Please help me keep my kids from rocking their chairs!

[Agatha_Ann]

This is mostly my 8 yo, but on occasion my 6 yo as well. They sit at the dinner table and rock the chairs onto two legs. It happens constantly through every meal! Tonight, my DS (8) was telling a story, the chair rocks, I remind him, four legs down, and as soon as he starts talking again it rocks again! I don't know how to stop this!

Our table is supposed to have six chairs and it now only has four and two of them are damaged and very wobbly. How can I get him to stop this?

[Marsupialmom]

What they are doing is unsafe. If they continue to do it they will have to stand while eating.

[Whistler]

My 2-y-o already does this. Then he fell over backwards. Now he doesn't do it any more. Not that I'd advocate letting them fall... it just happened once before I could catch him.

I might try sneaking up behind him and grabbing the back ofthe chair to throw them off balance and give them a scare though so they understand the danger in it.

I doubt I'd make mine stand. That opens up all sorts of other problems. If I couldn't get them to stop, I'd probably buy a piece of plywood and tie the chairs down for a while until the habit's broken or have them sit cross-legged or something.

[mamatolevi]

My boys have started doing this. Once the chair legs are up, they get to stand for the rest of the meal. no exceptions. it still happens, but not as often.

[Agatha_Ann]

He does it so much it seems like he doesn't even realize he's doing it until I remind him. I thought about taking his chair, but I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing it.

[sunnmama]

Do you have any seating that you could swap out that would make a difference? My kids sit on a bench seat, and rocking it would be darn near impossible. A rocking chair might be another idea.

Could you arrange the seating so that they are against a wall?

[Whistler]

Can you switch it with a chair that doesn't tip or bolt yours to a piece of wood? Can he sit with his feet up off the floor? Back of the chair against the wall?

If it's a habit, he needs to not be able to do it for 21 days (so I have read) then hopefully it will break the habit. In theory anyway

[Agatha_Ann]

I think I will try either having him sit cross legged or switch the chair. Those are both really good ideas. He actually does sit again a wall, but the way that he tilts it is still possible. Thank you so much for the suggestions!

[octobermom]

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom

What they are doing is unsafe. If they continue to do it they will have to stand while eating.

This I still clearly remember and old epsoide of Rescue 911 (anyone remember that show) where a little girl tipped a dining chair back and fell right through a window.. now your table maybe no where near one but the image is enought for me.

Deanna

[clraelle]

Chair balancing, in our house is a sport, and as with other equally dangerous sports requires special saftey equipment.. helmit, elbow and knee pads.

I suppose it depends on the child's personality but my kids dont like the idea of wearing saftey gear at the table.

[hopefulfaith]

I second the bench. Our dining room table has one, and my kids (3 & 2) do pretty well with it. It's nearly impossible to rock.

[amyable]

At least for one of our children, turning the chair sideways has stopped her chair tipping. Without the back to lean against, she can't get the "umph" to get the legs off the ground. It also gives her a place to put her short legs (there is a bar on the sides of the chair legs).

[One_Girl]

I let dd stand at the table to eat if she isn't able to keep the chair feet on the floor. I give her two reminders with the reasoning behind not rocking the chair and the consequence, then I follow through with removing the chair, I have only had to do this a couple times though, usually the reminder is enough. Since your chairs are wobbly anyways, I think you should talk to them about the chairs and tell them that they can buy their own chair to wobble on, stand at the table, or sit without wobbling the chair.

[mama_mojo]

I'm another one who lets tipping children stand; we cannot afford to replace broken chairs, much less broken children

[Aliyahsmommy]

I love this idea! So creative and probably would work I don't have this problem, but if I did I wouldn't feel comfortable taking the chair away and making my child stand.

Originally Posted by clraelle

Chair balancing, in our house is a sport, and as with other equally dangerous sports requires special saftey equipment.. helmit, elbow and knee pads.

I suppose it depends on the child's personality but my kids dont like the idea of wearing saftey gear at the table.