Seating For Meals/Snacks

[SunflowerMama]

How does everyone seat the kids for meals/snacks? Do they sit in the same spot all the time or do they get to pick their seats? My problem is that my dining room table doesn't seat everyone. It seats them all except one dck. I also have 2 round Ikea tables in my kitchen/dining area for arts/crafts, etc. that can seat 5. So I used to have assigned seats at the dinning room table and it was no problem. Now that I've added the latest dck there is always a debate about which 2 kids will sit at the ikea table (the rest sit at the main table). Would you just let them pick their own seats?

I have tables and chairs set up in both daycare rooms, but we use one room for eating and each child has assigned seats. I like both toddlers at the ends facing each other so I can assist them as needed. We are learning NOT to use fingers

[AnythingsPossible]

Currently my table accommodates all the children in care, in the past I had my dining table and a little tikes table. Generally, I placed the older kids at the dining table and the littler kids at the little tikes table. I did this mainly so that I didn't have to get booster seats out for the dining table. So i did my separation based on age. If yours are all around the same age, i would probably rotate who sits where, or make the little table a reward table. Johnny, thank you for cleaning up so well this morning, you can have a friend join u at the helper table for lunch today! Something like that.

[Lianne]

I use my kitchen table. It can seat six but I keep it set up for four. I, too, keep toddlers in boosters (no tray) at the ends and each child has their own seat. It only changes if all six of them are here at once which isn't often and then I get my oldest kids to change their seat. Young toddlers (12-24mos) use a booster chair w/tray on an extra kitchen chair near, but not at, the table. Around 18-24mos I'll transition a young toddler to the table as space becomes available. If we have friends over for lunch then I pull our preschool table into the kitchen or the big kids get to have a picnic on the playroom floor.

[SandeeAR]

Could you buy a flea market chair and just add the 1 child to the big table?

[kendallina]

The kids here just pick their own seats and it's often a different chair for snack then it is for small group even on the same day. No one seems to argue over it or anything, so it's never been a problem. Is there a way you could squeeze them all at the one table?

We use two small tables here, one table has 3 chairs and the other has 2 chairs at it and it works out fine.

[lvt77]

I used to have the same issue. I also have the same ikea tables (im assuming)

What I did was tell the kids that the ikea tables are special tables for big kids and here are the rules in order to sit at the big kid table..

1. you must be able to sit in your chair with our getting up
2. you must not bug your neighbor while they are eating
3. feet must stay under the table
4. use polite manners, napkins forks and spoons..
5. They must ask to be excused from the table when done. Nicely
6. All cups, plates and bowl are placed in the sink by child and napkins in the trash...

I knew a few of them could not do this, so they stayed sitting at the big table with out question. Sometimes if the kids sitting at the ikea tables act up, they have to go back to the kitchen table with the booster seats...

The younger kids really want to sit at the big kids tbale and I give them a shot a few times a week.....

[melskids]

mine were bickering like crazy over who sits where, with the school agers being THE WORST!!!!! so i laminated index cards with all their names. each day i pick a helper, and he/she sets the table and puts a place card at each spot. wherever the helper puts the card is where you sit, no ifs-ands-or-butts about it. at first they were standing around the table telling the helper where to put their cards, so now, they have to sit in the playroom and wait to be called to the table. its working out nicely now, and each day is different, so they look foward to seeing who they get to sit next to.

[sahm2three]

Originally Posted by SunflowerMama

How does everyone seat the kids for meals/snacks? Do they sit in the same spot all the time or do they get to pick their seats? My problem is that my dining room table doesn't seat everyone. It seats them all except one dck. I also have 2 round Ikea tables in my kitchen/dining area for arts/crafts, etc. that can seat 5. So I used to have assigned seats at the dinning room table and it was no problem. Now that I've added the latest dck there is always a debate about which 2 kids will sit at the ikea table (the rest sit at the main table). Would you just let them pick their own seats?

They pretty much have assigned seating. They each have cups with their names on them that I put on with masking tape and a marker each morning and they sit where their cup is. No discussion. I started out by letting them all sit where they wanted but then there were constant squabbles! So, put an end to that.

[BentleysBands]

We took our table out since our family never used it. It was a catch all table. So we now have a little tikes table for the dcks. They sit in the same spot everyday. Keeps down on Amy unneeded bickering

[melskids]

Originally Posted by BentleysBands

We took our table out since our family never used it. It was a catch all table. So we now have a little tikes table for the dcks. They sit in the same spot everyday. Keeps down on Amy unneeded bickering

i SOOOO want to get rid of my table too. we NEVER use it, as we tend to sit around the living room to eat dinner. my hubby thinks i'm crazy, but seriously, it takes up a lot of room wasting space. (the DCK's sit around a table we made for them)

[DCMom]

I can seat 10 at my table; I have two benches that each hold up to 4 preschool bottoms and a dining chair at each end with boosters seats for the 1.5/2's. The booster chairs are assigned, but the benches are not. I don't have the same kids everyday; what usually ends up happening is the boys sit on one side and the girls sit on the other.

In the summer or on school off days; older kids and/or school-agers can sit at the table in the play room because they are less messy (it is on carpeting)

[newtodaycare22]

I seat 6 but usually have 4 or 5 ( one day a week I have 6). My kids have assigned seats so there are no issues with transition. However, every month the seats change (It makes the first day of the month OH so exciting). Haha I tell them if they are polite and have good table manners, they select their new seats. If not, I pick them. Generally...they usually land up picking them and then they are stuck there for a month