How long is your meal time?

[jokalima]

I am very bad at keeping time while they are eating and I know this is not good because when dcg starts school in Sept. she can't be at table forever So how much time you spend for breakfast and lunch?

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Breakfast - They get 30 minutes. Some are done in 5, some take the whole 30 minutes.

Lunch - I let them take as much time as they need. After lunch it is book reading time to settle down and potty breaks/diaper changes, and if they take a long time eating (longer than 30 minutes) then they miss that. Sometimes, the kids can take 45 minutes-60 minutes to finish eating! It is crazy. Doesn't matter to me at lunch time, though, since lunch begins at 11:00 and they go down for nap at 12:00.

[snbauser]

30 minutes for breakfast and lunch. 20 minutes for snack. I have a timer. I had some kids that were so bad about taking a bite, holding it in their mouth, staring at their friends instead of eating, etc. It used to take them 30 minutes for one helping of food. When I use the timer they know that when the timer beeps, their napkin goes on their plate and they are done. They can see how much time they have left and typically are done long before it beeps and can eat 2 or 3 helpings in the same amount of time that it would take them to eat 1 before. This is what I have. http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/pro...=1361564175933

[Heidi]

a half hour for breakfast and lunch, snack usually 15 minutes. The biggest difference is I sit with them at breakfast and lunch, and we chat or read a story, or both. Snack is usually a quick eat and play. But, by afternoon snack I'm usually down to an almost 3yo and an 8 wk old, so it's informal.

If you're worried about school, practice the week before they go. For now, allow yourselves all the pleasure of enjoying your meals.

[Starburst]

The FCC I used to work at her breakfast and Lunch times were about at least 15-45 minutes at most. Not all the kids ate breakfast because they would come at different times and some would eat at home but sometimes she would have a full house (14 kids) durring lunch so she would have some of them eat in shifts.

[butterfly]

30 minutes for each meal/snack time. As the kids finish they ask to be excused and I wash their hands/face then they go play. No one lingers at the table because they don't want to miss out on the fun while their friends are playing. Some days I do make them sit a few minutes before releasing them from the table so that some of the others do actually eat a little before going to play.

[LK5kids]

15 min. Snack, 30 min. Lunch. I have never been strict about the amount of time. That's just what it always seems to take. Lunch may be a bit shorter.

[laundrymom]

I don't time it but use their clues. If they stop asking for food, stop eating, etc. I start excusing them from the table. I do have a two kids at the table rule. When it whittles down to two, when one finishes, they both are done. Usually this is around 40 min. I have had kids who wait to take their first bite until their friends are done to get our of nap. Yeah, not my first rodeo. Lol. That's how I adopted the two at a table rule. Apparently at home this fam allows 2-3 hours to finish dinner. Prolongs bedtime. Lol. Yeah. Not here.

[MsLaura529]

I have had kids who wait to take their first bite until their friends are done to get our of nap. Yeah, not my first rodeo. Lol. That's how I adopted the two at a table rule. Apparently at home this fam allows 2-3 hours to finish dinner. Prolongs bedtime. Lol. Yeah. Not here.

It's amazing how sneaky some kids can be! Haha.

When I worked at a home daycare, the kids would be at the table anywhere from 5-15 minutes for snack, and lunch would take longer, maybe 15 minutes for the shortest, 30 minutes for the longest.

[Sunshine74]

Breakfast they eat upon arrival, and they come any time between 7:30 and 9 (which is when breakfast is over), so they just eat until they are finished. Usually it is pretty quick though.

Lunch we all eat together and it usually lasts between 30-45 minutes- more often closer to the 45 minute range. Lunch is at 11 and as long as everyone is done with lunch/potty by 12 we are happy.

Snack varies. The group we have now is so strange about what/if they eat snack that day, so we can be at the table for 10 minutes or 20+.