How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

I feel like dinner takes for ever for them to eat. It is usually a minimum of 30 minutes and can take up to an hour. They just sit there and chew soooo slowww. It is usually an hour when it is something they don't really care for.

I will usually put the timer on and when it goes off I take away there plates but I hate doing that.

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

Well we don't have family dinners here. Jack eats well before James gets home - or I eat. When him and Tyler start eating together I imagine I will do something similar. Right now Jack takes his time and eats in front of the TV. I can't wait for that to change!

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

I don't really have a set amount of time, but when I thinkits been long enough he get a 5 or 10 min warning and the timer gets set.

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

Message edited 11/27/2011 1:38:46 PM.

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

I didn't have a set time. For us it was usually the 2 of them talking and laughing, so after a while I'd tell them to talk less and eat more. As it dragged on it went from nicely saying "Ok, lets try to eat some more and then we can talk" to "Enough with the talking! Just eat!"

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

Really no set time. Unfortunately we dont have family dinners here either. Derek eats around 5:30 and when DH is home he and I will try to eat then. But TJ eats when he wants or sometimes not at all.

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

ugh I have the same problem. We do sit and have breakfast, lunch and dinner together (sans DH) and I have a 2 year old that eats so fast I'm barely sitting and he's done and 3.5 year old that can sit and eat for well over an hour. I do eventually start giving her warnings because seriously I can't sit there ALL day for 3 meals. Sometimes we have places to be. I even started excusing my DS from the table and getting up and cleaning the dishes while she's eating and I feel bad leaving her alone at the table.

I don't really take her food away unless she's playing with it, but I have told her if she doesn't start eating it (if she wants it) then she can't have dessert because it's almost time for bed or we can't go to My Gym/playdate/store, etc. because it's getting too late. I'm sure it's not the right approach, but I really believe she would sit at the table all day and all night.

Message edited 8/10/2010 10:50:58 PM.

Re: How long do you let your 3 and 4 years old to eat?

Lily is usually done in about 5 minutes and wants to run around.
We try to eat as a family....but it usually starts out that way, and then ends quickly!