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What do they do? I'd like them to still sit with the slower eaters, but I have two that are rather difficult. One (almost 2), just repeats "all done, down now" or something similar, literally over and over until she gets upset and starts crying. The last is a 2.5 yr old non-talker, who just starts to scream when he can't come down. I try singing songs and rhymes, but that only buys me like 5 minutes. Right now, I'm telling them they have to be patient, and wait for their friends to be finished eating. I'd rather everyone stay in their chairs because I don't want to leave the kitchen to supervise someone else while littles are still eating.
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I was just wondering the same thing. I've been getting increasingly frustrated with my toddlers lately. Love 'em to pieces, but now that the older 2 have stopped with the morning naps, it would be NICE for me to get to eat breakfast.
Their meals have literally become 6 minute affairs. I used to read a story at the end, but that's also become a struggle. As soon as they learned the words ""excused?" (may I please be excused?), it went downhill fast. Yay, me! For teaching them manners...
Yesterday I tried something new at lunch. I served them all their veggies first and started eating. Then, after I'd gotten a few bites in and they'd started, I added the rest of the meal.
Since veggies are not the older one's favorite, it actually worked. I got to finish my lunch.
happyface
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Is there any chance you can seat your slow eaters first? Give them a head start :
: and then bring the others in. Even by having them wash hands first might give them a head start of a few minutes.
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^^this. Or I put out quiet toys and books and they are expected to sit on the floor and play quietly. If they can't do that, it's off to nap. I'm mean.Comment
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My problem..and still kind of is and I have 3 almost 4 year olds. As soon as that first person gets done, they are all done.Comment
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I used to do the same thing! It works for all ages, anyone who doesn't think they like vegetables. But nowI was just wondering the same thing. I've been getting increasingly frustrated with my toddlers lately. Love 'em to pieces, but now that the older 2 have stopped with the morning naps, it would be NICE for me to get to eat breakfast.
Their meals have literally become 6 minute affairs. I used to read a story at the end, but that's also become a struggle. As soon as they learned the words ""excused?" (may I please be excused?), it went downhill fast. Yay, me! For teaching them manners...
Yesterday I tried something new at lunch. I served them all their veggies first and started eating. Then, after I'd gotten a few bites in and they'd started, I added the rest of the meal.
Since veggies are not the older one's favorite, it actually worked. I got to finish my lunch.happyface
the food program says we have to serve all of the food on their plate at once, OR do family style 
To me, this is a modified family style :: They get to choose how much veggie they want to eat. And I get them to eat veggies 
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Well...technically, I AM serving family style. I am just really, really slow at it.I used to do the same thing! It works for all ages, anyone who doesn't think they like vegetables. But now the food program says we have to serve all of the food on their plate at once, OR do family style
To me, this is a modified family style :: They get to choose how much veggie they want to eat. And I get them to eat veggies
Since all 4 of my children are under 2, I can't really let them serve themselves yet. So, they get an empty plate and I serve them from the bowl. Sometimes, I let them put a spoonful on themselves, or pick up a sandwich. But, that's still in the prototype phase here.
My food program person is really cool. She's got years of DC experience herself. If she is here observing, I'd serve faster.Comment
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Mine is pretty cool tooWell...technically, I AM serving family style. I am just really, really slow at it.
Since all 4 of my children are under 2, I can't really let them serve themselves yet. So, they get an empty plate and I serve them from the bowl. Sometimes, I let them put a spoonful on themselves, or pick up a sandwich. But, that's still in the prototype phase here.
My food program person is really cool. She's got years of DC experience herself. If she is here observing, I'd serve faster. She didn't even write me up when I didn't mash their cantaloupe ::
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I've tried doing that, but as soon as the two impatient ones see someone in their booster, they all start clambering to get up. It's the typical toddler behaviour of they want everything right away, until they have it, then they don't want it anymore, and there is something else they are crying to have.Comment
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I do the same. The ones who are done first can go play with activities I've set out before lunch. If they cant do that quietly, they go straight down to nap.
It wouldn't bother me a bit if the kids did that. Doesn't take them long to figure out that they will be hungry if they stop just because someone else did.Comment
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Everyone here sits at the table for 20 minutes.They uaually don't long but they all sit at the table until everyone is done.I don't care what they do,sing a song,twirl their fingers,blank stare. "We are waiting for our friends to finish their lunch" is a phrase I say every day.
If they don't behave they are excused to time out and asked to rejoin in a few minutes.
I dont play games when it comes to manners at the table.They all know that!
Kids need to practice their manners because lord knows they don't at home!!!Comment
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If kids eat well and are done early I let them color at the table. The Littles will chime in and want the crayons so I use it as motivation for them to eat or try something they don't want to eat.Comment
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I have rest time right after lunch.
So when they are done, they can head straight to their cot, and wait for our story, which isn't all that exciting to want to leave the table for.
I've had a lot of kids lately who want to swallow their food without chewing, and this freaks me out! I know we are all trained in CPR, doesn't mean I want to have to test my skills. So I reinforce "chew, chew, chew", and this helps them to slow down. I also serve fruits last, so if they can chew their food carefully, try a bite of everything, and use good manners, they are rewarded with seconds and thirds on the fruit. Which they usually don't always want, cause they've already filled up on the other food.
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My kids do get up as they are finished. I try to sit down the minute they do, so I have time to eat before the first is done. When they finish eating, there are specific things to do: clear dishes, wipe face, go potty/get diaper, wash hands, brush teeth. Then they get a few books to look at and go to their mat. I meet them in there when they're all ready and I've got the kitchen tidy; then it's nap time.Comment
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That actually leads me to another meal time issue. If I gave the fast eaters (the older kids) fruit after they were done, my two younger ones that led to this post would stop eating whatever they were eatin, and expect some as well. Naturally, I'd tell them that they had to finish what was on their plate first, but that LEDs to tantrums 100% of the time, no matter how consistent I am. So no one gets fruit at lunch time. :confused:I have rest time right after lunch.
So when they are done, they can head straight to their cot, and wait for our story, which isn't all that exciting to want to leave the table for.
I've had a lot of kids lately who want to swallow their food without chewing, and this freaks me out! I know we are all trained in CPR, doesn't mean I want to have to test my skills. So I reinforce "chew, chew, chew", and this helps them to slow down. I also serve fruits last, so if they can chew their food carefully, try a bite of everything, and use good manners, they are rewarded with seconds and thirds on the fruit. Which they usually don't always want, cause they've already filled up on the other food.Comment
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