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Unregistered 10:19 AM 03-01-2010
How does everyones lunch hour work? I have a 5 year old that takes forever to eat lunch, sometimes over an hour......he is not goofing around or talking, he just eats really slow and looks around and stares out the window. Thanks
booroo 01:17 PM 03-01-2010
What lunch hour? I dont get one. I have 1 dcb, that they parents let stay up all night, so by 10 hes asleep. He gets up at 12, then the rest go down for quite time at 1230. So there is always someone up. I have tried to hold this boy off until 1230 no way, he is way to cranky and needy. I have also let him stay in the bed to see if he would go back to sleep, NOPE, did more screaming then he did before his nap was over.
Trust me I have tried to talk to the parnets about this but they dont get it.
Oh and this makes it hard for me to do lunches for the other kids. Most take 30 to 45, so Im all cleaned up, and then the other boys wakes up. Of course he gets to sit and eat while the others are at nap time.
Trust me I have tried to talk to the parnets about this but they dont get it.
Oh and this makes it hard for me to do lunches for the other kids. Most take 30 to 45, so Im all cleaned up, and then the other boys wakes up. Of course he gets to sit and eat while the others are at nap time.
mac60 01:23 PM 03-01-2010
My lunch hour doesn't last an hour.....I give the kids ample time to eat, if they don't eat and mess around they are done for the day. No more 45 min lunches for them, either you eat or you are done.
AmandasFCC 01:52 PM 03-01-2010
Once they start playing they are done eating in my house. Same with food on the floor. If something gets thrown (by the little ones obviously), then food gets taken away. If you're not eating it, you must not be hungry.
Do you try asking this child to focus on eating? Let the other kids up to play quietly or whatever, depending on your situation, and see if that improves things. For mine we have TV time right after lunch to wind down for naps. Once one is finished, they go into the livingroom to watch Thomas. I find that once one goes, they all hurry to finish their lunch so they can go too.
Do you try asking this child to focus on eating? Let the other kids up to play quietly or whatever, depending on your situation, and see if that improves things. For mine we have TV time right after lunch to wind down for naps. Once one is finished, they go into the livingroom to watch Thomas. I find that once one goes, they all hurry to finish their lunch so they can go too.
momma2girls 02:15 PM 03-01-2010
Sometimes my older ones will goof around, play with the food, look out the window, stare at me, etc.... once in a great while, it will take them 45 min. to eat. After that they are done, do not get dessert, etc..... sometimes they have like 5 reminders to get eating and stop goofing around, etc.....
tenderhearts 02:51 PM 03-01-2010
Oh my goodness, I finally had to put my foot down with my lunch time. I used to never have any issues. Now I have 4 that will start goofing around and it's mainly just alot of talk, loud talking and then it goes to potty talk and just being downright silly playing with the food so now when we line up for lunch I remind them that at the table we talk quiet, we don't play around and be silly and no potty talk, no warnings, I told them that's how someone can choke when we're messing around like that, so if it starts up that person will immediatley leaves the table (they can of course return and finish their food when the others are done) and they lose their cookie, so one day last week that's exactly what I had to do and so far it has worked, they realized I meant it, I needed to remind one of them an extra time today but it's monday and I only started it last thursday so I thought I'd give him a break. I give them plenty of time to eat 30 min is plenty of time so if they are just sitting there and staring and not really eating, I assume they are done especially when it's been 30 min or more.
momma2girls 03:07 PM 03-01-2010
I totally agree with you. I have reminded them also of the possiblity of choking when laughing and goofing around. They are better, especially if I remind them everyday.
originalkat 04:27 PM 03-01-2010
We eat from 12:00-12:30 and that is it. 30 minutes should be plenty of time to eat your meal. If they arent done then too bad. That might seem harsh but seriously...stare out the window on you own time kid! 
At 12:30 it is time to get ready for naps.
At 12:30 it is time to get ready for naps.
originalkat 04:30 PM 03-01-2010
Originally Posted by booroo:
What lunch hour? I dont get one. I have 1 dcb, that they parents let stay up all night, so by 10 hes asleep. He gets up at 12, then the rest go down for quite time at 1230. So there is always someone up. I have tried to hold this boy off until 1230 no way, he is way to cranky and needy. I have also let him stay in the bed to see if he would go back to sleep, NOPE, did more screaming then he did before his nap was over.
Trust me I have tried to talk to the parnets about this but they dont get it.
Oh and this makes it hard for me to do lunches for the other kids. Most take 30 to 45, so Im all cleaned up, and then the other boys wakes up. Of course he gets to sit and eat while the others are at nap time.
I know I'm not there and it is probably worse than I am imagining BUT I would not give this kid an earlier nap. My 2 year old dcb gets sleepy about 11 or so but I make him hold out for nap. If they are at their own house then they can nap whenever, but at my house everyone naps at the scheduled time. (I dont have babies) I could not stay sane otherwiseWhat lunch hour? I dont get one. I have 1 dcb, that they parents let stay up all night, so by 10 hes asleep. He gets up at 12, then the rest go down for quite time at 1230. So there is always someone up. I have tried to hold this boy off until 1230 no way, he is way to cranky and needy. I have also let him stay in the bed to see if he would go back to sleep, NOPE, did more screaming then he did before his nap was over.
Trust me I have tried to talk to the parnets about this but they dont get it.
Oh and this makes it hard for me to do lunches for the other kids. Most take 30 to 45, so Im all cleaned up, and then the other boys wakes up. Of course he gets to sit and eat while the others are at nap time.
misol 08:36 PM 03-01-2010
Originally Posted by originalkat:
I know I'm not there and it is probably worse than I am imagining BUT I would not give this kid an earlier nap. My 2 year old dcb gets sleepy about 11 or so but I make him hold out for nap. If they are at their own house then they can nap whenever, but at my house everyone naps at the scheduled time. (I dont have babies) I could not stay sane otherwise
I make my kids stay awake too. I have a dcb who will nod off at the breakfast at least a couple times a month. I absolutely make him hold out until nap time. There have been a couple times I've had to make him stand up to eat! Once he is up from the table though, he gets back into action and is wide awake until lunch. We take naps immediately after lunch. This same dcb is also my slow eater. I usually let him stay at the table until everyone else has already eaten, washed up, pottied and settled onto their cots and then I make him get up from the table. I've noticed that the speed at which he eats corresponds with what we are having for lunch/snack. If it's something he really like he eats a little faster. Iif it's something he really doesn't want to eat he would sit in front of his plate all day if I let him.I know I'm not there and it is probably worse than I am imagining BUT I would not give this kid an earlier nap. My 2 year old dcb gets sleepy about 11 or so but I make him hold out for nap. If they are at their own house then they can nap whenever, but at my house everyone naps at the scheduled time. (I dont have babies) I could not stay sane otherwise
Lucy 10:45 PM 03-01-2010
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
How does everyones lunch hour work? I have a 5 year old that takes forever to eat lunch, sometimes over an hour......he is not goofing around or talking, he just eats really slow and looks around and stares out the window. Thanks
How does everyones lunch hour work? I have a 5 year old that takes forever to eat lunch, sometimes over an hour......he is not goofing around or talking, he just eats really slow and looks around and stares out the window. Thanks
I have a boy who was exactly like that. He wasn't playing or talking or stalling or anything, he was just a slow eater. I always started him about 10 min before the other kids, and he'd sit there 10 after they were done. His mom said he was the same way at home. We both agreed that once he was in 1st grade where they only have X amount of time to eat, he'd speed up. Sure enough, he did just that. Now on no-school days, he keeps right up with the rest of the kids.
Persephone 04:46 AM 03-02-2010
Originally Posted by Joyce:
I have a boy who was exactly like that. He wasn't playing or talking or stalling or anything, he was just a slow eater. I always started him about 10 min before the other kids, and he'd sit there 15-20 after they were done. His mom said he was the same way at home. We both agreed that once he was in 1st grade where they only have X amount of time to eat, he'd speed up. Sure enough, he did just that. Now on no-school days, he keeps right up with the rest of the kids.
I was thinking the same thing. If they kid is just staring out a window half the time, then I'd give him a time limit. He's old enough to know. Plus I'm sure next year or so he'll be at school eating lunch and they are not going to deal with him just sitting there like that. I have a boy who was exactly like that. He wasn't playing or talking or stalling or anything, he was just a slow eater. I always started him about 10 min before the other kids, and he'd sit there 15-20 after they were done. His mom said he was the same way at home. We both agreed that once he was in 1st grade where they only have X amount of time to eat, he'd speed up. Sure enough, he did just that. Now on no-school days, he keeps right up with the rest of the kids.
Maybe give like someone else said, the time that it takes you to get the other kids washed up and laying down and then he needs to be done.
Tell him "Okay *** I'm going to clean these guys up and then you need to be done, so hurry up and eat."
Fro 07:26 AM 03-05-2010
I had a dcb who did this too. I started out just giving him more time, then I realized that it wouldnt be long before he started kindergarden. We have all day kindergarden here, and they have 30 minute lunches.
I do a lot with a timer. So when I serve lunch I set the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, lunch is over and the kids get up and clear their plates. I have kids as young as 2 who caught on to this pretty well. my slow eating dcb would complain about the timer at first, and for a couple days took a nap without eating much lunch, but he caught on too, and did just fine after the first week. what I learned however, was that it wasnt the food he didnt want, he ate slow to try to get out of clean up time and nap time.
I find that the kids cant argue with a timer. Im no longer the bad guy when the timer is the one telling them what to do. I have a timer go off for potty time, clean up time, nap time ect.... Like the bell in school deviding up the day.
I do a lot with a timer. So when I serve lunch I set the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, lunch is over and the kids get up and clear their plates. I have kids as young as 2 who caught on to this pretty well. my slow eating dcb would complain about the timer at first, and for a couple days took a nap without eating much lunch, but he caught on too, and did just fine after the first week. what I learned however, was that it wasnt the food he didnt want, he ate slow to try to get out of clean up time and nap time.
I find that the kids cant argue with a timer. Im no longer the bad guy when the timer is the one telling them what to do. I have a timer go off for potty time, clean up time, nap time ect.... Like the bell in school deviding up the day.