What age do you think a child should be made to sit at the table for an entire meal?

[ceebee74]

DS (2.1) has decided that he doesn't want to sit in his booster seat now for meals which means that he can get down from his chair whenever he feels like it - would you enforce him sitting at the table until everyone has finished from this age or is it too young? If so, how (bearing in mind he is a very independent, stubborn little boy!)

i have my 2 trained to stay til they eat their food and then say 'can i leave the table please?'. if they've eaten enough they can go even if we're not finished. they're 2 and 3 1/2. sometimes ds who's 2 can be there for a good half hour after us as he does enjoy his food but dd is a terible eater and is usually asking to leave after about 10 mins. i find it best as she already causes enough trouble about meals to just let her as long as she's eaten something as it stops meals becoming a negative experiance.

lol the last grip of the middle classes, clinging onto nice table manners

Rhinestone - DS is a 'grazer' and can make a meal last forever and go back to eat some more about 5 times!!

Now he does go to nursery 4 days a week so surely they make the children stay at the table? So I would expect him to learn that from there aswell - but apparently not

I wouldn't mind but it was my mum's fault that he won't now use his booster seat as she encouraged him to sit on a normal chair at the table at her house a couple of weeks ago......so of course, after that, he has decided he no longer needs the booster seat - despite the fact that our chairs are much lower than my parent's so he can barely see over our table Makes for some very interesting feeding of cereal I can tell you!!

ah ceebee - but that's nursery that it, compltetly different kettle of fish.

Apparently DS is always a perfect angel at the CM, nary a tantrum... Toddlers are cunning...

OP - I would actually make him use the booster seat in that case.

mine do from 2

ds is just 2.5 and he always sits through whole meal

I don't have a table!
DD has to conform for the meal though. She is not allowed to get up before both of us are finished and that has always been the rule.
Tea time is not a formal occasion though, we do have the TV on and we still chat and have fun.
I don't mean to sound smug but I think making them sit but including them from the start is the way to go

Oh yes they are all totally different at nursery. That's a fairly well known fact. I would not be happy with your DS not being able to reach the table properly, as that is going to make the whole mealtime messy (well messier..) and frustrating. Would he sit on a cushion?

I know he should be still using the booster seat but it really would be tantrum city if we tried to make him and as I am from a 'pick your battles' kind of parenting school of thought, I just don't see it as that important to make an issue out of it - he can still feed himself sat like that and I don't mind if he kneels up either.

Depends on the child.

Just because a child won't sit an entire meal at home does not mean they won't do it at nursery or school or for their grandma or in a restaurant. Quite the contrary in fact

I have bigger fish to fry (metaphorically).

OP - on a booster seat front, can you remover tray and straps - that way he still feels like a "big boy" but can reach better?

What is the point? They will come to understand the wierd and totally arbitrary world of adult manners in good time. It seems such a shame really, to condition them them any earlier than necessary - and before they have any chance of understanding that sometimes there are social rules 'just because' and that is all the answer there is and yet you have to accept that or be some kind of outcast.