Transition from High Chair to Table

I teach preschool, and toddlerhood is my specific field of study. I have taught toddlers for many years, but now teach a wider age range in my in-home daycare. In my experience, toddlers honestly can be taught table manners. I have all of the little ones at my daycare sit at the table. We eat "family style," which teaches the children how to ask politely for more food, how to pass food, and how to serve an appropriate portion. Is it messy? Sometimes, but I have very absorbent dishtowels nearby. I also put their milk and juice into small containers for them to pour their own juice. I did this with childen your sons' ages, and you should see how proud they are when they accomplish these simple tasks! I do what I can to help them begin to think about how to be tidy by showing them that their cup is very close to the edge of the table and could easily be knocked off, or that he serving spoon is very near to their elbow, etc. When they spill, I say, "Oh, yes, you spilled a bit. How to you think we can fix this?" They are quick to suggest cleaning it up, and are typically more than willing to do so. We have messes along the way, but they are learning so much! I guess this is not so much an answer to your question as it is a snapshot of life at our house. I just wanted to encourage you that it really does get better. Blessings to you and yours! :)

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I bought those plastic seat covers and put them on my kids chairs and even got a huge piece of clear vinyl to put over a table cloth on the table for easy clean up. You could put a mat under the table if you like. They are going to spill. That is part of learning NOT to spill. You have to let them practice. As far as getting up from the table I find if I am sitting at the table with them or we sit as a family for meals it's much easier.

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I would suggest using booster seats on the chairs. This may contain the mess, and it will get the kids closer to the table so it's moe comfortable for them to eat. Hope this helps.

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Bed Bath & Beyond and Linens & Things sells plastic chair covers, I would recommend getting some of those, and a booster seat that straps to the chair and has straps to hold the kids in, We love our Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster. We keep one in the car so we always have a highchair when we go places that don't have them. I also recommend a splat mat to go under the chairs.

Something that may work for you is purchasing a playskool or lil' tykes toddler table and chairs. I used one for my younger children when they were that size and it worked great. Plus you can move it around if you need to.

We bought a portable high chair for each child instead of using free standing ones because our dining room/kitchen is small. It was a great solution! They are compact, lightweight, folding, and come with a tray and straps with buckles both for holding in the child and for securing it to the dining room chair. We thought our kids would only use them when they were little, but now they are 3.5 and 6, and we're still using them--without trays and seat belts now--as booster seats at the table. Inexpensive, compact, gets the kids right up to the table; keeps family mealtimes happier!

Get a Stokke chair. http://www.stokkeusa.com/tripptrapphome.htm
This will transition from about 2 yrs old to adult! (seriously - the footboard becomes the seat for adults..)
They are pricey but I think well worth it. Easy to clean, looks beautiful, just slides right up to table, comes in lots of colors, and the straps keep them from getting down before they are down. Look online (amazon, ebay, craigslist) to find the best price. I LOVE this chair and my daughter's friends fight to sit in it.

maybe getting them thier own chairs to eat in until they are old enough to not destroy them (i have a 4 year old...i know...my chairs are recked, but i didn't care about htem in the first place...and he has his own chair so the rest of us can always have a clean one). For the carpet, you might get one of those vinyl tablecloths with flanel backing to put under his chair...then you can just wipe it up/shake it out and not worry about the carpet. That's what my mom did with me. ;)

D.,

Our twin boys recently decided this very thing! It is frustrating trying to keep the chairs and table looking nice. All the fingerprints and food is a constant cleaning nightmare!

Anyway, we moved their plastic picnic table inside so they can sit there...it is working with one boy. Now, we have the high chairs back also so the other can sit in his high chair (brother likes to take his food when he is done instead of asking for more).

I do like the smaller table for them -- easy to clean and move. They can wander if it is food I do not mind them eating there. And, they do not fight the high chairs as much if it is messier foods and I explain that the other table is tired and needs sleep for the meal.

Good luck,
T.

I do the same as several of your other responders. We started both of our girls (now a 10-month and a 3-year old) in the "high chairs" that are a seat that strap to a regular chair (We have the Fisher PRice one and have been happy with it, so we got a second one for the younger daughter). When they are little, we use the tray that snaps on. As they get older, we push up to the table and keep them strapped in. Now our three year old climbs in and out of it on her own, no straps. It has three height settings, so we continue to get use out of it three years later. It's also nice, because it packs up compactly and is convenient to take even for a picnic in the park (our 10-month old really needs to be contained in order to eat!). Ours has held up really well, so I bet you could find used ones really inexpensively.

D.,
I have skimmed the other responses, and just have one to add. You said you have nice chairs with cloth seats, and what we did was got some clear vinyl like stuff- plastic-y- from JoAnns and put it over the cushions. Now they are protected, and when the kids are a bit older and messy meals aren't such a danger, we can take the plastic off and have great looking seat cushions.

Also, I would recommend using sippy cups at the table to start getting them aware of where they need to be. Then progress to heavy cups (heavy ones are not as easy to be knocked over). We also use a splat mat, or table cloth under the kids area of the table to easily remove the bulk of the mess. We shake it off outside, then can reuse it or wash it, depending on it's status.

We also enforce the when you get down, you are done. I tell the kids if they weren't hungry enough to eat all their food, then the don't need snacks between meals. And I make sure to give them amounts of food they should be able to eat (which is not always easy, since I am used to dishing up for myself!). My kids know this rule, and when they ask if they can be done, I have them tell me (so they understand) "No food until breakfast (or lunch or dinner)" and then if they want food in 30 minutes I refer them back to the statement the told me when they got down. I also have them help clear their dishes. Just starting out with sippy cup and silverwear and napkins, then moving to plates later.

Good luck!

I think they make mats you can put on your chairs, which you put under the booster seat and it helps prevent the chair from getting damaged. To prevent them from getting down, I strap them into the booster seat.

My advice is simple: Once you get down from the table, you're done. If they get up and they're still hungry, too bad! The meal is over once you leave the table. My 3 year old used to have a hard time with this, but once he learned I wasn't kidding around, he stayed at the table until he was full. Your kids wont go hungry. You have to put your foot down! You run the house not them! Good luck!

I tried the portable booster seat but my daughter hated it I think as much as her high chair. So I took one of our big phone books and wrapped it with a towel, leaving some towel to cover the rest of the chair that the phone book didnt cover. And we just put a washable coloring mat under the chair. That way she could sit in the "big" chair like the adults and I just needed to wash the towel when it got dirty (which was a lot at first) and wipe down the mat on the floor. We also have a place mat on the table.

My parents use a little wooden "high" chair... Its a little kid chair that sits up high so it can be pushed up to the table. That works well too; she's still using it even. They got it at a unfinished furniture store.

*If you do go with the portable booster seats I still suggest putting a towel under them and a mat on the floor because if your kids spill any type of liquid it still makes a huge mess. We found that out the hard way.

I bought my daughter a portable seat that sits in the dining room chair until she was able to sit without fidgeting or getting down all the time. I took the tray off and pushed her up to the table. That worked out great. She's 3 1/2 now and has great table manners :)

I have purchased booster seats that have straps that can hook onto chairs. And you could tell them they can get out of the straps when they are X old, or whatever you choose would work, or don't even tell them about the straps, it's just something you do. Our booster has a table on it as well if that works better. We made it a habit to keep our two boys in the chairs throughout dinner (with straps) and then try to clean up the kitchen a bit before they get down... Then they feel like they are bigger boys and it helps keep things clean. We put our second in the booster when he was 9 months and it keeps the clutter down too without high chairs.

First of all, just get ready for messes. :-) I have pictures of the big messes under the table when my twin boys were that age. I didn't have carpet to contend with, though.

We used neat sheets. They were great because you could put them in the washing machine. They contained the mess very well and if there was a spill, all I had to do was put them in the washer.

I would also suggest getting some kind of booster seat that has straps. We had ones that strapped around the chair and also strapped them in. It made life much easier for us and I felt safer. I didn't have to worry about them falling over and they had to stay in until they were done eating and I had cleaned them up.

Have fun with your twins. You're starting to get into the fun stage now. !!

D.,

When my now (almost) 5 year old was a baby we bought a plastic seat that strapped to a chair and had a tray. The tray is removable and the seat has three different height adjustments to it. It also has a "seat belt" that you can strap the kids in with.

When he was little we used it like a high chair, and as he got older it was converted to a booster seat with a seat belt. We also are using it with my 17 month old daughter. We got ours at Babies R Us for around $20. I don't remember the exact price, but it was on the less expensive side of things.

Hope this helps,
M.

Get Stokke highchairs. They grow with the kids, they can eat at the table, and are just all-around fantastic.

There are these booster seat type things you can use with or without the tray the seat straps to the chair and then you can either strap the child in or not. Try putting a towel down on the chair underneath the booster seat to help keep your chair clean, or some vinyl clothing like a vinyl/plastic tablecloth folded up to about the size of the chair seat.

We put our son into a booster seat (attached to chair) at the table.. he can reach better and he feels a little "trapped" (for lack of better word!)

Both my kids went through the same thing, not liking the high chair. My daughter wasnt' in one for long at all. What we did was found booster chairs that would slide under the table, some are too tall and the sides will hit the lip (if your table has one), we remove the tray (we have one that came with a tray and one that was just basic without. I keep a couple old towels in the linen closet and wrap one around the seat to keep from staining (which doesn't help when they decide to take their snack and sit in one of the other chairs...). I have hardwoods but once they are in the booster and slid in, they need assistance getting out for the most part. And a couple days of removing their di8nner if they escape, will cure them of getting up and thinking they can roam around during dinner.

I have a 2.5 yo as well, and we have been going through the same thing. I've been letting him start at the table, and as soon as he plays, or gets down, or breaks a rule, he goes back into the high chair. It seems to work pretty well for us, and he hasn't been throwing a fit about sitting in his highchair when he knows it's a consequence.

Get "new" chairs for where they will sit and get boosters. Good Luck!!!!

We used a booster chair for our sons. They can strap on normal chairs and you could put a towel underneath if you are worried about the cloth cushions. We used a booster with a belt in it, so that takes care of the getting up from the table thing. You can also get placemats to protect your table too. Good luck! They grow up too fast.

I bought a cute toddler sized table & 2 chairs at Ikea for $20. I don't have to worry about ruining my nice furniture & my son was very excited that he had a little table just his size!

Hi D.--I wanted to add that having them help you clean up their messes can make them more aware very quickly, so they make less mess to begin with. And it's a good habit for them to get into anyway. Best wishes!

there are plastic placemats that have adhesive to stick to the table.. they work well. maybe they would sit in booster chairs?