5 Tips To Teach Children To Eat Themselves

Teaching children to eat on their own gives parents more time to do other everyday tasks. It also means that all family members can eat together at the same time.

For that to be possible, you need to be present when you need to teach children to eat by themselves.

The most important thing is that you place special emphasis on cutting the food into very small pieces to prevent the child from suffocating. In addition, be good at praising the child when they try to eat themselves.

Depending on the development of the motor skills, children,  between 12 and 15 months, can even  hold a spoon and put it up to their mouth. At that point, it is possible that the child is taking his first big steps towards eating himself.

At the age of two, children can usually also start using a fork. We recommend that you give the challenge of cutting the food into pieces, with a knife at a later date. The use of a knife can be dangerous and must always be done under supervision.

5 tips to teach kids to eat by themselves

To get the little one to eat alone, it is necessary to follow some strategies. Here are a few tips that we recommend.

1. Give food that they can eat with their hands

The first step for children in learning to eat themselves is through food that can be eaten with hands. It should be cut into small pieces that are easy to chew and swallow. It should be food that can be easily dissolved in the mouth.

When the child is older and already knows how to grasp things with his hands, this may be a good time to introduce the silverware. To make this possible, the  goal is to cut the food into small pieces, where the child then eats with a plastic fork.

There is food that is easy to digest for the little one. It can be pieces of ripe fruit such as. banana, mango or peach, cooked soft vegetables, like carrots or pasta with cheese.

2. Make their favorite food

If you notice that your children are having a hard time eating without your help, it  may help to make their favorite food. It will definitely be easier for them to eat themselves when the food in front of them catches their attention.

With this situation  , the food will  motivate enough to grab their fork, and to eat without the help of you  or other family members.

3. Eat in front of the child

The best way for children to learn is by observing adults. Family meals therefore provide a good opportunity for children to learn to feed themselves. In this way, children can imitate the movements of others while having fun.

In fact, it is more recommended to sit in front of the child and observe them while trying to eat alone. Having a positive attitude will make children more confident  and therefore teach them to eat alone faster.

4. Involve the whole family

From the psychological point of view of getting the child to eat alone, you need to get them to see the eating as an activity that both older siblings and adults do. You will see how the little one that way will soon start eating himself.

All family members should be involved in this process. Likewise , no one should go back to feeding the baby again.

5. Prepare for disasters

Teaching children to eat on their own will definitely bring some disasters. It is possible that while they are learning, they get dirty, the table gets dirty and there is residue on their clothes.

To avoid this, it is recommended that you give them a bib on which will minimize the clutter. There will still be some stains, but it will be significantly less.

In short,  remember to give your kids a lot of praise along the way and be patient. We recommend creating a comfortable environment around the meals, by making a simple little routine.