturday evening, but other than that, we always ate at the dining table.

Ok. But that’s temporary then surely? Most children are out of a highchair with straps etc by 2 years. So then most children probably do sit at the table.
If you have no space for table once toddler age then probably need a wipeable picnic rug on floor with a tray.

Do you have to eat at 7pm without child? Could you not all eat together at 6-6.30pm? That way you only have to peel and clean up once

I don’t all good I the living room at all. Every meal is served at the table and DS helps set and clear the table.

Eating in front of the tv with plates balanced on your knees or whatever is gross.

It's also a lot easier to all eat together a bit later. We used to do tea at that age around 6pm. Then only one set of meal prep and clearing up, plus you get to eat together.

Much to my DM's horror who seemed to think children had to have tea at 5pm(!). Not sure what she thought would happen if they didn't...

Yes, we eat on the sofa

@lpylu

I think it's very unusual not to eat with your DS - so he eats alone at 5? And then you eat with DH on sofa at 7?

I can see why you'd need to do that sometimes, but I've 3 DC, they almost always ate with the adults, certainly for main meals.

To those saying that it's important for kids to eat at a table with the adults, I know that's avowed a lot on here, but it's never been my personal experience.

My husband and I never regularly sat down for formal meals with my daughter, either together as family or separately after we split. She has nontheless grown up to be a person with excellent table manners AND conversational skills. We spoke to her a lot, just not over dinner. And we taught her to eat properly when she was eating her meals and we were around; or sometimes we went for meals out together or to people's houses; and she also learnt it at nursery/school.
.

There are numerous opportunities to teach your kids these skills, that don't have to involve a regular sit down meal around a dinner table. If a sit down family meal works for your family, great. But no need to judge others for whom it doesn't work, and no need to put additional pressure on your household about it. Additionally, many people are not fortunate enough to afford a house big enough to fit a dining table anywhere. Their kids don't grow up to be savage uncivilised monsters!

Not unusual at all. Young DC eat earlier because they're hungry and bedtime is around 7pm.

Then adults eat later, when both are home from work.

Once DD was older we enjoyed eating from a tray whilst watching something like Schitts Creek and chatting.

I'd hate to sit at a table for every meal having someone ask me about my day just after I'd taken a mouthful.

I don’t all good I the living room at all

Come again @Hermione101

Eating in front of the tv with plates balanced on your knees or whatever is gross

Gross? Really?

Not sitting properly is bad for digestion. Not eating together and chatting as a family makes it’s much more difficult for children to learn basic social skills

This is just not true. All ours are completely fine socially and work wise. Can chat to anyone about anything including ‘cultural’ and political stuff. We used to chat on the sofa.

@JuneSoon

I know families make different choices. I think (my own view), it's a bit lonely to have a baby / toddler eating by themselves. I mean, you talk about eating with your spouse, for most people, eating meals is a social occasion. Why should it differ for children?

I get it won't be the case every day but once my DC we're having meals, I'd tend to structure the family meals around their schedule, where possible. They never ate as early as 5 (they were in crèche till then anyway), it was more like 6, with a 7.30 - 7.45 bedtime.

As I say, not every meal, not always but shared family eating time is important I think.

I agree there are lots of ways to learn social skills & to communicate.

I do think if meals are eaten on the sofa, it's also likely they are in front of the TV, which is going to hamper engagement & healthy eating.

All good then. You're an adult who can do what you want!