16 Month Old Protesting Highchair!

Does it matter if she eats in her high chair? Perhaps she's telling you she's ready for a booster seat so she can feel like a big person at the table.

Hi C.,

I had a similar issue with my son. So, I went and bought a booster seat so he could sit at the table with us, and that seemed to work. I think he just wanted to sit with the rest of us, and feel like a part of the family. I hope that helps :)

D.

My younger two boys did this. We called them travelers. And their doctor was not concerned about this. My youngest has been in a booster seat since he was about a year old. He hated his high chair. He is now almost three, and he eats when he is hungry or when something interests him on the table. Other than that he gets down to play and comes back when he wants. He will not starve. I have read that dinner is a more social time for toddlers than an eating time. I agree. My son who just turned 16 did not starve from traveling around with his food, he now sits at the table and eats more than anyone else :)
Don't worry about. and believe me my inlaws were not happy but oh well. it was a phase.

Definitely sounds like she's ready for a booster seat and wants to be like mommy and daddy. My 22 mos. old still likes his high chair, but we had him sit in his booster for the first time last night and he loved it! i think because he felt like "one of us". I'm no expert but i think forcing her in the highchair might make eating an even more negative experience, leading to more problems, likewise with eating on the run. I really think the booster is your ticket. As for messes, Kiddopotamus makes a placemat that has suction cups that stick to the table, it's still possible for them to take it off, but it at least gives you a little more time to react than a standard placemat! good luck!

Hi C.! We have a lot in common I am also 25 and have a 16 month old born in December 05. Like you I am also a teacher. She hates her highchair, too! I got her a booster seat and it got better but sometimes she doesn't want that either. As a last resort I put her in the living room in her wooden rocking chair or other child sized chair and she will sit to eat and then get up and return to chair when she wants more. I may have mystery stains on my carpet of every color but she eats pretty good.

hi C., it was so funny to see myself quoted! haha!! anyway, i think you need to choose your battles, if eating in the highchair is important to you, then you need to stick with it. maybe put her in and offer some of her favorite food, play games with her or something to make it fun the first few times back in. my kids never protested the highchair, but right around the same age they protested almost everything at one point or another, its the age, she is going to start testing you and trying to be independant. and i guess they keep doing that until they are what, 20?? yikes!
the things that are important to us to stick with we had to get a little tough about it. and the things that arent, we let go, let them have some control. (i cannot feed my daughter at all anymore, one day she just insisted that she will do it herself, and thats ok, i just dont give her certain foods if i dont have it in me to clean it all up.... she also decided that she didnt want me to change her anymore, obviously thats not ok, so i just held her down and did it, she pretty much gave up after a few days, though she still busts my chops once in a while!)))but dont ever underestimate the power of distraction. maybe "dance" her into the highchair, or help her climb in on her own, or give her special new plates or whatever, or let her choose something, she may just be looking for some control. you have already let her know that she doesnt have to, so if you want to back up, you will have some un-doing to do, i would try the distraction thing first, make something different and new about the highchair. by the way, my sister did the booster seat thing, and it helped her too. hth, D.

I would sit her at the table. I have a 17 month old (and a 2 1/2 and a 4 yr. also) and I am having the same problem. If your daughter is still too little to sit in an actual diningroom chair, then take the tray off her high chair, and put her chair at the table. Make sure she has a vinal placemat, a plastic plate, or a paper plate, and a toddler fork or spoon. I'm pretty sure she'll love being the big girl- myine does. It might be messy at first, but it will also get her ready to sit at the table. Hope this works! V.

C...
My 2nd daughter did the same thing. (1st daughter stayed in the highchair until 3 or so!!) I did try pulling the highchair up to the table, but my table is too low. So I did buy the booster chair so that she could sit at the table and feel like a big girl!! Now she is 26 months and she eats and runs. I'm happy if she makes it 1/2 of meal time and eats 1/4 of her plate!! hope this helps..

K.

My youngest son, would come and go while eating, when he was younger. What's amazing, is that they get what they need if they are hungry enough. What things are like today is not what they will be years from now. We all go through seasons. It will be ok, just relax and enjoy your baby, too soon and they will be on thier own.

Hi C., When my daughter was around that same age we got her a booster seat that attaches to your regular dining chair. That way she feels like she's at the table with you.

Sounds like your baby girl is just flexing some independence. She could have outgrown it and is ready to sit in a booster seat at the table. Try it! She's feel like a big girl.

If she refuses to sit and eat then send her to bed. Well, that's what I do. My son doesn't run around but, he'll ask to sit on my lap towards the end of the meal. I give in to that but, only after we both have gotten to our last few bites.

You make the rules and she follows them. If she doesn't then privileges are taken away. Again, that's just what I do. I'm not saying for you to do it that way. It works with us for pretty much everything.

Gotta keep in mind that toddlers, especially girls, are really friggin' smart. They know exactly what they're doing and they know how to control us. We have to be consistent and stand firm ground. Not be mean but, be clear and CONSISTENT about what's expected. They test their limits. It's natural. They test to see how in control we really are and, trust me, they really do want us to be control of their lives. Making decisions for themselves...huge decisions...is too overwhelming for them. I also pick and choose my battles...my son can choose what he wants to drink with his meal and which spoon who uses and whether beans or corns but, I say where he sits and how he acts. Give them LOTS of easy choices that will make them feel like they have some say in their life but, don't let them choose the major things like behavior, what's safe, what's acceptable.
Good luck.

Oh my 21-month old daughter didn't like being confined to her high chair either, so when she was about your daughter's age we got her a booster chair (one with safety straps, she's still too small even now to go without them), and that safely attaches to a kitchen chair with straps/buckles around the back.

She loves being at the table like a "big girl," especially since my mom bought her a Dora placemat...she's never even seen Dora but loves her from the books!

Maybe you should try using a booster seat. She will be excited to sit down at the big table and eat with everyone else. My daughter loves her booster seat.

My mother watched my daughter for 2 days and when she came back she didnt want to sit in her high chair anymore. I am a firm believer in not letting her get her way for things I dont believe are right no matter how upset she gets. I held her hand while she was in the chair and set her next to me at the table but kept her in her chair. This seemed to calm her down and now she loves to be in her chair. I also put her in it while Im cooking dinner and she sits and "cooks" with me this way it is not just associated with eating. I have found that as she is approaching 2 that eating is such a tricky topic. She doesnt seem to want to eat anything now and I dont want to make her something different because I have read this is a begining form of manipulation your child can do- scary not even 2 and already a better manipulator than mommy. The doctor said they get fussy and dont want to eat- give them little meals through out the day and make sure they take a vitamin. I dont know if this helps any, but I wanted you to know I can relate.

My son did the SAME thing. Out of the blue one day he wouldnt sit in his highchair. We always would pull the chair up to the table so he would feel like he was eating with us, but he would through a fit. I went to the store and bought him a cheap-o booster seat, and he loved it. I dont know how he even knew such a thing existed, but that is what he wanted.
After we bought him that he went back to eating no problem. Now his s 2 1/2 and he decided he doesnt need the booster anymore, he would prefer to stand up and eat. Toddlers are something, arent they?? lol

On one child I used a booster that strapped onto the chair and also on the waist to keep the child safely in place and my other child one that hooked onto the table(I loved this one) I found that at this age they want to really eat with the family and show their independence, feed themselves and join in dinner conversation. I loved these options because they were safely strapped in and I could run to the kitchen and get more food, drink etc like when they were in the highchair but they were happier. C.

Hi C.,
My son is 2 1/2, closer to three, and we also went through that with him as well. My boyfriend, also my sons dad, had a great suggestion that worked well for us. We bought our son his own table and chair set. He still got up and wandered but after a bit of asking him to sit, he started sitting and eating more than wandering. We bought his set from Little Tykes...we are not impressed with it. There is also a good set made by Step 2. I hope that you find something that works for you. Good luck!
- J.

C.,

I second the booster seat. My son is very happy in his, and will sit well for meals, to color or do crafts, pretty much anything we want him to do in his "big boy" seat. The ones that attach to the chair with straps and fold up when not in use are great, because you can bring it with you to restaurants or to visit other people, etc. I am not a big fan of letting him run around with food, because 1. I don't like to clean that up, 2. I think mealtime social skills are important, and 3. I try not to encourage an all day grazing style of eating habit. I'm very grateful that he is happy in his booster seat!

Jess

Why dont you just get a booster with a seat belt?

My 15 month old son sits in his highchair when I feed him, but hubby and I eat dinner in the living room. So once my son is finished eating I bring him to the living room where he eats off our plates (he still eats quite a bit of babyfood because it's more nutritious then what I have time to cook most of the time). It's a bad idea, but it's the way we do things. Sometimes he doesn't want to sit in his highchair either, but I make him sit there anyway, and I feed him. As soon as he sees I have food for him he usually calms down and eats. So, in my opinion you should make her sit in the chair and she'll get over it. Letting her eat from your lap is probably not a good habit to get into. Eventually though you have to do what works best for your family.