19 month old won't sit in his highchair - please help!!

[ChoccieLover]

Hi
My 19 month old little boy will not sit in his highchair which makes me resort to feeding him on my lap in front of the tv!! Can anyone offer any strategies for getting him to ?like? going in there ? every other toddler I?ve met just happiliy sits there and eats away! If he does sit in there, and it?s rare he will feed himself a few spoonfuls and then start crying to get down!! Am sooooo fed up, it?s stressing me out and I really dread taking him to restaurants as I know it won?t go well..... Pleeease any tried and tested tips will be greatfully received!!! x

Try the litaf seat to go. It's a booster seat which fits on your chair and less restricted than a normal high chair.

Sorry it's called the Hang N Seat or the Chair Li or would this fit your normal chairs?

I was going to suggest a booster seat too. We've had one for DS from a similar age when he decided that he didn't like the highchair anymore...

I bought a simple booster seat from TK Maxx for less than £20 and it's perfect.

Make a big deal of his special, new, big boy seat. Maybe even some new cutlery too to get him excited about mealtimes?

Same here, dd1 refused to go in her highchair from about 18 months. We put her in a booster chair and made a real fact of her being a big girl and she loved it.

Thanks Ladies - I have tried a booster seat but must admit I went back to the highchair after he launched himself backward out of it!! Perhaps I should try it again!

What should I do when he cries to get out - should I let him get out or is that rewarding him for making a fuss? If he doesn't want to sit in it should I feed him elsewhere or is that giving in and making a rod for my own back..... oh it's all giving me a headache knowing what to do for the best for the future!!

xxx

My DS too (20 months now, but he started doing this at about 17 months). He now has a lot of his meals at a little table and chair.

I'd let him get out if he cries. Otherwise you are just setting up bad associations with the highchair. You don't want to make it more of a battle than it already is!

How about saying that if he can sit in his chair for the main course, he can sit on your lap for pudding? Then praise him loads if he does sit nicely in his chair.

ChoccieLover Which booster seat did you try?