How to Teach Your Toddler to Eat Independently
Pay attention to your child’s desire to self-feed., Offer your child safe foods to eat with his or her fingers., Practice with your child., Watch for choking., Prepare for a mess., Praise your child’s efforts., Watch for signs that your child is...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Pay attention to your child’s desire to self-feed.
Eating with the fingers is the first way that children learn to feed themselves, and you should watch for signs that you son or daughter is ready to try.
This may actually begin well before the toddler period, at around eight or nine months of age.
You may notice that your older baby will try to grab food (or other items!), at first with the whole hand and then, later on, with the fingers.
These are signs that he or she is ready to start learning to eat independently.
The “pincer grasp” (the ability to grab small items with the thumb and forefinger) is especially crucial for effective self-feeding.
Most babies develop this skill between about seven and eleven months of age. -
Step 2: Offer your child safe foods to eat with his or her fingers.
Start by giving your older baby or younger toddler bite-sized pieces of foods that are easy to chew and swallow.
At first, stick to foods that dissolve easily in the mouth; by the toddler years, you can start offering many more foods.
Some suggestions include: low-sugar cereals, especially o-shaped and puffed varieties small pieces of ripe, soft fruits like bananas, mangos, peaches, or watermelon small pieces of soft, cooked vegetables like carrots, peas, or sweet potatoes cubed tofu cooked pasta small pieces of bread, bagels, or English muffins small bites of cheese , Mealtimes are a chance to interact and help your child learn, so do not simply place food in front of your toddler and walk away.
Sit with your child, talk about the new foods, and hold up individual bites to encourage the pincer grasp.
Take your child’s hand in yours and demonstrate. , Always supervise your child when he or she is learning to eat finger foods.
You can minimize the risk of choking by keeping the bites small (but not so small that he or she might swallow without chewing at all). , Babies and toddlers are very messy when they learn to eat.
Use bibs, and try to minimize damage by removing rugs or placing a protective cover underneath your child’s high chair. , Make sure your child knows that self-feeding is a good thing and that he or she has made you proud. , When your older baby or younger toddler can eat finger foods and has started to grab the spoon from you during meals, he or she is probably ready to learn to eat independently with a spoon. , Larger spoons will be too big for a toddler’s mouth; you want something teaspoon-sized.
Consider purchasing special baby spoons, which are lighter, rounded at the top, and usually made of plastic. , To begin, use two spoons: one for you and one for your child.
You can feed your child as usual, and he or she can also begin trying out the spoon.
Don’t worry if, at first, your child uses the spoon primarily to bang on the plate or high chair tray and dribble food around.
Self-feeding takes time; he or she will figure it out. , Show your toddler how to hold a spoon, and then help by placing your hand over his or her hand to demonstrate.
Direct the spoon slowly into your toddler’s mouth.
As your toddler learns, you can also start using two bowls.
You can feed your child from one; he or she can use the other, which should just have a small amount of food in it. , Start with thicker, denser foods; these will stay on the spoon, whereas more liquid foods will drip away before your child manages to get the spoon to his or her mouth.
Yogurt, cottage cheese, and pudding work well.
As your child progresses, move on to thinner purees and soups. , Eat when your child eats; family meals are important for teaching self-feeding skills, communication, and manners. , Let your toddler know you are proud of his or her growing independence. , In general, it’s best to wait until your son or daughter has developed a strong pincer grasp and can use the spoon relatively well.
At that point, you can introduce the fork.
Most children are ready by fifteen to eighteen months or so. , To begin, select a fork made for young children, with rounded tips and a lighter weight.
These are both safer and easier for a toddler to use successfully. , Offer larger pieces of food that are fairly easy to pierce and hold with a fork: cubes of cheese work well, as do some kinds of cooked vegetables, meats, and pastas.
Avoid foods that are too small, crumbly, or slippery.
You don’t want to frustrate your child unnecessarily. , In the beginning, you may need to take your child’s hand and demonstrate how to pierce and pick up a piece of food. , Once your toddler is two or so, it’s fine to encourage fork-eating, but don’t worry if your child continues to prefer using his or her fingers.
You can wait until the preschool years to start pushing harder for better table manners. , Again, let your toddler know that you are impressed with his or her new skills. , Before the toddler years, you can let an older baby hold a bottle and drink on his or her own.
This will prepare your child for using a cup later on. , Most children can start to drink from a cup by about a year of age.
Make life easier for both of you by starting with a lidded cup made for toddlers.
This will minimize spills and mimic the “feel” of a bottle.
Understand that even with a lidded cup, your child will probably make a mess.
That’s okay; it’s part of the learning process. , Once your child has mastered drinking from a lidded cup, you can remove the lid.
Don’t fill the cup more than halfway – better to refill multiple times than to have your child dump a completely full cup all over the place. , You can ease your child into drinking from a cup by holding the cup steady during his or her first attempts, placing your hands over your toddler’s hands so that he or she gets the sense of what drinking from a cup should feel like. -
Step 3: Practice with your child.
-
Step 4: Watch for choking.
-
Step 5: Prepare for a mess.
-
Step 6: Praise your child’s efforts.
-
Step 7: Watch for signs that your child is ready.
-
Step 8: Choose the right spoon.
-
Step 9: Start with two spoons.
-
Step 10: Teach your child how to use a spoon.
-
Step 11: Pick foods strategically.
-
Step 12: Set an example.
-
Step 13: Praise your child’s efforts.
-
Step 14: Wait until your toddler is ready.
-
Step 15: Choose the right fork.
-
Step 16: Start with foods that are easy to pierce.
-
Step 17: Help your child use the fork.
-
Step 18: Encourage eating with the fork.
-
Step 19: Praise your child’s efforts.
-
Step 20: Let babies drink independently from a bottle.
-
Step 21: Introduce a cup with a lid.
-
Step 22: Remove the lid.
-
Step 23: Help your toddler as necessary.
Detailed Guide
Eating with the fingers is the first way that children learn to feed themselves, and you should watch for signs that you son or daughter is ready to try.
This may actually begin well before the toddler period, at around eight or nine months of age.
You may notice that your older baby will try to grab food (or other items!), at first with the whole hand and then, later on, with the fingers.
These are signs that he or she is ready to start learning to eat independently.
The “pincer grasp” (the ability to grab small items with the thumb and forefinger) is especially crucial for effective self-feeding.
Most babies develop this skill between about seven and eleven months of age.
Start by giving your older baby or younger toddler bite-sized pieces of foods that are easy to chew and swallow.
At first, stick to foods that dissolve easily in the mouth; by the toddler years, you can start offering many more foods.
Some suggestions include: low-sugar cereals, especially o-shaped and puffed varieties small pieces of ripe, soft fruits like bananas, mangos, peaches, or watermelon small pieces of soft, cooked vegetables like carrots, peas, or sweet potatoes cubed tofu cooked pasta small pieces of bread, bagels, or English muffins small bites of cheese , Mealtimes are a chance to interact and help your child learn, so do not simply place food in front of your toddler and walk away.
Sit with your child, talk about the new foods, and hold up individual bites to encourage the pincer grasp.
Take your child’s hand in yours and demonstrate. , Always supervise your child when he or she is learning to eat finger foods.
You can minimize the risk of choking by keeping the bites small (but not so small that he or she might swallow without chewing at all). , Babies and toddlers are very messy when they learn to eat.
Use bibs, and try to minimize damage by removing rugs or placing a protective cover underneath your child’s high chair. , Make sure your child knows that self-feeding is a good thing and that he or she has made you proud. , When your older baby or younger toddler can eat finger foods and has started to grab the spoon from you during meals, he or she is probably ready to learn to eat independently with a spoon. , Larger spoons will be too big for a toddler’s mouth; you want something teaspoon-sized.
Consider purchasing special baby spoons, which are lighter, rounded at the top, and usually made of plastic. , To begin, use two spoons: one for you and one for your child.
You can feed your child as usual, and he or she can also begin trying out the spoon.
Don’t worry if, at first, your child uses the spoon primarily to bang on the plate or high chair tray and dribble food around.
Self-feeding takes time; he or she will figure it out. , Show your toddler how to hold a spoon, and then help by placing your hand over his or her hand to demonstrate.
Direct the spoon slowly into your toddler’s mouth.
As your toddler learns, you can also start using two bowls.
You can feed your child from one; he or she can use the other, which should just have a small amount of food in it. , Start with thicker, denser foods; these will stay on the spoon, whereas more liquid foods will drip away before your child manages to get the spoon to his or her mouth.
Yogurt, cottage cheese, and pudding work well.
As your child progresses, move on to thinner purees and soups. , Eat when your child eats; family meals are important for teaching self-feeding skills, communication, and manners. , Let your toddler know you are proud of his or her growing independence. , In general, it’s best to wait until your son or daughter has developed a strong pincer grasp and can use the spoon relatively well.
At that point, you can introduce the fork.
Most children are ready by fifteen to eighteen months or so. , To begin, select a fork made for young children, with rounded tips and a lighter weight.
These are both safer and easier for a toddler to use successfully. , Offer larger pieces of food that are fairly easy to pierce and hold with a fork: cubes of cheese work well, as do some kinds of cooked vegetables, meats, and pastas.
Avoid foods that are too small, crumbly, or slippery.
You don’t want to frustrate your child unnecessarily. , In the beginning, you may need to take your child’s hand and demonstrate how to pierce and pick up a piece of food. , Once your toddler is two or so, it’s fine to encourage fork-eating, but don’t worry if your child continues to prefer using his or her fingers.
You can wait until the preschool years to start pushing harder for better table manners. , Again, let your toddler know that you are impressed with his or her new skills. , Before the toddler years, you can let an older baby hold a bottle and drink on his or her own.
This will prepare your child for using a cup later on. , Most children can start to drink from a cup by about a year of age.
Make life easier for both of you by starting with a lidded cup made for toddlers.
This will minimize spills and mimic the “feel” of a bottle.
Understand that even with a lidded cup, your child will probably make a mess.
That’s okay; it’s part of the learning process. , Once your child has mastered drinking from a lidded cup, you can remove the lid.
Don’t fill the cup more than halfway – better to refill multiple times than to have your child dump a completely full cup all over the place. , You can ease your child into drinking from a cup by holding the cup steady during his or her first attempts, placing your hands over your toddler’s hands so that he or she gets the sense of what drinking from a cup should feel like.
About the Author
John Hernandez
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: