HTML Guides for foster parenting

A <p> can't sit directly inside a <table>, <thead>, <tbody>, <tfoot> or <tr>: put the paragraph inside a <td> or <th> cell, or move it outside the table.

Table elements only accept specific children. A <table> holds <caption>, <colgroup>, <thead>, <tbody>, <tfoot> and <tr>, and a <tr> holds <td> and <th>. A paragraph is allowed inside a cell or a <caption>, but not between rows.

When the browser's parser finds a misplaced <p>, it moves the paragraph out and inserts it just before the table. The HTML specification calls this foster parenting. A paragraph you wrote as a table title or a note between rows shows up above the table instead, and an empty <p></p> left between rows becomes an empty paragraph above it.

The validator stops checking the page at this error and adds Cannot recover after last error. Any further errors will be ignored. right after it. Nothing below that point gets checked, so new issues further down the page can show up once you fix this one.

To fix it, put a table title in a <caption>, move text that belongs to a row into a <td> or <th>, and delete empty <p></p> pairs between rows. If those empty paragraphs were there to add space between rows, use CSS padding on the cells or border-spacing on the table instead.

Invalid example

<table>

<p>Opening hours</p>

<tr>

<td>Monday</td>

<td>9:00 to 17:00</td>

</tr>

<p></p>

<tr>

<td>Saturday</td>

<td>Closed</td>

</tr>

</table>

Valid example

<table>

<caption>Opening hours</caption>

<tr>

<td>Monday</td>

<td>9:00 to 17:00</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td>Saturday</td>

<td>Closed</td>

</tr>

</table>