I eat alone - The steps to get the little one to eat alone

July 26, 2016

Mangio da solo - Gli step per far mangiare il piccolo da solo

Between hilarious episodes, small disasters and daily progress, some advice to help your child juggle with a spoon and fork.

What a great achievement to grab the spoon, scoop some gruel off the plate and eat by yourself. If the procedure is not immediately simple for a child, presenting it to him as a game can stimulate his desire to learn, imitating adults and acquiring familiarity and skills. Yes, then, to the freedom to experiment and mess around (at least a little) with food, with few restrictions aimed at promoting growing autonomy in the child.

Little disasters

During weaning, the baby begins to show great interest in baby food, and not just because of his appetite: while you place the saucer in front of him, he will have already slipped his fingers in it with great satisfaction. Before you know it, he'll have them in his mouth, usually with the result of smearing the goo all over his face and clothes and dropping it (or throwing it, it's so funny). The first independent experiments with the spoon will not give very different results. Know that for the baby it is a natural process: the first way, different from sucking, to enter into a relationship with food. Of course, for an already super busy parent, finding yourself regularly with a dirty house and a child to clean is not a walk in the park. Guided in his progress, however, you will see that he will quickly understand 'how to do it', and will soon want to eat everything by himself.

10 Practical Tips ■ Feed the child sitting at the table with you: give the good example and he will imitate you. ■ Equip yourself with a plastic bib and placemat. ■ Show him the correct grip on the spoon: it's more It's easy to learn right away than to change an incorrect practice later. ■ Have two teaspoons at the table: one for him and one because can you help him. ■ Be understanding: at the beginning the operation is complex for him. ■ Be less so when, a little older, he overturns the plate or throw the spoon on purpose. ■ Don't give in to the temptation to always feed him: he must practice to learn. ■ Don't refuse him your help: often his is not laziness, but a request for attention. ■ Praise him for every little progress. ■ Offer finger foods: bread, fruit, but also omelette, cheeses, pizza, beetroot slices, ham: one applies oneself better if occasionally one can go astray.