A perfect BLW meal but...

[mamapup]

The puppy and I sat at the table for about ninety minutes for supper this evening. We were having such fun. We were laughing and playing and eating and it was all totally perfect and everything you'd hope a blw-ed toddler would manage. Except...I now know how they get kids to eat veg at his nursery. I served him peas in a separate bowl (so as not to offend him and also to see if he'd eat them on a spoon if they were like cereal). As soon as we sat down at the table he picked up a large spoonful and shoved it in my face going 'mmmm, nom nom' and other encouraging noises! I took the first couple of spoons offered and then said 'no thank you', which he did not accept and kept pushing and pushing. He certainly has not learned this behaviour at home so it must be nursery. Hmmmm.

Once I'd persuaded him to stop trying to shove peas in my face we had so much fun with them: he tried to feed them to his tummy through his belly button, learned about squishing them on the table and I may have (ahem) taught him to flick them. Whoops. Well, that'll teach nursery to force feed him peas - now he knows something else to do with them. The floor was covered but it was hilarious.

I also let him bash the table with his empty cup, much to his delight - I sometimes struggle with this. It doesn't hurt to let him do it and gives him such pleasure but I know other people don't want this behaviour in their houses. I guess he'll just have to learn that there are times and places for banging and for not banging.

Are others similarly relaxed about manners at this young age?

[FestiveTidings]

Yup, totally relaxed. Doesn't help when his grandpa taught him to bang on the table while telling "where's my dinner!" from am early age.

Our table rules are:
No climbing on the table.
No putting food in anyone's drink
No feeding the dog
No throwing (food, cutlery, plates, whatever)
Sit properly
When you are done say "excuse me from the table"

That's probably stricter than I thought I was but we often have a laugh, especially with peas. If one falls off the plate it's usual to call out "(name) peed the table"!

[mamapup]

Like the peed on the table. The puppy has just discovered he can stand in his chair so we are trying to stop this one. His other new favourite is to put his feet on the table for me to nibble. Again, fine at home, not.so fine out.

[StJuniper]

DH is the worst at manners! He is always drumming on dishes, blowing bubbles in drinks, eating in wacky ways to make P laugh, and I'm just sitting there like, 'You know he's going to do this all the time everywhere now, right?' Our rules are probably about like FT's, although they're still a work in progress, esp 'sit properly' since P likes to sit sideways on the arms of his booster. And P just says 'Daddy, down?' when he is finished...

[Kanga]

[ChristmasGift]

Very few rules here too. Would like a no getting down til everyone is finished but I can't get DH to oblige so no hope there. At the moment she takes longer than us so its not a problem.

She loves slamming her beaker down onto the table when she's finished. I don't let her keep doing it but I don't make a big deal of it.
Throwing food/cutlery is a no no but it does still happen if I am not quick enough to distract. If I am not here DH seems to let her (grrrr) so it's hard for her to understand. She is learning to either give me food or put it back on her plate though so I think it's slowly sinking in.

We also often have feet poking out onto the highchair tray. If she has bare feet she sometimes she tries to mush food between her toes.

She does try to spoon feed me sometimes and I know she's never been spoon fed (unless I need to have a word with my parents but I am pretty sure they wouldn't) so it doesn't necessarily mean nursery do?

[meerkatsmum]

Our rules are similar to FT's but we also have knees down and no feet on the table. Those are usually only when she's inthe high chair. And she's not in it much these days. She kneels or sits on an adult sized chair. The rule then is she must sit on her knees or her bottom, no standing.

Another rule I have, is that she must wear a bib at dinner and breakfast (and lunch if its something messy/juicy). What age do you stop making them wear a bib? I could face the washing if she didn't wear her pelican bib.

[mamapup]

The puppy doesn't wear a bib often any more. It's not.a.fight I can be bothered with.and he's not really that messy any more. He has a Tripp trapp.a.d we have taken the baby bit.off so it's no longer a real.high chair, which we all love.

CG, pretty sure it must be nursery. I don't mind the spoon feeding me but this was forceful and accompanied by encouraging noises! It was really cute but obviously learned.

[Where'stheMistletoe]

We have no banging cutlery on glass table, no deliberately throwing food (although wouldn't make much difference to the clearing up process given how much is accidentally dropped!). He has learned to say very innocently "it was an accident" which is very cute but usually accompanied by cheeky grin. I would like to impose stay at the table till everyone's finished but not worth the battle at the moment. Also, we have no pudding until everyone finished main course.

I do try to differentiate between at home and out. So shouting / safe banging at home I ignore but in a cafe I explain that other people don't like so respectful not to do it.