For years I have been puzzled by the fact of children falling asleep in their highchairs during meal time. I’ve seen hundreds of pictures taken by other families with their babies or toddlers strapped into the high chair fast asleep.
This has never happened to my children. They eat, they tell me they are done, I wash them up, get them out and off they go.
I thought that these pictures of sleeping kids in the highchair were some kind of set up. Parents were hijacking their children out of their cribs in the middle of the night for the sake of hilarious pictures. It was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with.
Last week I was let in on the secret. I have finally experienced it. The answer to my biggest question has finally been revealed.
My 2 year old Cesar fell asleep in his highchair while I was downstairs getting laundry out. I came upstairs after 5 minutes to an eerie quiet. I peered in on him and there he was all slumped over fast asleep.
After further investigation I discovered he had eaten all of his lunch except for his kidney beans. Cesar hates kidney beans and yet I continue to give them to him in hopes he has a change of heart.
He clearly didn’t and clearly it is just easier to fall asleep than to look at a kidney bean or try to muster the energy to try to choke one down.
As if I wasn’t beyond delighted enough that I finally had my own “child sleeping in high chair” picture, it happened again the next day.
This time he ate everything except for his squash. Cesar hates squash too.
In case you have been as baffled by this phenomenon as me I’m here to report that this happens. It’s real. I didn’t hijack Cesar from his crib in the middle of the night.
I simply gave him food he hates.
And that is how you get a picture of “child sleeping in a high chair.”
Ah-ha! I bet it doesn’t work for older kids. They escape.
Oh, if it worked with older kids, trust me I would be busting out the liver and onions pronto!!!
Too cute!
Thank you!
Aww so cute! Xx
Thank you!!
I always though it was a set-up too, until J dropped his afternoon nap and started falling asleep in the high chair during dinner – once he still had cake in his hand! Very cute pics.
That’s seriously tired if it’s cake at stake!! LOL!!!
maybe he hasn’t adjusted to daylight savings time yet…
I’m sure, we have all had trouble adjusting! Things are back to normal this week. No matter what I give him to eat he hasn’t fallen asleep!
AWWW!
What sweet pictures! I had two high chair sleepers and two high chair non-sleepers. They always make for a great photo-op! 🙂
This is great, Melissa! I think Cesar is getting tired of you serving him food he doesn’t like to eat. He has no choice but to fall asleep. Try offering him some buttered green beans and see what he does. I can’t believe he did it two days in a row. He just gave mommy some incredibly funny memories! 🙂
Funny, you should mention green beans…they are on the menu today…we’ll see how that goes!!! LOL!
I thought those sleeping kids were being fed turkey!
I can’t wait to see what Thanksgiving brings!!
I too have been baffled by this child-sleeping-in-high-chairs phenomenon and have never actually had a child do this for me. Mine are now 6 and 4 so I fear my window for this opportunity has closed. I will just have to live vicariously through you and your cute sleeping after/during eating pictures. 🙂
Yep, the third kid was the charm! He has allowed me to experience quite a few things I never had with the first two (coloring on the wall)! I’m yet to have a kid crawl out of his crib…crossing my fingers I get to experience that too!!! LOL!!
I remember my kids periodically falling asleep in the crib, but I dont remember this connection. Interesting catch. Think it can work on older kids? I wish.
I don’t know but I’m willing to throw some kidney beans in bed with all of my kids to see if I can keep everyone asleep all night!! It’s worth a shot!!
Love it! Please keep me posted on the success rate. I might have to go shopping.
so cute! My older ones used to fall asleep in the high chair all of the time but my littlest monster hasn’t done it in a very long time. I miss it! 🙂
It is so cute! I’m glad I got to see it for myself! Some days I’m so tired I think I could fall asleep at the kitchen table too…I guess that wouldn’t be as cute!!
Adorable!!! 🙂
I have a few pics of A. asleep on her tray while waiting for dinner. It usually happens when she misses her nap–proof that she still benefits from it! The veggie-sleep connection is funny!
Cesar usually takes his nap right after lunch so it wasn’t too much of a stretch that he fell asleep at that time but funny none the less!!
I love this! Great pics! Mine weren’t repeat highchair sleepers, but they did give me a kodak moment or two. 🙂
I never actually caught a child fully asleep in the high chair but I did catch my younger son in mid-swoony “I’m-almost-asleep-but-still-awake-enough-to-keep-myself-from-toppling-over” state once after he had eaten a really big meal. Close, but no cigar.
Now that is funny when they are in that stage where they are so tired and you watch their head keep nodding off and their eyes fluttering open and shut as they try to stay awake. My middle son was notorious for this. He never fell asleep in his high chair but it happened everywhere else!!
Mel such a funny post and adorable pics! Bless there little hearts…”Mom please…no more kidney beans or squash…please Mon..nooooo”
They look gorgeous asleep in their high chairs, mine never did this they were more intent in throwing their food around if they didn’t like it 😦 Well written.
Thank you!! Oh yes, I’ve had those food flingers…I’m still scrubbing oatmeal off the walls from 4 years ago!! I’ll take this alternative any day!!!
You are hilarious! I don’t think kids suddenly start liking food they loathe…no matter how hard their mothers try. lol. I hated hot dogs when I was a kid and I still hate them. And squash and kidney beans is a hard sell for most of us! I never thought of falling asleep beside a hot dog though. Your child is a genius!
It really is the most clever maneuver I have ever seen! He knows I would try to urge him to eat a few if he was awake. But who would disturb a sleeping kid with a spoonful of kidney beans or a hot dog stuck in their face. Cesar certainly came out victorious!!
Love this! I remember my dudes falling asleep in their highchairs. It was a rare thing, but an amazing one! 🙂
Now that is some serious cuteness. Then what do you do? Let him have is nap up there, or dare to move him to his bed?
Oh, I moved him to his crib immediately after I took pictures! I figured that kind of position would have put a serious crook in his neck!! Thankfully, he slightly awoke but went right down for his nap!! Whew!!!
Because you inspire me – to laugh daily and appreciate the joys of simple things – I have nominated you for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Check out the details here: http://wedelmom.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/inspirational/
Thanks for making me smile every day!
He’s adorable! 🙂 hey let me try this! 🙂 just kidding! It wouldn’t work with mine! 🙂