Table manners for kids

My kids are 4 and 18mths and they are both relatively well-behaved at the table. My son has to be in a booster seat to be able to reach and eat well, before we started that he would run around all the time too. It was like, its too much work, why bother? lol My daughter likes to eat parts of her meal over a matter of three hours so I usually just give her a little, have her finish, and then give her the rest later. That works for us anyway, I know a lot of people would have trouble managing that.

Give this a try. Tell them that they have to say excuse me when they leave the table. Then don't let them come back to eat some more. Explain to them (they are old enough to understand) when they get up and leave the table they are finished. As soon as they leave take their plate to the kitchen and clean it up. do not give them any more from the table. They will not starve. Do not give them a second chance or it will take longer. If you want to give them something later thats ok just not what you had for the meal. They may fuss and cry and have a fit the first couple of time but hang in there and don't give up. It will change if you are stronger than they are.