Do Your Kids Eat in Booster Chairs?

My 3 1/2 year old and 2 year old both sit in regular kitchen table chairs. Part of their chore charts is to clean up their dishes and the area around their spot. My son does a great job, and then will help his little sister with clearing her dishes and get her paper towels to clean up any mess. Seems way easier to me than a booster. (Totally IMHO)

We went straight from the highchair to a regular chair at the table just before two years old. He drops food into his lap, but not a ton. Definitely, six is just too old for a booster with a tray.

My three year old refuses to use her booster chair anymore. She saw a "baby" in one at a restaurant and now says they are for babies. I can't imagine getting a six year old to willingly use one. My son is also six and can sometimes make a mess at dinner. We have him help clean up the mess afterwards and that seems to have helped him correct his posture a bit and make less mess.

I think 6 years is too old for a booster with a tray. I don't even think they are made that large, unless you have a very petite 6 year old. 6 years old is not too young, to be taught how to eat cleanly. I mean, kids will still drop food, but they can be taught not to create a absolute mess.

My son is 2 1/2 and he just sits in the dining chair. We are teaching him how to create less messes. He still does, at times. Nothing big, though.

Yes, 6 is much too old to sit in a booster with a tray. My 5 yr old also makes huge messes, and I am tired of it too. While he's too old to put in a booster, he's not too young to sweep up his own messes. I bought him a small dustpan & broom and it is his job to sweep under the table after lunch & dinner (I do it after breakfast, since it is a hurried time & I want to get him off to school).

My kids, HATED high chairs since they were a baby.
They just, as a baby, used a booster that straps onto the regular chair, and ate at the table like us.
Then, from about 2 years old, they just sat on the regular chair like us and ate from the table like us. Which they liked.

Kids drop things/food. It just is.
Or you can use a floor mat under them.
I just swept the kitchen daily.

At 6 years old, a kid can sit at the table like the adults.
My son is 5, and does so.

A house will never be, crumb free, if there are children around.

If I saw a six year old in a booster seat with a tray I would think it was a special needs child.
You need to get a dog! I NEVER clean food up off the floor, lol!!!
Just my opinion ;)

Yeah, it's too old :) I have a 6 yo and we still have to remind her to "eat over the plate, please!" almost every meal. So I get it. Unless your child isn't clearing the table very well in regards to height...

Added: Oh, you could also just get a dog ... ours is quite the vacuum cleaner after meals!

If I asked my 6 yo. to sit in a booster seat, she would think I was being "ridiculous".
And her legs would not fit. Not sure her skinny butt would either. ;)
We are still learning to not make messes. And clean up.
My DS sits in a booster w/ tray...and he still makes a mess.
My suggestion-get a dog.
I'd lose my mind if I didn't have a furry vacuum.

If they're boys, you might as well get used to it. I don't know what it is about boys, but they are just messy eaters. My oldest and one of the twins whose a boy is HORRIBLE and they are 19 and 11. I still have to sweep after them.

If it was me I wouldn't put the 6 yr old back in a booster, just do your best to teach him to eat with manners and it will get better, but not totally mess-free.

If you don't have a small electric sweeper I suggest that you get one. My 8 yo grandson loves to use mine. He cleans after everything is clean, even.

Instead of banning crackers & putting your kids in a bubble (meant in jest
& w/kindness), how about some of these ideas?:
-child can only eat crackers at the table w/a little tupperware bowl underneath
-you put down an open plastic bag under their chair when they do
-can't have them eat crackers outside so here's what I do.....I let them eat
crackers in the kitchen only, I give them a small plastic bowl that I hope & pray they will eat "over" w/each and every bite (yeah right like that happens) AND I sweep/vacuum every other day.

It's maddening but I honestly don't ever remember my mom NOT letting me eat something like crackers. Nor do I remember our house being a sham of a mess. I do remember our mom being very, very tired & overworked but never cranky. Poor mom.

My husb keeps telling me to pick my battles so I let him have cracker & vacuum a once over every other day. Sweep the little crubmbs I see on the kitchen floor. No biggie in the GRAND scheme of things! Hang in there

I just took the booster seat off the chair for my 3 year old because I've been informed he is a big boy now and it is no longer required.

I use a Swiffer duster vac and it works perfect for the crumbs and small (dry) pieces of food that fall on the floor. The vac gets most of it and the swiffer pad gets the rest. Highly recommended for you. The only draw-back is that if you go over a drop of something wet or rice/maccaroni or something somewhat sticky it sticks to the pad and schmears all over. But if you pick up those pieces then use the duster vac it works perfect.

My son has never used a tray, he started in a wooden high chair that slides up to the table when he was 6 months old. Before he was 2 he was done with the high chair and went straight to a regular chair. I can't imagine still making him sit in a booster with a tray, not to mention when he's 6.

Would a floor mat help you out? You just put it under their chair and after dinner you can shake out the crumbs or throw it in the washer. I'm sure there are lots of brands out there, but this is one I've heard of http://www.wupzey.com/fm.html. I've never used it, we have hard wood floors and I just sweep after dinner.

I've got a 5 year old who can still sit in a highchair, and regularly does at home because it is where he is accustomed to eating. (He can eat properly at a table as well.) I know that may seem odd to some but my son is also autistic and does not eat the way typical children do. My 8 year old still drops food and she ____@____.com table, drives me batty sometimes that she is messier than my 5 year old. Hehe If it works for your family I don't see there being any issue with it, it's not as if you're harming your child by having them sit in a booster chair.

my 6yo sits in a booster, it doesn't have a tray, it's a cooshie(sp?), no straps or anything, just gives him some extra height to eat at an appropriate height at the table. our 3yo sits in the same exact type of booster. i'm not a fan of kids standing in chairs or sitting up on their knees or having their bowl of food above their head, so mine will sit in a booster until they can appropriately and comfortably eat without one.

My daughter will be 6 this summer and yes- she is still in a booster seat.. We just put the booster on the chair but don't use the table part of it that comes with the booster- we just slide the chair up to the dining table. She is a small girl and would have to get on her knees to eat. Why make them uncomfortable. It is what it is and I think most people are more embarrassed than their kids. Do what works for you!! :)

Good luck.

I have three sons, and yes..mealtime can be super messy! They just used regular booster seats, without the tray, once they moved out of the highchair. I do think having a booster seat helps, because they are at the correct height for the table. We also (I saw another post said this) used the Stay Put/Cooshee Booster from OneStepAhead.com We also used a floor mat, which helped out a ton because we can just lift it up and shake it off, and.. no more crumbs (well, until the next meal)!
We like this one:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
Best of luck!