My oldest daughter tells me at least a few times a week, “Mommy, it’s hard to be patient!” As someone who is not a patient person, I totally empathize with how she feels. It IS hard to wait, sometimes.
When you combine Darah’s inherited lack of patience with the low tolerance for remaining at the dining room table (which is something she inherited from her father, who likes to dine and dash), it can make meal times a real test for her. We have to constantly try to bring her focus back to the meal and even to the family time together.
Manner Mats have helped us keep Darah in her chair. Specifically, we’ve been using Preschool Manner Mats. These were invented by an etiquette expert and they each come with 38 one-use place mats that contain lessons about good behavior and good manners. They also have pictures to be colored. Basically, they provide an educational opportunity for your child and topics for conversation with the family at the dinner table.
While I don’t use these every day, I find them to be especially helpful when Darah is trying to avoid eating her dinner. The longer she sits by her food, even if she is distracted by a different activity, the more likely she is to take a few bites!
Manner Mats and Preschool Manner Mats are available online for a very reasonable $9.99. I think they make great, affordable holiday gifts! They can also help a night at home feel more like a night at a restaurant!
Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win your choice of Manner Mats (ages 6+) or Preschool Manner Mats (ages 3-6).
Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.
I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
We don’t usually have much of a problem. We do let them color though.
We play learning games and talk to each other
try to use interesting conversation
we have always insisted on staying at the table until you get permission to leave, it’s not always easy but it’s worth it to be consistent all the time so we’re clear about what we expect
Showing by example and let our expectations known before hand.
I usually give some funny coloring books and crayons to keep them busy at the table
Thanks!
i just talk to her.
I am still working on getting my youngest to have good manners at the table, but avoiding late snacks does help, and getting the kids to help with preparation of dinner.
A small dessert after dinner.
lol i have no strategy 🙂
Lots of fun table talk
We engage our kids into conversation. My kids like to talk, so it usually isn’t a problem!
Dessert or a toy
Bribe with dessert!
A TV and DVD player 🙂
We have conversations, which keep him from being restless
my kids have no problem, started very young you dont get up unless you have finished your meal and mommy and daddy say its ok.
We all sit together, and no one gets up from the table until everyone is finished!
They are expected to sit at the table. We don’t have any strategies, but they do know that there will be consequences to pay if they get up from the table before dinner is over.
Wandering has been a problem for us too, I really don’t have a great solution, maybe this mat will help!
We don’t have one, yet.
sitting with them and showing by example
They don’t have to eat but they must wait till everyone is done to get op.
We sit with them and talk to them, keep them interested in what’s going on at the table. I give my 4 year old healthy options and let him help pick out something from the options I give so he feels included.
I have no problem with my niece and nephew at the table. My nephew especially loves to eat. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
we all sit and eat together and we have realistic expectations on how long the younger ones can sit
We don’t have a strategy but we need one! We loose a lot of food on the floor once he decides “he’s done”.
It’s been a struggle lately, I could definitely use some help.
What a great idea!
I keep their desserts hostage 🙂
Bribe them with Dessert.
I tell him no dessert unless he stays at the table until everyone is finished.
Begging/bribery? lol! 🙂
jlapage@labiomed.org
I totally bribe them with dessert…. 🙂
We haven’t had a strategy, but we do have strategy for the kids eating healthy, like only healthy snacking.
Marysa {at} marysa {dot} com
She sits in a high chair, so there’s no leaving the table! However, she loves reading magazines, books and menus. She also enjoys coloring.
I never had a strategy until I read this post.
We let her look at the menu, lol for now that works long enough!
we donn’t have a good answer yet! 🙂
if we’re at a restaurant, i bring books.
Great idea! I had never seen these before!
My husband and I say “Sit on your bottom” and “Don’t smack your lips or talk with your mouth full” about 50 times per meal. We didn’t have this problem when she was younger or when she was home schooled–I think the public schools allow them to eat like wild animals 🙂
We haven’t figured that one out yet.
Kims2312@verizon.net
My boys usually have no problem staying at the table, we have raised them understanding the importance of eating a full meal during their meal times and we usually give them meals they will enjoy and in the end they are too into eating and enjoying their food that they are not easily distracted by other activities other than finishing up their meal.
priscillavbenavides@yahoo.com
We take them in sit them down and for ever good thing they do manners wise they get a point toward getting dessert!
pattifritz2000 at yahoo dot com
thanks
It helps if they’re especially interested in what’s on their plates, and simple things like having a straw in their drinks make a difference, too. That said, our 2.5 year-old twins are challenging at meal time. If one gets up, the other one does, too, and wrangling two of them at once isn’t easy.
we have never had a problem with our son who is 5 but our daughter who is 2 we have some issues… She will stay for awhile but then gets up and not much really works.
My daughter sits in a high chair or booster seat still so she can’t go anywhere yet.
We have some conversation starters that we use and make sure everyone gets a fair share of time to talk.
My kids like to eat! No problem keeping my kids at the table!
I’ve never had a problem with my son or my grandchildren. You just have to be firm when they are little and stick to your guns. I also made sure they had a placemat (plastic) for them and napkins. When my granddaughter was about 2, I forgot her napkin and she reminded me!
We don’t have one other than from the time they are very small we have told them to stay seated and eat, then when they are done they can go play
Its just a rule they have to eat at the table. Ill I have to do is call them and tell them its ready.
We don’t give her a snack right before dinner so she is hungry when she gets to the table.
Since they were babies we all sit together and eat.
We haven’t reallt used any strategy other than telling her to sit still
I don’t really have a problem keeping my kids at the table. We just talke about what they did during the day and what the want to do. Since they are both big talkers (long winded) they can keep this up for as long as I need.
Can’t say that I have found anything yet that works with my grandson :/
We have never had a problem with them leaving………I suppose it is an expectation we have instilled in them. debbie jackson
djackson1958 at hotmail dot com
We make sure not to give them late afternoon snacks to spoil their appetite. I offer at least one item at each meal that I know they love. We engage them in conversation, sharing our “best bit of the day” during supper. It works pretty well. If they are super wiggly we let them down for 5 minutes to shake the wiggles off and then return to the table.