Do you spoon-feed your 2 year old?

[happymom]

Ever since DD moved from the high chair to the little table and chair set, she is eating much less. In the high chair, she would basically sit and eat until she was done. Now, she takes a bite and plays, takes another bite, and plays some more. She's constantly getting up and running around. Its been like this for a couple months, and for some reason I never really connected the fact that she was eating less to the fact that she was at a table and no longer "tied down".

Recently, DH noticed that if he sits her on his lap and basically spoonfeeds her, she eats MUCH more. Tonight, she ate 1 1/2 chicken drumsticks plus some potatoes while sitting on my lap. She would never eat that on her own.

Is this normal? Should I just bring back the highchair? (Not sure she would go for that). Or should we continue feeding her?

I have some 4 year olds in my preschool class who are still spoonfed at home and barely eat lunch in school because noone feeds them....I don't want DD to end up like that :)

Thanks!

[rin]

If your DD wouldn't go for the highchair, do you think she'd go for something like the Tripp Trapp? You could still harness her in, but she'd be at the same table as the rest of the family and just maybe might eat more! The knock-off Keekaroo Height Right chairs are cheaper than the Tripp Trapps and I've heard good things about them (although don't have any personal experience with either).

[Momof3Labs]

No, no one was spoonfed at 2yo around here. But at 2yo, while they were all out of the high chairs (as are the girls at 20mo), they were still strapped into a seat in some way. The boys used Kinderzeats (Tripp Trapps) and the girls currently use boosters strapped to the seats (new table is counter height so high chairs and Kinderzeats don't work with it).

At 2.5yo, my niece is in a strap-on seat but does not get buckled in. But at least she's at the family table (vs sitting alone at a small table).

[happymom]

I think a booster seat at the family table would be a good idea. Any recommendations? We have one of those high chairs that straps onto a regular chair, but she can't be pushed up to the table fully in that- it doesnt fit.

[scriptkitten]

Occasionally we spoonfeed the twins just to sneak some veggies or nutrition into their mouths. They don't often accept it tho. My son in particular treats it as a violation unless its on his terms

We have svans, which at this point are just pushed up to the table. DH has zero patience for running around and playing during meals. I am a little more tolerant because introducing stress and yelling into a mealtime just means they refuse to eat. My priority is getting food into them. In any case, leaving the table without first being excused is a fast track towards time out.

[rin]

We love our Fisher Price Healthy Care booster seat. At least with our table & chairs, it can be pushed right up so our DD could eat off the table if we ever wanted. It's height adjustable and also comes with a tray, although for older kids I guess a tray might not be as important.

[blue]

No, I don't spoon feed my (almost) 2 year old DS (you can tell from the mess on my kitchen floor and walls ;)). Recently I have been know to occasionally turn on the TV to get him to sit still and eat :o.



I think a booster seat at the family table would be a good idea. Any recommendations? We have one of those high chairs that straps onto a regular chair, but she can't be pushed up to the table fully in that- it doesnt fit.

Maybe this (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Booster-Green/dp/B004C43JJ4/ref=pd_cp_ba_1). I had a similar one for DS and was using it pushed under the table as a booster (until he recently took to throwing his food). The past week, DS just kneels on a regular chair pushed up to the table (thought I'd throw that out as another idea). Good luck!

[DebbieJ]

My 18 mo sits in a Tripp Trapp at the table and feeds himself with a fork, spoon, or his hands. I can't imagine spoon feeding him.

The only time my kids have sat at a small table & chairs for meals was when we had a family gathering and DS1 and my two nieces sat at the small table together. Otherwise my kids sit at the dinner table and we have family dinners.

[lowrioh]

My 2.5 year old eats 95% of her food herself but we do spoon feed her some things like apple sauce that are difficult/messy. In most cases she is feeding herself and we give her a bite off of our spoon. We are doing it much less frequently lately but when she was 2 we definitely fed her bites when it wasn't a "solid" type food.

[Momto1]

We have the Fischer Price booster for my 22 month old and we love it. For the most part, she feeds herself, but sometimes she gets frustrated with the spoon (like if she's trying to eat soup or something that doesn't "stick" to the spoon) and she'll ask for help.

I like having the option of strapping her in still. I don't always buckle her up, but I know that if she had the option of getting in and out of the seat on her own, there's no way she'd sit still long enough to actually eat a meal.

[Canna]

No, neither of my kids were still spoonfed at 2.

In terms of seating, you may want to try different combinations to find what works for you. We tried moving DD#1 out of her high chair around 2ish and she just wasn't ready to sit in a booster. So we put her back in, using the high chair pushed up to the regular table with no tray. Then we were better able to move her to a booster about 6 months later when we tried again. We used a Cooshie booster so the booster had no straps, etc. to hold her in.

I don't know if sitting at a small table by herself sounds like such a good idea. I know other families that have done it, but for me those tables are "play tables" (that's even what we call them in our family). I think it's important for kids to sit with the family at the dining table. Having seating that works ergonomically is really important for my kids in terms of their eating success. We still often put DD#2 (who is three) in a high chair when we go to restaurants because she's not tall enough to sit and reach well at the table, we don't allow sitting on knees, and restaurant boosters tend to be hard and tippy/wiggly.

ETA: Ikea has inexpensive high chairs that are more toddler-esque and that are designed to be pushed up to tables. They have the plastic antilop one and also some wooden ones look more like traditional furniture.

[smiles33]

We have the Fischer Price booster for my 22 month old and we love it. For the most part, she feeds herself, but sometimes she gets frustrated with the spoon (like if she's trying to eat soup or something that doesn't "stick" to the spoon) and she'll ask for help.

I like having the option of strapping her in still. I don't always buckle her up, but I know that if she had the option of getting in and out of the seat on her own, there's no way she'd sit still long enough to actually eat a meal.
:yeahthat: DD2 has insisted on feeding herself since 15 months or so and her toddler room at the daycare center lets them feed themselves. She's also able to climb up and climb out of her FP booster (we put the small white plastic IKEA stool near the chair). I still use the tray for her, though, so she can't leave in the middle of a meal.

[g-mama]

I absolutely have for both of my younger two sons. And it didn't stop at 2! Sometimes I still spoon food into the mouth of my 5 year old. My younger two sons had/have so little interest food. It is merely for survival for them and they would rather do anything else but sit at the table. Or, I guess they don't always mind sitting at the table, but want to talk rather than eat.

If I don't *push* the issue a bit, they would be even further off the bottom end of the weight chart than they already are. I do what I have to do.

[AngelaS]

Never. Mine were all feeding themselves chunked up table food either w/their spoons or their fingers by a year.

I also always had them eat w/us at the big table or pulled up to the table in their highchairs for meals. You sit, you eat and then you get up. There's no up and down thing allowed here. :)

[emily]

I think we moved her to a FP booster at about that age. She fed herself for the most part. If she left the table before we thought she had enough to eat, we just strapped her in.

[TwinFoxes]

No, never. We used the FP boosters as well. In fact we still use them. They climb up and buckle themselves in. :) They are good eaters.

Sorry to be clueless, but does your DD eat at a table all by herself? Maybe she's lonely, even though I'm sure she's only a few feet from you.

[HonoluluMom]

I spoon feed DD (19 months) when the food is still hot. When it cools off a bit, DD feeds herself most times. However, there are times when she asks to be fed and I will feed her.

[JBaxter]

I couldnt spoon feed Jack at 1 yr old. He has always self fed... Its not pretty either

[happymom]

Thanks everyone for your input!

I think I should clarify a bit....when we eat dinner as a family, DD joins us at the table- usually using the Fisher Price booster (the highchair that goes on top of the regular chair)- we have to use the tray though since it doesnt push all the way into the table. She sits very close by though. However, many nights DD eats before DH and I, and also she eats breakfast and lunch alone as well. She is THRILLED to eat at her little table- she really loves it. Its just that she has too much freedom so she is constantly up and about.

She is a good eater and is capable of feeding herself, its just that if she is distracted, she eats much less kwim? We realized that when we spoon feed her, she is a lot more focused and eats more. But obviously I don't want to start a bad habit here....she's been feeding herself perfectly well since she was 1 years old. I was always thrilled with the fact that she was such an independent eater. Definitely seems silly to start spoonfeeding her now!

So, from what you are all saying, it sounds like I should either bring back the highchair, or get a booster. We have the Boon, which can be pushed up to the table, so that should work well actually. I think I will move her table and chairs into her playroom for pretend play (she will really like that) and crafts.

Whew, now that I have that all figured out...time to go clean up the huge mess around her table! I will not be missing that....

Thanks again :)