Playing while eating

[PeachBaby]

Do you let your lo play with toys while eating a meal? If so, what kind do you allow?

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by PeachBaby

Do you let your lo play with toys while eating a meal? If so, what kind do you allow?

Well it depends for us. If Dd is just snacking then she eats and plays around with whatever but at dinner time we sit at the table and she isn't allowed to play. it's family time and time to eat. So like I said it just depends.

[YayJennie]

I don't allow toys in the high chair (mainly because I don't want to be cleaning them!) but I do let my son have a wooden spoon to bang or some tongs to play with while he's eating. I'm also not a stickler for eating in the high chair or at the table. If he's hungry but not wanting to sit still, I just feed him bits of stuff while he plays. I figure, I eat on the run, why can't he?

[blizzard_babe]

At home, no toys at the table for meals eaten together. But DH and I leave our "toys" (laptops, books, knitting, cell phones, etc) to go eat dinner, too, so I don't feel to bad about it. He's allowed to leave the table if he's done, though, and go play with toys.

Now when we go to a restaurant, anything to keep him occupied is fair game. I have a small fleet of matchbox cars in my purse.

[swd12422]

No toys at the table while eating, ever. We do bring crayons for DS to keep him occupied in restaurants, but they get put away when the food comes. At home, there are no toys anywhere near the table during a meal.

[BarnMomma]

Originally Posted by swd12422

No toys at the table while eating, ever. We do bring crayons for DS to keep him occupied in restaurants, but they get put away when the food comes. At home, there are no toys anywhere near the table during a meal.

Yes to this.

[crunchy_mommy]

Well DS isn't very interested in breakfast & lunch most days so I let him walk around and play and come back when he wants a bite. Those meals are often rushed anyway so I understand why he's not interested & has trouble sitting still. Dinner we all eat at the table together, and we don't give DS toys. He 'plays' with his spoon or his plate or cup or napkin. We don't make him sit at the table long; if he gets too fussy we just end the meal, but since we started using the booster instead of the highchair he seems much more content to sit & talk with us even when the meal is done.

Restaurants, we don't eat out often, but when we do we play with crayons, cups, straws, etc. or walk around if necessary until our food is ready (he's only 15mos, I hope he calms down as he gets older). DS just really isn't into toys though, so I think that's partly why I've stopped giving them to him!

[JessieBird]

Originally Posted by mom61508

Well it depends for us. If Dd is just snacking then she eats and plays around with whatever but at dinner time we sit at the table and she isn't allowed to play. it's family time and time to eat. So like I said it just depends.

This is us. DS has lunch and dinner at the big table with us and no toys but breakfast and snacks are served at his child-size table so he can come and go as he pleases. I am gradually working to limit the grazing and keep him sitting at his table for snacks because I really don't want food being carried all over the house. I don't expect we'll have a lot of rules in our house but this will definitely be one of the few.