Children really grow up fast, and teaching them independent skills is all part of the process. Playing airplane with their food to entice them to eat is all fun and games until you realize that you’ve been sitting in front of them for 45 mins and haven’t gotten far. Once they start feeding themselves, you’ll have a bit of time for yourself where you can supervise them while cleaning up the area you are in and doing minor chores. So, when are children ready to start using a spoon to feed themselves?
Unfortunately, there isn’t an exact answer to this but there are signs that can help you determine your child’s readiness. If your child is grabbing food off their plate and putting it into their mouths that is a good first sign. Allow them some time to work on conquering finger foods before moving on to a spoon. Although this isn’t a specific age usually around your child’s first birthday, they should be ready to start using a spoon slowly. You can use your usual utensils to start off your child as long as they aren’t too heavy or sharp. If you are specifically buying utensils for your toddler lookout for utensils with thick handles and blunt edges on forks.
Start off the process with easy-to-scoop foods such as oatmeal, mashed potato, and small pasta with thick sauces. If your child struggles to scoop and load the spoon, do it for them and hand back the spoon so they complete the final feeding action. Remember this is still a great step in the right direction and if it avoids your child getting frustrated then that is great as this will have the opposite effect on progress.
Once your child has gotten used to the spoon, you can slowly introduce the fork. Start by demonstrating the poking action and handing it back to them. Try having fun with it as this will take the pressure of learning a new task. Using food that is easy to grip with a fork such as melon chunks, potato chunks, bigger pasta shapes, and pieces of fruits can aid in the beginning.
The most important and final point is persistence. Do not give up because it’s not going well at first and be prepared for a slow and messy process.
Getting your child to sit still, can be difficult and this could be because of their posture. Take a look at our blog to find out more:
https://www.childcaremalta.mt/posture/
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