Anyone have benches at their kitchen table?

[Macaela25]

If so, how does those work out for you? I have a farmhouse rustic kinda thing going on in my kitchen (I think so, anyway) and we need a new kitchen table. I'd like it to seat 6. I was thinking of something along these lines with two benches and a chair on either end.

I have two small boys (almost 5 and 15 months), and have never had benches before. Do you have problems with little people falling off? Anything you hate about them? Obviously the baby would stay in a high chair until he's trustworthy enough to not fall over backwards.

I love the farmhouse look, but don't know how practical they are day to day.

[tinkinpink84]

We have a bench on ours. my kids are 4 and 5. Usually though no one sits at the bench unless we have people or family over. Most of the time if the kids are sitting like they should they dont fall off. But they will mess around occasionaly and fall off! But thats just because they werent sitting down to start with! We will be getting use of our bench though in the next couple weeks. My sister and her 3 kids will be here but they are 2,5 and 8. So the older ones will be sitting on the bench while the younger ones in normal chairs. Our bench is along the wall near the windows though so its not like totally out in the open. But its not close enough to the wall to lean against. Easier that way to have that side against a wall since you dont really have to push it in or pull it out its just kinda their.

[foggierbard9]

We had benches at our kitchen table growing up. The only time my brother or I fell off was because we were messing around and not sitting on them right.

[CouponQueen23]

W had benches at home growing up too, The ones you have pictured alook really sturdy but the issues I recall are if there are people on one end and the other if someone gets up and doesn't tell the other end the bench kindof acts like a teeter tater and FLOP goes the other end. I am using a table that is similar to the one you have a pic of I built it in 8th grade technology class my parents kept it stored it was built out of pine, my 3 boys have taken a toll on it, the top is reallt dinged up and it it starting to wabble. It had benches to go with it I actually disassembled the benches the supports became part of a coat rack. The seats and the table top when we repalce it will become shelfs I will use the wood to make something else, My parents had to buy all the stuff after I built it so I want to keep the supplies alive. :)

I would love to find a really big table but what I have in mind is a drop leaft that when it is all collapsed it will beable to seat 4 and then adding leafs and pulling up the drop down it will beable to seat 6-8 I don't know if I have my hopes up to much but I seen a really nice one at a thrift store once for $100. and it was really nice when I went back to show Dh it was gone. I think the leafs store unde neath too which was rally cool.

[tinkinpink84]

My bench the suppert or the legs are at the very end. So no teetering or issues with it tipping if someone moves off one end. I think with lil ones its not a big factor since they are small but older kids and adults it might be a different story. I wish ours had a leaf to add and wasnt just huge to begin with! I gotta figure out how to move it out of my kitchen when the floors get redone because i dont even know how my husband got it in there to begin with! I was at work when he got our table. We bought ours the summer of 09.

[cybilx10]

Mine is very similar to what you have pictured. It works out great when we have guests over or dinner for the family at my house. Since there is only 3 of us. We genuinly just use the 3 chairs but whne firends or family come over we have the extra chairs and bench that the kids use. Its simple and very functional.

[buddysmom]

we had benches on both sides of our table growing up. I remember we would slide down them on our tummys after my Mom had polished them with Pledge. Wheeeeeee!

I didnt like them too much as an adult. I wanted to be able to lean back if we were just hanging out having coffee and talking.

[tinkinpink84]

Thats why i keep mine near the wall. I can easily just tuck it under the table. There are only 4 of us normally so we dont use ours often but will be using it quite often now.

[tinkinpink84]

i would still sit the 15 mth old in a regular chair though. That age they are more prone to falling of that bench.

[CW&M Mom]

We have one with our table but no we no longer use it at the table. At our old home the bench was next to the wall...so the kids had something to lean against. So I had a toddler seat on it..and it worked fine...but no without a wall..we have gone back to chairs..as it's simply not safe to put the toddler on it.

It hold laundry real well right now *sigh*