Home
Log in / Sign Up
    Private Messages   Advanced Search   Rules   New User Guide   FAQ   Advertise   Contact Us  
Forum -> Parenting our children -> Toddlers
Toddler at the table - how to keep it clean?



Post new topic   Reply to topic View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother
Saddlebrown


 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 8:02 pm
My 18mo plays with his food all the time. He makes a huge mess.

He was in a high chair till now and the mess was okay cuz I would wash the tray.

Now we just moved him to a booster seat and he ruins the table cloth every meal. It's not a fancy tablecloth,but I wonder if there's an easier way?

Ye, hes my first. How'd you know?
Back to top

pesek zman




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 8:10 pm
Disposable plastic tablecloth?

Or if he's not ready, back to the high chair
Back to top

amother
Indigo


 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 8:15 pm
My child is 2 and still in a high chair. An 18 month old can't help making a mess. Why the need to take him out of the high chair yet?
Back to top

flowerpower




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 8:15 pm
I put them in a booster with food on their tray and move them a little away from the table.
Back to top

Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 8:20 pm
No tablecloth.
Keep spillable containers at a distance.
Try one of those toddler plates with a suction cup on the bottom.
Have your toddler help you clean up any mess after dinner, as much as reasonably possible.
Keep trying and be patient. It takes a while.
Back to top

lucky14




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 8:45 pm
amother wrote:
My child is 2 and still in a high chair. An 18 month old can't help making a mess. Why the need to take him out of the high chair yet?


They don't NEED to but it certainly can be fun for them to be at the table. Every child is ready at a different time but I thought it was nice to have him eating with the rest of us. We're also in a small apartment so it was helpful to be rid of the highchair. He has a place mat (just to kind of control stains a bit) but I still end up washing the tablecloth daily. I think it's worth it though. I don't change it after every meal.
Back to top

Kiwi13




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 21 2017, 9:37 pm
amother wrote:
My child is 2 and still in a high chair. An 18 month old can't help making a mess. Why the need to take him out of the high chair yet?


Totally depends on the child. My 2-year old son recently decided he MUST sit with us at the table. He’s much, much happier at the table and he does try (to the best of his 2-year old ability) to eat nicely and neatly, most of the time. So we try our best to accommodate him.
Back to top

FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 22 2017, 2:39 am
I recently watched a documetary on early childhood, and they said that it was extremely important to let a toddler play with food, because it prevents them becoming a picky eater later on in life.

Exploring texture, smell, color, and shape is every bit as important as taste. Would you put anything in your mouth without knowing what it was first? What if the flavor was a surprise to you, and you weren't expecting it? Toddlers aren't just playing with their food, they're learning all about it from every sense.

Throwing food on the floor and laughing about it is obviously not OK, but making a mess at the table is quite acceptable.
Back to top

amother
Amethyst


 

Post Wed, Nov 22 2017, 3:36 am
FranticFrummie wrote:
I recently watched a documetary on early childhood, and they said that it was extremely important to let a toddler play with food, because it prevents them becoming a picky eater later on in life.

.


The pediatric gastroenterologist I used with all my kids strongly emphasized this.
It was very hard for me to control myself and allow it but I did my best.
Back to top

saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 22 2017, 4:09 am
We use a thick plastic table cloth (the non disposable kind). I get them for $4 at amazing savings. If my kids manage to ruin it, it's cheap enough to replace but it's also easy to wipe clean. They tend to last about 2 months in my house.
Back to top

dancingqueen




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 22 2017, 7:39 am
I have a similar situation and I have a vinyl tablecloth that wipes clean.
Back to top
Page 1 of 1 Recent Topics




Post new topic   Reply to topic    Forum -> Parenting our children -> Toddlers

Related Topics Replies Last Post
Toddler girl sneakers
by amother
1 Today at 5:58 pm View last post
Clean library books for age 13 14 Today at 11:50 am View last post
Outdoor sensory table for older children
by amother
0 Today at 8:44 am View last post
What decor do you get to enhance your pesach table?
by hodeez
18 Yesterday at 9:57 pm View last post
Do babies keep spitting up after starting food?
by amother
2 Yesterday at 9:02 pm View last post