Family Dinners?

[Mom to M&M]

Just wondering when you started having your LO sit with you for family dinners. DD is 24 weeks today and no solids foods for at least a few more weeks (very sensitive tummy). DH and I usually don't eat dinner until after she goes to bed because we are busy playing with her, feeding her, etc and often one of us goes to the gym in early evening. But I'd like for her to eventually get into the habit of family dinners - when and how best to start?

[Colin Macs Mom]

We started about a week ago, even though ds is not even close to finger foods or anything like that. I've read that the more they see you eat, the more they will get interested in doing it themselves. I think the sooner the better!

[maggieruth]

we did dinners together whenever ds's schedule allowed it... if he was up and interested, he sat with us, initially in a baby seat and then in a bumbo and now in his highchair...

he seems to enjoy it best if he can have the same as us (soups are great for this as you can just thicken homemde soup up with baby rice for Ethan) but sometimes we puree what we are having as well...  he actually seemed really pleased the first time we all ate the same stuff!

the other bonus is WE sit at the table and not in front of the tv!

[JacobMarksMummy]

We started when DS was about 7months, he had really got the hang of solids, his sitting up had improved no end aswell. However we did eat at 5.30 most nights anyway but we had got pretty sloppy about siiting to the table, you know what its like when babies are new we didnt really get out of the habit of eating off our laps until DS ate with us. We found the quantity of what he ate went up once he ate with aswell.  Yes, it was hard work (or it felt like it) to begin with but I soon we got into the routine it was lovely, dinners are my favourite part of the day the one time we all stop what we are doing and arfe together. Also afterwards while I clear away it gives DH chance to spend with DS too!

HTH

Nome

[Nikki~Nathanamp;Danielle]

I think it depends on when your DH is going to be home from work and whether it fits in with your schedule.  My dh wasn't home until around 6pm when Nathan was a baby, so we always ate after him since he had his dinner by 5pm.  I did eat lunch with him though.  It wasn't until he was closer to 18mths that we actively started to sit down together and eat a meal and that really was only in the weekends.  Now that my dd is eating solids, well she's always been at the dinner table when Nathan eats his dinner and I have started eating my dinner with the kids and DH eats his later.  It definitely is a more pleasant social thing to do if you can, just start with what you can do (ie weekends) but don't stress over it if it's going to take a lot of work and rescheduling to make it happen.