How to teach your child to eat with a spoon on their own. Then you need to follow this plan. Interest in eating

The golden rule of upbringing: do not do for the baby those actions that he can perform himself. Knowing how to use cutlery is one of the basic self-service skills.

It is advisable to decide how to teach a child to eat with a spoon on his own and when to do this, taking into account the level of his development, readiness for practical exercises, state of health and other factors.

From this article you will learn

At what age to start

Any skill is easier to learn when children are physiologically mature for it. If the mother plans to go to work after the baby's first birthday, you need to teach him how to use cutlery in advance.

In preparation for kindergarten Best age to teach your child to eat with a spoon nine month. If there is no need to hurry, the learning process should still not be postponed, it is desirable that one and a half years The baby could eat on its own.

All children are different: someone eats their favorite dishes with a spoon as early as nine months old, someone even at two years old needs the help of their parents. Usually, one-year-old peanuts tend to imitate adults in everything, and they do not need to be persuaded to pick up a spoon.

Important! At three months, offer various items for play so that the baby’s arm muscles get stronger. At six months, the little one sits importantly in the baby chair, at this age the first complementary foods begin, which means that you need to introduce the baby to cutlery.

As TV doctor Komarovsky advises, you should not force children, the task of parents is to create conditions under which learning will take place by itself. If you put pressure on the baby, perhaps he will abandon the process altogether.

How to choose the right spoon

Nowadays, choosing something for children is not easy: the assortment in stores is represented by a variety of samples. Sometimes parental advice is needed. When buying a spoon, you need to give preference to safe and convenient. Suitable for the following types:

A fake can be toxic, especially when heated. Plastic forks are usually useless: it takes a lot of effort for the crumbs to pick up a piece or prick it.

Important! As practice shows, it is better to purchase two or three spoons you like. In the process of learning, the child himself will determine what is more convenient for him to eat. When making a purchase, take care of children detergents for dishes.

Stages of spoon training

The first stage is to teach the little one to eat bread, cookies, pieces of vegetables and fruits with his hand. You need to show how to drink from a mug, for a start, a “non-spill” is suitable. As soon as the children's fingers get stronger, you can give the baby a spoon. Here are a few steps to get the skill right:

A game. When the baby learns to grab an object with his hands, you can put the cutlery in his pen. Explain what he should do.
Imitation. You don’t always have to feed the baby separately: if the regime allows, let him eat with everyone. Children have a great desire to copy the actions of adults.
First successes: the child holds the spoon correctly, grabs food with it. At this stage, mother's help is still required.
Steady Skill. The baby can already scoop up the right amount of food and bring it to his mouth.
Independent use of a spoon.

A controversial point: the introduction of pedagogical complementary foods, when the little one, imitating his parents, takes food from their plate. On the one hand, it is convenient: you can control the process, you do not need a special children's kit. On the other hand, it can be uncomfortable for the mother herself. Many experts believe that this is unhygienic, especially if she has cavities or other diseases.

Learning algorithm

To make the process of acquiring a new skill easy, follow a certain procedure. Develop a specific eating ritual:

First, take care of the cleanliness around the child's chair: remove the carpet or lay an oilcloth. Have a damp towel or wipes ready if you need to clean up urgently. Be prepared for the fact that baby food will not be in the baby's mouth, but on various surrounding objects.
Comfortably seat the baby, put a dish of food in front of him, it is better to use a plate with suction cups.
Put the bib and cap on the baby. It will not be superfluous to put on an apron for mom.
Try to motivate to eat: praise the porridge, pay attention to the beautiful dishes. Promise you will help.
Give the spoon to the baby. If he cannot hold her, help him for the first time.
If the baby loses interest in the process, do not insist. Praise him anyway.

Advice: if the apartment is hot, the baby can be undressed to a diaper. In this case, you do not have to wash clothes, you can just bathe him.

Common mistakes

Successful self-care skills training will be painless if the following rules are followed:

Don't start if the child is sick or teething. Children learn well if they are in a good mood.
Need to be patient, do not rush the baby and do not scold if it gets dirty. It is not known how long the learning process will take, it can take months, and this is normal.
Leave alone little eater it is forbidden: He may choke or be frightened. If necessary, the mother can correct the actions of the little one.
Don't worry if the neighbor's tomboy eats with might and main. Do not compare your child with others: everyone learns in his own time.
Talk to baby, read him nursery rhymes or rhymes in the process of eating. But cartoons should not be included: all attention will go to the screen.
You can't force baby eat everything: two or three spoons - already a success.

When teaching a child to eat, one must have nerves of steel. Stock up on patience. It is also not necessary to refuse training at the first failures.

At what age do you teach your child to use a spoon?

Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Any learning process can be approached creatively, then it will bring a lot of joy. Turn the process into a game: let the baby try to feed baby dolls and hares, mom and dad. The more often he trains, the faster he will master the skill.
Pay attention to the little things: put on the plate the amount of food that the baby is able to eat. To begin with, do not offer too liquid food: the child will simply spill the soup. It is advisable to give porridge, thick puree or tender cottage cheese, baby food from a jar. For the first time, offer your favorite food from your baby's diet.
Better if first time baby take a spoon in his hand. To do this, just put it next to him when you feed him. Most likely, your child will also try to get involved in the process. Continue to use two-hand feeding until the baby learns to feed on its own.
Sometimes parents insist that the spoon be in the right hand. No pressure on baby, let him try to act with the hand he wants. It is impossible to force at first to hold the spoon correctly - over time, the child will definitely learn. There is also such a way: you can put two spoons on both sides of the plate.

On a note! Children often drop objects on the floor. As a result, mom has to return to the kitchen, wash the dishes. You cannot leave the child in a high chair, so you have to take it with you. To avoid this situation, take a few spoons at once and keep on hand.

If the child does not want to eat on his own

If the baby does not want to eat on his own, you need to figure out why. Maybe you're pushing too hard, maybe his fine motor skills aren't developed enough, or he doesn't like food. Postpone training for a few days, change cutlery. Buy a plate of beautiful picture or with a photo of a cartoon character, he will be interested in eating porridge to see what is drawn on it.

It is inconvenient for many to eat in a special chair, perhaps a good solution would be to take the crumbs in your arms while feeding. It is worth taking the father's education into your own hands - with fathers, as a rule, children indulge less and are capricious.

If the whole family eats, you can arrange a comic competition, who will eat everything faster and more accurately, especially if there are older children. Play like a car - a spoon - drives into the garage - a mouth. But often you should not use this technique - quickly swallowed food is poorly absorbed. You can’t get carried away with playing tricks: wanting to eat is the main motivation for the skill to eat on your own.

Baby Etiquette Basics

The foundations of eating behavior are laid in childhood. It is advisable to immediately give the correct idea of how to behave while eating:

rule wash hands before eating- basic personal hygiene. You need to teach how to do it, and insist that the action becomes a habit.
It is not necessary to surround the baby while feeding with toys. Let's not mess with food and cutlery. It is desirable that meals be at the same time.
Don't feed baby every time in different rooms.
Don't give pieces in between between meals. This will not only ruin your appetite, but your baby will lose motivation to grab food with a spoon.
It is desirable to teach the child use a napkin: put one side by side.

In the first years of a beloved child's life, parents often experience stress for minor reasons. If your toddler or little princess is developing well and in good health, it doesn't really matter when you teach your child to eat with a spoon and when he masters this skill. Don't expect instant results.

Do not worry if by the beginning of the visit to the kindergarten, the crumb does not quite cope with the cutlery. IN kindergarten such a baby is tight only at first, but training there takes place very quickly.

IMPORTANT! *when copying article materials, be sure to indicate an active link to the first

The age of 10-12 months is the period of unprecedented activity of the baby. From this moment on, the child, with genuine enthusiasm, is interested in everything that surrounds him: puts things in order in the lockers, pours out toys from the basket and collects them, drinks from a bottle or cup on his own, tries to put on socks, tights or a hat, unbuttons buttons and zippers ... This the same trend can be traced in relation to food: the baby can refuse the help of adults, wielding a spoon on his own.

Of course, you can't do without scattered porridge, spilled soup and soiled clothes. But this is the best experience for a child to learn how to feed on their own. And if parents show restraint and patience, by the age of one year the baby himself will be able to eat the first and second courses with a spoon. As a rule, by the age of one and a half years, the independence of the crumbs in relation to food is complemented by accuracy. But is it possible to speed up the process of accustoming to independence? How to teach a child to eat with a spoon?

Choosing the right cutlery

It is very important to choose the right cutlery for the child so that it is convenient for him to eat from them. Spoons are more suitable for babies:

Silver - according to tradition, such a spoon God-parents give the baby on the day of Epiphany or on the first tooth. The main advantage that a silver spoon has is the disinfection of food, which is very useful for a small fragile organism.
Rubber - such a spoon does not injure the baby's mouth. However, the baby will not be able to eat from this device on its own - it is inconvenient due to the softness of the material.
Anatomical devices are designed specifically for young children. They are conveniently held by a tiny handle, they are easy to scoop up food. But there is one “but”: it is easy to accustom a child to an anatomical spoon, but it is much more difficult to wean it, as the crumbs handle gets used to its shape, which differs significantly from the shape of a conventional device
A teaspoon is the best option, a “classic of the genre”. This device, by and large, is a reduced copy of a tablespoon. It is convenient, compact, it is easiest for them to teach a child to eat independently.

In addition, when choosing a cutlery for a baby, it is necessary to take into account such nuances:

A spoon intended for a child must be safe. In this regard, the purchase of children's spoons should be in specialized stores where there are certificates of quality for the products sold.
The feeding spoon cannot be used for independent feeding by the child. Such a device should have a comfortable handle and a wide scoop in which food will be held.
The handle of the spoon should be wide and shortened - in this case, it will be easier for the child to hold the device.
It is easier to teach your baby to eat from a spoon if the handle of the device is slightly curved or has a swivel holder. The second type of product is good because no matter how the child turns the handle of the spoon, the scoop will remain in one position without spilling food. In addition, in such a device there is a latch that blocks the rod. Therefore, the spoon can be used even when the child grows up.

As for other dishes, you should choose products made of food-grade thermoplastic: they are safe and environmentally friendly, their weight is negligible, they are resistant to impact. It is recommended to give preference to plates with a suction cup on the bottom - thanks to this, they will not slide on the table and will not turn over.

Typical mistakes of parents

“You can teach a child to eat with a spoon on their own only if adults show patience, are not inferior to the baby in terms of feeding, if the baby is already able to eat without outside help,” says Dr. Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician. “Even if you are in too much of a hurry, and you have neither the strength nor the patience to wait until the baby finishes his portion, you should not supplement the baby. Always let him finish the meal on his own, no matter how long it takes. In the end, seat the baby at the table before the allotted time, and then you will definitely have time to where you are in a hurry. But remember, supplementary feeding is a taboo, ”says Evgeny Olegovich.

In addition, Komarovsky claims that the baby is unlikely to refuse dishes that are decorated with delicious fruits, beautiful cut vegetables, if they are made in the form of small fairy tales, characters, objects. Learning to eat a beautiful dish is much easier. Expecting a new bright plot, the child will always be happy to grab a spoon and with pleasure gobble up flowers, mushrooms, fabulous octopuses, bunnies, snails, etc.

There are several mistakes that parents make. These mistakes hinder learning for independence:

It is important not to miss the moment when the child becomes interested in the spoon and independent consumption of food.
It is necessary to teach a child to eat with a spoon systematically: it is worth starting small, confidently moving towards the goal.
Excessive "care" of parents: often adults, as soon as a child takes a spoon in his hands and tries to get food into it, snatch it up and begin to feed the crumbs themselves. This is wrong: if you set the task - to teach the child to eat on his own, give him complete freedom of action at the table.
The irregularity of the learning process. All members of the family should teach the child to eat with a spoon so that it does not happen that the mother began to teach the crumbs of independence, and the rest of the household feeds him from a spoon. In addition, the baby must learn to eat with a spoon every day. However, if the baby is sick, it is better to deviate from the rules.
Spoon as a subject of the game. If the child believes that the spoon is a toy, the process of learning to eat independently will be delayed. A spoon is a cutlery that is eaten, not played with. And this should always be remembered.
Punishment for negligence. If suddenly the porridge was spilled on the tablecloth, you should not scold the baby. Offer the baby a napkin, let him wipe his hands and mouth, wipe the porridge from the table. Any punishment creates fear of action, not independence.
Eating in the "company" of toys and cartoons. The ideal place to eat is the kitchen. And cartoons and toys only distract the baby from the responsible process.

You can begin to teach your child to eat independently from the moment he became interested in a spoon or when you started introducing complementary foods. But you must always adhere to the main rules: do not set impossible tasks for the baby and never do for the baby what he himself can do.

To persuade or force a child to eat on his own, if he is not ready for such actions, no matter how hard you try, it will not work - the baby himself must show interest in a spoon and "adult" food. At the age of 10-12 months, you can start training, observing the following rules:

The child should eat at the dinner table with other family members.
It should be explained that the object for food is called a spoon, you need to eat soup, porridge, mashed potatoes with it.
Give the crumbs freedom of action: at first, the baby will knock with a spoon, lick, wave, etc., but just do not eat with it. It's okay - children get acquainted with new objects in this way. Gradually, the child will understand what the spoon is for and will learn not only to hold it, but also to scoop up its food and even bring it to the mouth.
Always help the baby at the first stages of learning: holding the handle of the spoon with the child’s hand, help hold the object, scoop up food and direct it to the mouth.
Be patient, friendly and affectionate, praise the baby for any successful attempt, cheer if something does not work out.
If a child asks for help, do not refuse him. Hold the handle with a spoon, help scoop up the porridge, point it to the mouth, show how to hold the cutlery.
To consolidate the skills of holding a spoon, go to the sandbox and invite the baby to collect sand in a bucket with a small spatula. You can hone the skill of holding a spoon at home: for this, put the beans in one container, and leave the other empty. The task of the child is to move all the beans into an empty container with a spoon.
Porridge, puree or soup should not be too liquid - the ideal consistency is when food is easily scooped up with a spoon, but does not spill out of it.
Feeding should be done at the same time.
If it is more convenient for the baby to eat with a fork or hands, do not interfere with him.

Never force a child to use a spoon - the baby will begin to refuse it, which will eventually prolong the addiction period. Be consistent, patient and unwavering. Remember that this process can take more than one month, because eating with a spoon is a rather complicated skill that requires concentration, precise coordination of movements and considerable effort from the baby.

The older the baby gets, the more independent he wants to be. Here he himself takes a bottle and drinks from it, he puts toys in a basket, but how to teach a child to eat with a spoon? Often for parents, this issue is no less important than even the issue of potty training, because independent eating is milestone in the development of the baby. Let's try to deal with the problems and difficulties that often accompany accustoming the crumbs to an independent meal.

When should you start teaching your child to eat with a spoon?

All children develop differently. Someone takes a spoon and tries to pick it in his plate already at 10-12 months, someone postpones this training right up to three years. Of course, the sooner you teach your baby how to use cutlery, the better. And even more so, you don’t need to delay with this, feeding the child on your own.

Experts say that it is necessary to start accustoming a baby to a spoon at the age of 10 months, and by the age of one and a half years the child should confidently use this cutlery.

The biggest mistake some parents make is being overprotective. Mothers do not give the baby a spoon, even when he himself tries to take it and interfere with the food in the plate. There may be several reasons for this. Someone believes that by feeding the crumbs on their own, they show care and attention. Some people just don't want to clean up the kitchen. Both approaches are wrong. The baby needs to be taught to use a spoon. If only because this is one of the requirements when preparing a child for kindergarten.

Which spoon to choose?

It is very important to choose the right spoon so that the baby is comfortable using it. For children, you can use the following spoons.

Silver is a tribute to tradition. Often, godparents give the baby silverware on the day of Epiphany. The advantage of silver is that it disinfects food.
Rubber - good because it does not injure the baby's delicate mouth, but it is only suitable for the introduction of complementary foods. The baby will not be able to use such a device on its own, since it is too inconvenient for unsure children's fingers.
Anatomical is a special development designed for the smallest. It is convenient to hold such a spoon in your hand, it is easy to scoop up food with it. But the device has a significant drawback: after getting used to the anatomical spoon, it will be difficult for the baby to eat a regular one.
The teaspoon is a classic. It was with such spoons that our mothers and grandmothers fed us. It is convenient, compact and ideal for training.

For children aged 10 to 18 months, plastic spoons can be used. They are light, colorful, fit perfectly in a child's hand. Thanks to the variety of shapes, you can choose the most convenient device.

How to teach your baby to eat on their own?

So, your baby is 10-12 months old, and you decided to teach him to eat on his own. You have already chosen a suitable spoon and maybe even bought a suction plate so that it is more convenient for the child to scoop food from it. But what's next?

There are several basic rules for teaching crumbs to independently use cutlery.

Watch out baby. As soon as you notice in him at least the smallest interest in a spoon, immediately give it to him in his hands. Even if it happens at seven months and brings no results other than a food-stained table.
Interest the baby. From the very beginning, make it clear to the baby that eating is a responsible and important matter. No need to put the child in the living room and feed him while he watches cartoons. Teach the baby "from the cradle" - you only need to eat in the kitchen, in peace and quiet. It is good if the child will have dinner with the whole family at the common table. This will develop in him the right attitude to food intake and prompt him to quickly learn how to wield a spoon on his own.
Create a pleasant atmosphere. Do not rush the child, be friendly and affectionate. Let the meal last as long as your baby wants.
Don't refuse help. If the baby is not doing well and he is upset because of this, help him. Point his hand to his mouth with your hand, or use your example to show how to hold a spoon.
Learn by playing. Practice shows that children who often play in the sandbox get used to the spoon more easily. It's all about such a children's toy as a spatula. It resembles an enlarged copy of an ordinary spoon and perfectly trains cutlery skills.
Let me choose. Some children are easier to get used to a fork than to a spoon. Provide a choice: a baby spoon or a plastic fork with blunt ends.
Start tasty. Get it ready for the baby favorite dish, but the consistency should not be too liquid. Soup or mashed potatoes will not work, but porridge is the very thing. Decorate the dish with berries and fruits so that the baby will be pleased to eat it.

Many parents don't know where to start with spoon training. In general, the following sequence of actions can be distinguished.

Cover the table and the floor around the highchair with oilcloth.
Attach a Velcro plate to the countertop and put food in it.
Put on a cap for the baby (so that he does not stain his hair) and tie a bib.
Stand in front of the baby and scoop some porridge from his plate with a spoon. Defiantly swallow food and praise yourself - this will set the baby an example.
Next, give the device to the baby. If he cannot hold it, place your hand on the spoon in his palm and scoop food from the plate.
Help your baby to eat until he can hold a spoon by himself.

Be prepared for the fact that the whole child and objects around him will be stained with porridge. It's okay, children learn quickly, and very soon your baby will begin to more accurately bring the spoon to his mouth.

Tell everyone in the household in advance that you are teaching your baby to handle the spoon on his own. Do not allow anyone to feed the child himself.
Do not force the baby to eat on his own if he is in pain.
It is better if meals take place at the same time.
Some parents feed their children in the bathroom to make it easier to wash the baby and themselves - this should not be done.
It is better to accustom the baby to an independent meal in the summer. At this time of the year, he can be stripped down to his panties, and when he gets dirty, immediately wash.
Do not get annoyed and do not despair if the baby does not succeed.
If the child is tired of eating with a spoon, feed him.
Do not force the baby to eat cutlery. Want to eat with your hands - please! In any case, over time, the baby will want to be like adults and take a spoon.

The last tip, perhaps, can be called the key and not only in the matter of accustoming to cutlery. Many educational methods (the Montessori system, the Doman method, etc.) are based precisely on giving the baby freedom, so keep in mind that imposing a spoon on a child will only increase the period of getting used to it.

Stages of addiction to a spoon

There are several stages that every baby goes through on the way to learning to eat independently.

Stage "Game". The child clumsily takes a spoon, twists and plays with it. For him, this is just a beautiful toy.
Stage "Copy". The baby tries to repeat the movements of adults, but due to underdeveloped coordination, the baby fails to bring the spoon to the mouth.
Stage "Training". The baby already quite consciously takes a spoon and even eats with it. However, sometimes food falls before reaching the mouth.
Stage "Addiction". The child almost does not drop food from a spoon and eats quite well on his own.
The final stage. The baby eats confidently and calmly.

Conclusion

Be patient and restrained, and then your baby will quickly master the skill of owning a spoon. Every kid wants to eat like an adult, so be sure that in the end the child will learn to eat on his own and will get a lot of pleasure from it.

Doctors believe that from the age of 6 months you can begin to teach your child to eat with a spoon. Isn't it too early? In fact, there are reasons for this.

The earlier the better.

Doctors believe that from the age of 6 months, as soon as the child began to eat "adult" food, give him a plastic spoon. For what? After all, he still can't control it! But in fact, the sooner the child understands that he needs to eat with a spoon, and not with his hands (which, of course, is more convenient), the sooner he begins to wield cutlery on his own. That is, by giving a child a spoon, you immediately accustom him to the culture of behavior at the table.

Also not unimportant in the early teaching of a spoon is the second point - the development fine motor skills baby. He holds a spoon with his fingers, learns to use it, scoop up porridge, tries to bring it to his mouth (which, of course, is not always possible). But gradually the movements of the baby become more and more accurate.

Where to begin?

The main thing is to choose your baby's favorite dish. Something that he loves very, very much and will certainly want not to spread on the table, but to eat.

You can just give a plate of your favorite food and put a spoon next to it. It is more likely that the child will begin to eat with his hands. If this happens, then you need to show why there is a spoon nearby.

You can just feed the baby yourself, and at that time let him just hold his spoon, swipe it around the table and plate, get used to it. After the meal, leave some food on the plate and give the baby freedom of action. If he is not doing well, help him: put food in a spoon, and let him carry it into his mouth.

They also told me this trick. We put a tablespoon of porridge on the child’s plate on the suction cup so that it fumbles, smears and tries to get into the mouth with a spoon, and at the same time mother feeds from another plate. And the sheep are safe, and the wolves are full!

Washer.

My friend, the mother of one-year-old Masha, after each such workout with a spoon, cries bitter tears: at least do a new renovation in the kitchen! Not to mention the fact that she should immediately wash her hair and wash herself completely, and the child too. Helps to dress the child for meals either in special clothes, or in a special "cloak" with sleeves (sold in Ikea). Well, mom, in order to remain safe and sound, can sit on the other side of the table at a safe distance.

Well, you can, in order to avoid cleaning and headwashing, feed the child yourself, and give out a spoon when there is something like rice or green peas in the plate so that it does not smear.

The main thing is to stop fooling around about the fact that the baby is smeared, and give him freedom of action - and he will begin to show more independence.

When do babies start eating on their own?

It depends on the kid. Someone only masters this skill at the age of two, when it is time to go to kindergarten. And someone already in the year abruptly refuses to be fed like a little one with a spoon. There is no set deadline, it depends on the nature and mental development child.

The ability to use cutlery and drink from a mug are the initial skills for every child. And although the baby will begin to serve himself oh so soon, he will become interested in a spoon as early as 5-6 months, when mommy.

Encouraging interest, parents will be able to accustom the baby to an independent meal in a year or even a little earlier without much difficulty. Well, the advice of experts will help parents understand how to teach a child to eat with a spoon without tears and whims.

Mastering the skill of owning a spoon will take several weeks, or even months, but you still should not rush. If you teach a child from six months, when feeding begins, then the result will be only spilled food and a spoiled mood. Indeed, at this age, the coordination of movements is at an extremely low level.

But you should not miss the right moment either. An older kid is more difficult to captivate with a game, to be interested in cutlery. Closer to the age of three, children, having entered another crisis period, can generally become stubborn, refuse to learn a new skill.

There is no ideal age for teaching a child to use spoons and forks. However, many experts are sure that a year or a little earlier the baby is already ready for learning, because he is able to listen and understand.

Parents, hiding the spoon from the child until the last, make two big mistakes:

If you start training from the recommended age (for example, a year), then by the age of 18 months the baby will master this important skill. Delaying is fraught with the fact that the three-year-old will go to the garden untrained, and, therefore, will turn out to be a white crow among more skilled peers.
Doesn't help with this overprotection. Some mothers do not teach the baby to eat with a spoon and drink from a mug, not wanting to dirty the kitchen or believing that the child is still too small, but when he grows up ...

So, at what time to accustom the baby to cutlery, it is up to the parents to decide. Excessive haste or delay in learning are common mistakes parents make. Therefore, you need to look at the child and focus on his abilities.

By the age of 8 months, the child should sit quite confidently. At this time, he also watches with interest the spoon that his mother feeds him. If these two conditions coincide, it's time to start accustoming, using the following recommendations.

Pediatrician Komarovsky is convinced that at first, when the child is still beginning to study cutlery, parents should give him porridge themselves. Well, your favorite puree should be offered to the baby to eat on his own, so that he does not remain hungry, carried away by the learning process.
In general, it is better to give preference to not too thick cereals and purees. Soup is best left until better times, since there is a high probability that liquid food simply does not reach the child's mouth, spilling along the way.
In order for the child to develop the so-called muscle memory in a year, and the food begins to get where it should, the mother will have to put a spoon in the child’s hand for a couple of months and hold it with her own.
Accustoming to an independent meal in a year will not do without blots and splashes. To reduce the scale of major cleaning, you need to prepare the kitchen - remove the carpet, lay oilcloth, perhaps glue washable ones. The apron for the baby is suitable for a long one, otherwise you will have to wash a lot and often. In hot weather, you can plant the child naked, and only then wash in the bath.
It will be possible to quickly teach the baby to wield a spoon and drink from a mug if the child is properly hungry. A baby who recently had breakfast with milk or a mixture of food will be attracted only as another toy.
Bringing a spoon to your mouth in a year is a whole feat for a so far inept baby. That is why it is extremely important to encourage him every time the cutlery hits exactly “on target”. In addition, self-feeding can be accompanied by emotional approval: “am-am-am”, “tu-tu-tu”.

If you don’t know how to teach your child to eat on their own a year and a little earlier, try using the above expert advice.

Early learning brings a lot of benefits, but it requires patience and perseverance from parents.

If it was not possible to accustom the baby to cutlery up to a year and a half, you should not despair. Of course, now it’s too late to just introduce the baby to the spoon and plates, it is necessary to instill independence in accessible ways.

To do this, you need to enlist the support of all household members, since some grandmothers like to supplement the children from a spoon.

By the age of three, children gradually begin to determine the dominant hand. If the child constantly shifts the spoon from one handle to another, offer to take it to the right. With a strong desire to wield cutlery with your left hand, you should not retrain - you probably have a left-handed baby.

Cutlery for feeding should be soft and as safe as possible.

For example, a parent can purchase a silicone spoon with a plastic handle. Expensive models are heat-sensitive and change color at high temperatures.

This feature is extremely convenient if parents warm up food in the microwave. Such a spoon will protect the child from burning with hot food, and this device will not be able to hurt the gums during an awkward movement. The handles of the silicone spoons are foldable to make it comfortable for the baby to hold it in his hand.

This is the very first device suitable for a baby up to a year old. Older children can also purchase other spoons, paying attention to certain characteristics:

In order to protect the baby as much as possible, parents should carefully monitor the quality of cutlery and other utensils. There are several rules for choosing:

Do not save on children's dishes, because the well-being of the crumbs is much more important. Choose goods from well-known manufacturers, and make a purchase either in the pharmacy chain or in specialized departments of stores.
The purchase must be packaged. The wrapper is necessary in order to study the instructions for use, determine cleaning methods and learn about safety precautions.
Pay special attention to the labeling of plastic cutlery. If there are no special tags, refuse to purchase. Plastic and silicone must be food grade and not for industrial use.
Children's cutlery is usually made in bright colors, but such a cheerful coloring increases the risk of allergic reactions in the baby. It is important to study the quality certificate, which indicates how well the dyes are fixed.

A child over one and a half years old can already be offered a fork, of course, it should be with rounded teeth.

The first table "trident" will be made of plastic, but a two-year-old baby is already being offered metal forks with a silicone handle. Despite all the tricks, you can’t leave the crumbs with a fork alone!

Common parenting mistakes

The process of teaching children the ability to use cutlery is sometimes slowed down and delayed. And it’s not the kids who are to blame for this, but the parents themselves, who, without even suspecting, make the following common mistakes.

Forced to eat. If the child is naughty and reluctant to eat, it can be assumed that he did not like a certain dish, he has already eaten, he is teething, or he is a little sick.
They're in a hurry. How much time does it take for a meal for a small child who does not know how to deftly wield a spoon? That's right, quite a lot. Therefore, children should be allowed to eat at their own pace.
They leave one. Of course, she will be frightened by spilled soup or burst into tears because of a fallen cutlery. In addition, the baby is simply bored to be without a mother at the table.

Another misconception is comparing your child with familiar, more developed children. No need to worry if a friend’s child is already being controlled by a spoon with might and main, and your little one is just trying on cutlery. Every skill has its time!

Since teaching a child to eat on his own is not an easy task, parents will need a lot of patience, understanding and love for a little silly baby.

Try to adhere to the rules described above, get your baby interested in attractive dishes, deliciously cooked and beautifully decorated dishes, in this case the learning process will be significantly accelerated. And if the child is already deftly wielding a spoon, save him from your help. The intervention of parents can cool interest in this exciting activity.

Hello, I'm Nadezhda Plotnikova. Having successfully studied at SUSU as a special psychologist, she devoted several years to working with children with developmental problems and advising parents on raising children. I apply the experience gained, among other things, in the creation of psychological articles. Of course, by no means do I pretend to be the ultimate truth, but I hope that my articles will help dear readers deal with any difficulties.