Our 1 year old has figured out the phone is the most interesting thing at dinner

hazel_pool_119726 Oct 2026

Both of us agreed months ago that phones stay off the table. In practice one of us checks a work message, the other checks back, and by the time the dal is served our son is lunging across the high chair tray for whichever phone is closest. Last night he got hold of mine and was furious when I took it back. He is only copying us, I know. The question is what rule actually survives a weeknight when a release is going out and the other person has a filing due. A full ban hasn't worked. Is there something smaller that has stuck for anyone with two working parents?

3 comments

bronze_balcony_751126 Oct 2026
Same situation at our place, the phone is the toy he wants most and it is entirely our fault. What has half worked is a basket on the shelf near the door, both phones face down in it once he is in the high chair. If something urgent comes, the person gets up and checks there, not at the table. He still points at the basket sometimes 😊
sunny_quilt_253026 Oct 2026
We did something similar when our daughter was around that age. The rule was not "no phones" but "no phones in her line of sight". If one of us had to reply, we stepped into the kitchen for two minutes. It also helped to give her a spoon and a steel bowl of her own to bang, because she mostly wanted whatever we were holding. She is two now and has mostly stopped asking for the phone at meals.
cobalt_puzzle_903426 Oct 2026
Do you both eat with him every night, or could you take turns on the busy nights? One person at the table without a phone may be easier than two people trying.