Do you eat at the table ????

[nutcracker]

Do you and your kids all eat at the dining table together ??
We have a dining table but no room for us all to eat at it, so at the mo just the two dd's sit there and me and dp sit on the sofa and eat off our laps. I have discovered that Argos do a little table and chairs set that you screw to the wall. The table can be folded down and the chairs fold up too so would save alot of space. I don't mind geting rid of the dinning table as it is passed it's best and i would be buying a new one when we move anyway. The only thing is, that the fold up one would be in the kitchen, meaning that the kids would bve eating in there on their own.
Any way, what would you do ???

We've got a really small table and bench set (from Courts) that just about fits the four of us, so we always sit up at the table. If anyone else is over for dinner, my sister stays over a lot, then an adult gets 'bumped' down to the sofa. Its going to be a bit of a squash when DD starts eating!

I wouldn't trust my kids eating on their own, they mess about as it is, but they are quite young (3 and 6). If you think you can put up with it I wouldn't bother buying a new table now, if you want to buy one when you finally get to move. However, if getting the Argos one makes a bit more room, and helps you feel better whilst you are still in the flat then go for it - think of it as wooden Prozac!

Sorry not much help Nutty.

We sit on the floor i did as a child too we have a table cloth and all sit there. Again not much help. But we all get to eat together

Wooden prozac LOL, lydialemon

Posted before i'd finished....
My dd's don't behave at the table anyway so i don't think it would make any difference.
Slinky - On the floor, why ????
It would definatly give us more space if we didn't have the table. Thinking about it, we could have the fold up table in the living room instead of the kitchen, then i'd still be able to keep an eye on them.

Since moving into the apartment with a open plan living area we always sit at the table for dinner. WE bought a new table especially and much prefer it. Before we moved we rarely used our table and ate in th e lounge off our knees. DD was too young to know any different at the time.

If you do get the table for the kitchen could one of you sit with one child, and your dp sit with the other.

You don't say how old your DD's are - may make a difference as to whether I'd want them eating on their own if it was my house.

we're awful - eat watching the tv like wayne and waynetta slob

are desparately trying to be more civilised and eat in the dining room...

My dd's are 4 and 6, and always play up at dinner time. I think i'd definatly have to fit it into the living room somewhere. At the moment the dining table gets used as a storage area for things that we can't find a space for.

We always eat all together at the table, and have done ever since they boys were tiny. (They are 4 and 6 now). It's quite important to us.

This would only be a temporary thing. Once we move we will be b uying a new table and will eat at it all of the time. Just think it would give us some much needed space.

What I don't get is how do little kids manage to eat without a table? Surely the food goes everywhere, and how would they eat anything with, say , gravy??!! We have a table but it wont fit in kitchen so we eat in living room, don't like it though. Have idea that every other family in UK sits down round a dining table, with no TV on, discussing the day's affairs a la 1950s!!

My dd's definatly couldn't eat of their laps as ds would be after their food.

We have big kitchen table and usually eat at it. I love to have proper familiy meals. Once a week or so, we veg in the lounge with Cbebbies on (I'd rather the news but cant have everything) with a pizza or something equally unmessy. It's a treat though, not the norm. Weekend breakfasts are always eaten together but on pre-school days, ds has a bowl of cereal in the lounge with the tv on as it is always a bit of a rush.

We have a huge kitchen table (was a requirement when househunting that I had a big enough kitchen to fit a table in!)

So we ALWAYS eat in there - we've never eaten in any of the other rooms - and likely to stay that way since we've recently redecorated the whole of downstairs and therefore new sofas/carpets.

My kitchen is the "centre" of our house - when people pop in for coffee, we still tend to "hang" round the kitchen

oooh - I've just noticed - got a similar user name to someone else!

Slink and Slinky!

Ds eats in his high chair, we all eat in front of TV. I know, dead common. But we like it... I think we should be sitting round table, Italian-style, but I like lying on the sofa with dh drinking wine once ds has gone to bed. It's more relaxing IMO. We still talk all the time though - dh is making dinner in the kitchen right now, in fact.

DD has dinner early most nights, we eat around 6.30 she eats about 5 but if shes up then she has a little of what we eat too, she loves it, we almost always eat at the table ourselves

ds and dd always eat at the table, although sometimes in the morning they have the tv switched on whilst they're having breakfast...tbh I don't sit with them every night but I do insist they dine at the table...for me eating is a very social occasion, really want them to enjoy cooking and eating as a very pleasurable experience ( a bit Nigella Lawson here) so am a bit fussy here but really believe the more they sit down the easier it is to get them to act normally at other friend's houses...loving food is loving life...(have to add many times they eat at the table and I'm pottering)...whatever feels right is the best way really

Well thanx for all the advice. I think i'm definatly going to get rid of big table and just get little fold up one for dd's to eat at, then when we move i can buy a big, massive dining table and we will eat all meals and drink all drinks at it (honest)

Lavender - Hope i didn't offend you earlier, on your thread. Was trying to stick up for you but didn't explain myself very well.

you did actually (am too sensitive for my own good sometimes) thanks...and tomorrow is a new day

don't worry though, I know you meant no harm

Sorry Lavender, was it the wittering bit that upset you ??? If it was then i was on about me not you. I witter all the time. I did say though that i DONOT think you are a troll.

yes, troll forgives very easily (but not one iykwim..)do say what ever feel, not one for being secretive...how's things btw with you and dp have you decided to move?

Things are neither good nor bad at the mo IYKWIM. Haven't decided what to do yet, am just going to take my time and work out whats best for me and the kids.
Again sorry if i offended you, it really wasn't my intention

message withdrawn

We eat round the table most meals but if DH and I are having something different for dinner we generally eat it after the kids have gone to bed in front of the telly. Sometimes as a treat we get a takeaway and sit in the livingroom with the kids and watch a film.