We have all read and heard so much about how important it is for families to eat meals together. Many of us actually WANT to have and nurture the family meals. That can make it incredibly tough and challenging to figure out how to manage the difficult toddler stage. Anyone who has ever tried to have a civilized meal with a 2 or 3-year-old at the table—knows how “uncivilized” it can be! So, what can you do when it comes to toddlers at the family dinner table?
Family meals ARE important, but I am of the opinion that flexibility and sanity are important too. I know when my kids were preschoolers, food in any formal fashion was one of the last things they were interested in. They tended to want to eat finger food on the go, grazing throughout the day and not being terribly interested in sitting still at any prescheduled dinner time. My solution? I made breakfast the “family meal” of the day. Lunch was typically at preschool or day care and dinner became a less formal, more of a “grazing” or “food bar” affair. As my kids got older, we still enjoyed our family breakfasts, but we were able to have the family dinners too. I was never one of those parents who wanted to make kids stay or sit at the table when they were not hungry or interested (it never goes well) and I found that they always seemed to be interested and hungry first thing in the morning.
Finally, I gave up on the restaurants (other than those with a play land or play ground) while my kids were preschoolers. There was time for them to learn manners and the etiquette of “dining out” later. I figured that the other diners did NOT want to put up with crabby 2, 3, and 4 year-olds and it was far more work than it was ever worth. Instead of trying to force the issue, I just waited until they were more developmentally able to learn how to behave.
Any other suggestions or ideas for coping with toddlers at the table? Fortunately, it IS a fairly short-lived period (although it does not seem that way when you’re in the midst of it) and most kids do eventually take pleasure and look forward to the family meals.
Also: Family Happy Hour
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