Sitting down to Eat...

Boy do I know what thats like !!
Nathan has been out of his highchair and we have him in a bouster seat that attaches to the chair but he is always getting up after a few bites !! I try to have him tell me "All Done" then when he gets up I clear his plate. Nathan has NEVER been a good eater also. My friend gave me this book that I just started to read. It has Nathan written all over it. "Child of Mine - Feeding with love and good sense" by Ellyn Satter. I hope this helps and I would love to hear other suggestions you get. This is a hard one I think. Good Luck - D.

S.,
I too have a 2 1/2 year old who will be 3 in Novemeber -its an active age, huh??

We use a booster that it similar to this:
http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/27707/RecliningFeedi...

It also has a tray, but it buckles to the seat and has a buckle to keep your child in. If you didn't want to use the tray, you can scoot it right up to the table.

We also try to emphasize with my son that "just because you are done, doesn't mean you can get up . ..you have to wait until everyone is done before you can get up." Its hard because with my husband's work schedule, we don't always eat together, but we try (sounds like you've got a similar situation!). Its a hard age to keep them sitting still!

Good luck!
B.

One thing is for certain, Family meals will not be the same (For a while anyway) My three year old only stayed in her high chair until the age of two, then she became antsy and independent! We also have the high chair that Regina mentioned by Safety First(portable) and I liked it best. However, I would add that your toddler sees you and dad not sitting in high chairs and wants to sit the way the "Big People do" and sees his younger sibling(The Baby) in the high chair, Chances are he chooses not to be associated with the baby beahviors and therefore is rejecting the high chair. I bought a chair for my toddler that was just for her, a regular chair. It doesnt match the table, but it is a small price to pay to have her sit during dinner time now. She enjoys sitting in a chair that exemplifies that she is now a big kid!

I have a fold up and go Safety 1st booster seat which comes with two straps. One can be put around the chair and the other can be strapped around the child. You can find these at Wal-Mart or Target and probably Toys R Us. When my 2 year old moves around too much we buckle him. We also used this for my now 5 1/2 year old and it worked fine.

I am also a working mother of two boys and my husband travels alot for work so I am empathetic to your situation.

Good luck!

Like one of the other mom said, family time at the dinner table won't be stress free for a while. I'm a mom of 5. 4 girls and 1 boy. My solution is that I have a kids table like little tikes etc. in my kitchen. My husband and I eat at the big table and the younger ones eat at the kids table. They actually enjoy it and it makes dinner time alot less stressful. After a while they will grow out of it and will want to sit at the "big" table with everyone else. Good Luck!

I have a four 1/2 year old and went through the same dilemna, the only difference is our daughter loves to eat! It is a very awkward stage because they are at that in between stage, I was desperate so I got on line and started looking for those special booster (European) chairs that were very popular but also very expensive. By accident we found an oak high chair while shopping for stools at an oak store, the high chair is roomy and big and I of course took the tray off and it converts to a tall table chair perfect for a preschooler. My daughter loves it, we have had it for over two years and she still has room to grow (she is 49 lbs.). She is at the same level as the grown ups and I don't know what I would do without it. I think it might have cost $80-$90. I too am a full time working/commuting mom and tried the cheaper plastic boosters but found them more trouble than anything. Good luck.

We have a great booster that I love. It was CHEAP. I cost $15 at Target. It's portable and buckles to the chair and has a seat belt for the child. It's red and blue plastic (though I've seen the same model with green too) and is made by Safety 1st.

I have an active 3 1/2 year old who can never slow down to eat. So we never put her in a high chair and went right into a booster seat/portable chair. The one that I use is by Safety first - available at toys r us and other places for about $20. The reason why I love it and it gets her to eat is 1.) it has a molded leg piece that goes between the thighes that helps hold them in place 2) it straps to the chair 3) it has a safety strap to hold the child in also 4) it has a removable tray that will hold her in and the best part 5) when the tray is removed, you can slide the chair up to the table and it fits under it so that she can eat at the table like a big girl and is basically trapped until one of us slides the chair out. If your son is strong enough to push the chair away from the table, I would suggest putting a non slip rug gripper (the things that make throw rugs on ceramic tile not slide around!) under the chair so that he can't push away. You may have to put up with a week of fussing at the table but mine settled down and now eats really well and will even sit at a restaurant!

Good Luck!

There are a couple of options....have you seen the Kinderseat (I know I misspelled it)..I think it's offered in One Step Ahead magazines. You can also go online. It's a 3 step seat/booster that makes the kid feel like he's sitting on a step stool, but it has a restraint and side support. You can lower seat as he grows. Then it converts into a real chair for teens. Weight limit I believe is around 150 lbs. There are cheaper options that resemble it....I'm thinking Walmart has something along the same line. This is a good alternative but an expensive one if your son doesn't adapt. ($150+)

Otherwise, I don't know why you can't find a booster that fits your chairs. We have incredibly wide kitchen chairs, and our booster has straps with room to spare. Look around, or put him in a sturdy metal folding chair with a booster. It's one thing when they act up at home, but you don't want to have to worry about that when you're out. Hopefully he'll get used to sitting peacefully again.

I have a 4yr, 2yr and 1 yr old at home, and my 4 and 2 yr are both in boosters now and loved it once they were out of the highchair. Good luck.