Need Ideas - Austin,TX

How about giving her the responsibility of wiping her own hands with a baby wipe after eating? My kids loved to "be in charge," so I would hold the baby wipe container and they would pull one out and wipe their own hands (while I moved the uneaten food out of the way, etc.) Yes, you'll have to go back and give her hands a thorough cleaning, but this may be enough to distract her from wiping on her clothes. Make a big deal about what a big girl she is!

I just say to my son (2.5) "hands to the sky" and make him hold his hands up high until I can get everything all cleaned up. Also, clean the hands first, then the tray, and remove the bib last. Good luck!

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

When I was doing daycare, I'd clean the tray off first. Then I'd wash one hand and place it on the childs' head and say hand on your head, while I was washing the other hand. Worked great.

What about giving her a washcloth or whatever you use to wipe her of with and let her help you. She might like to try to wash off her hands while you are washing her face. It might also keep her busy long enough for you to be able to wipe everything but her hands down then you can do that when you are all done or take her to the sink to wash them when you are all done. I had the same problem with my son and this helped me.

Wipe off her hands first?

Rework your sequence. Remove or clean the tray first. And good luck. I have given my children napkins from the time they were babies and my husband I both use napkins correctly- but not one of my three kids will put a napkin in their lap. If I remind them, they remove the napkin from the table and set it on the chair next to them. I have no idea WHY they won't just spread a clean cloth napkin over their laps but they won't. And they are all teenagers now. If I don't say something to them-the napkins are left on the table and they wipe their hands on them as the napkin sits folded up next to their plate. SCREAMMMMMMM!!!!!

our 2 yr old will use a cloth towel. paper towels seem to end up on the floor. try setting the towel at her plate. even a fancy cloth napkin might do the trick.

Make it a game...I do with my grandchildren...I say "hands-up - stick 'em up - hold 'em up" and I keep telling them that until I get the tray off and get to the wipes, etc. and clean them up. Then I tickle them under the arms. That's just what they've been waiting for. They laugh and enjoy it and I do as well. Sometimes they sing/chant it to me.

I don't know if this will help at her age but.....when my kids age (5 and 7) have dirty hands and I tell them to go to the bathroom and wash them, they have a tendency to touch the walls as they walk down the hall, so I make them walk with their hands together - palms touching. This reminds them not to touch anything until they wash their hands. Maybe you could make a game out of "hands together".

I take my daughter's clothes off of her before she eats. It's the only way to prevent the mess around here. If she's eating something that's not THAT messy, I just take her shirt off and keep the pants.

Clean her up before removing the bib and tray.

So far I think we are all thinking along the same line - either prevent the mess by removing the clothes or let the little be a big kid by giving him/her a washcloth and wiping their own hands while you clean the tray - when my daughter was that age she loved helping and washing her own hands - so I kept a wet washcloth in the microwave and just before we were done I warmed it up just enough and then let it cool down enough to for her to touch.
She loved it and it made things easier for me.
She is almost 6 and still helps me every chance I give her - so starting her early I think makes a huge difference! Not to mention teaches neatness and how to take care of themselves and their posessions.

My son eats naked at our house almost always. In the winter I try to keep it warm enough that he can do that. It cuts down on laundry, frustration, stains, etc. Even if he is dressed, I just tell him "ok, time to eat, lets get naked" before every meal. I see no reason not to do this. Obviously out in public he wears clothes, and I bring bibs. But I do so much less laundry this way.

I do get frustrated with him touching the mess as we clean up too, though. If i do hands first, he touches the tray. If I do tray first, he puts his hands on it. Never fails :) So I do "Hands in the air!" and clean them one a time after I do his tray usually. She'll grow out of it soon.

My kids are 6 and 4 and STILL do that with napkins on their laps! Before school, after school, at restaurants. My personal favorite are the bright red epaulets on my son's BLUE school shirts from wiping his mouth on them first so he doesn't have to "waste napkins". UGH.
Good luck.