No child can immediately take a spoon and start eating like an adult. First, he must hold this table object in his hands, then learn how to wield it. But if the baby wanders and demands that his mother feed him, something needs to be done about it.
Instructions
Step 1
Before you start teaching your child to eat on their own, tune in to the fact that the process will be difficult, so be patient - you need to be consistent as you learn. This means that if you do not feed the baby yourself today, then tomorrow you should do the same, and not referring slowly to stuff a bowl of soup into the baby.
Step 2
Having decided to teach your child to eat on their own, do not succumb to provocations - "I will not eat if you do not feed me", "I have a stomach ache from hunger", or simply boring, like the Chinese torture with dripping water, "Mom, I want to eat." Of course, it is difficult to resist crying and whining, but you must do it, otherwise the child will find your "weakness" and will continue to use it.
Step 3
Do not be afraid if the child skips a meal, do not worry and do not panic: no one has ever died from this. The main thing is to hide all the "pasture" - sweets, cookies, fruits, vegetables, bread, and leave only a plate of semolina porridge (soup, mashed potatoes with a cutlet) on the table, periodically warming up the food. If the child gets hungry, he will be forced to sit at the table and eat on his own.
Step 4
Do not scold him if the first independent meal ends with a general cleaning of the kitchen - it is not so easy to teach a child to eat on his own. Better, on the contrary, to praise that he ate so much, but let him start cleaning with you. You will see - after the third time, the child will be much more careful.
Step 5
If you are on a softer line of behavior, then try the "gradual habituation" method. Agree with the child that his mother will give him 10 spoons, and he will eat 10 himself. Play around, who will pick up a fuller spoonful of porridge and count each serving of food with your baby. All in all, turn your first meal into an interesting game.
Step 6
At first, you can "bribe" children - explain that if he eats well himself, he will receive a candy or cookie.
Step 7
Most importantly, don't stuff food into your child. Even if he himself eats only 2-3 tablespoons, set aside the plate, and give the next portion a little earlier than usual.
Step 8
Knowing your child well, you yourself can come up with a method that will be the best incentive for him. Just do not forget the rule - if you start doing something, then bring the matter to the end, without giving up halfway, so that the child knows that the parents' word is the law.
