Eating at the table

Last month we got a new dining table and it's really made a massive difference in mealtimes with C-bear. Before we had a long thin table (more like a desk) covered in junk and only used by me when working at home on Fridays. Although a lot bigger then our old one, our London flat is still on the small side, so after much deliberation I opted for this two seater, square birch wood Daisy table from John Lewis. It was the best priced solid wood table I could find and the customer service at John Lewis was really good. An added thrill was this was the first thing I bought/filled in my details for as a married lady!

Charlie used to always eat in his highchair, in front of the TV whilst I ate on my lap on the sofa. Whenever we went to friends and family for meals, eating at the table was such a new experience for him that he'd play up, hardly eat and want to leave halfway through.

Armed with a couple of lovely new easy to wipe-down table cloths and a 'big boy' munchkin booster seat, I've made it my mission over the last couple of weekends to have lunch and tea with Charlie at the table. We turn off the TV and I talk to him about what he's eating, where possible I get him involved in making the meal (kneading pizza dough or just being lifted up to see what's bubbling in saucepan) and make sure his meal is a mini version of mine. He's definitely more interested in food, still incredibly fussy, but hopefully over the next few weeks he'll become less so.

PS - the table is also fantastic for painting and eating ice lollies!