How to teach a child to eat with a spoon

Raising a child is a very responsible process that does not end for a minute. First, a newborn baby needs only love, affection and care. However, gradually we try to accustom the baby to various household skills - at half a year the baby begins to try “adult” food, learns to play toys and finger games, recognizes loved ones, smiles at them, goes through the first stages of socialization. At the same time, parents try to teach the child all new skills, and this desire is really beautiful. One of the main skills of a child is the ability to eat with a spoon. In this article, we will try to figure out how to teach a child to eat with a spoon, when to start learning and what to do if the baby completely refuses cutlery.

When to teach a child to eat with a spoon

Unfortunately, today's practice shows that modern children learn everyday skills much longer than their parents at a similar age. Look in any garden with a group with three years - some of the children of this age still wear diapers, and some still can not eat normally with a spoon. A few dozen years ago, children were sent to kindergarten much earlier, by the age of three they dressed well, went to the potty and ate independently. The problem of the modern generation is in excessive custody and an excess of auxiliary means (we are talking about diapers). That is why mothers should understand that you should not take care of a child too much, you need to give him the opportunity to learn, try new things, even if this does not always work out.

From 6 months old, they begin to lure the baby with cereals, fruit and vegetable purees, followed by meat and soups. The kid grows and develops, his nervous system grows stronger. Sooner or later, the child will be interested in the spoon and try to tear it out of her mother’s hand. At this very moment, you do not need to resist and worry that the baby is slapping everything. As a rule, the first acquaintance with a spoon occurs in 8-10 months. If the baby took a spoon in his hand on his own earlier - do not resist, just feed the baby with another spoon. The latest time you should start to teach a child to spoon is a year and a half. But, as a rule, you don’t have to wait until this time, the baby himself will be interested in cutlery.

Which spoon to choose

In Russia, a silver spoon is presented to a child whose first tooth has come out. This is a wonderful sign, and godfather should preferably give it. It is believed that the baby "with a silver spoon in his mouth" will never have nutrition problems in the future. However, signs also have practical sense - silver perfectly disinfects food, so they try to protect the baby from all kinds of bacteria and microbes. However, pediatricians are not advised to give the child a silver spoon as the first cutlery. After all, the metal is hard enough, it can hurt fragile milk teeth and delicate gums. You can use a silver spoon after 2-3 years, when the baby will finally master this skill. But which spoon to choose for the first independent meals?

It is best to buy rubber or silicone spoons for the first lure. Often they can be made of plastic, but have a soft rubber tip. Such a spoon does not injure the oral cavity of the child, after eating the baby can happily gnaw on the item and scratch the teething teeth. Modern manufacturers of children's products present to our attention anatomical spoons that are convenient to hold in a small pen, they do not slip off, they are not difficult to bring to the mouth.It is convenient to use such products both for right-handed people and left-handed people. Note that spoons can be deep or shallow, almost flat, like a spatula. The first are intended for soup, we do not need such spoons yet. For the time being, mom will feed the soup herself, and it is better to start the learning process with viscous products - mashed potatoes, porridge. It is for them that they need flat spoons. Eating from them is very convenient - the baby will not need to raise his hand too high so that the contents of the spoon fall into his mouth.

Rubber and silicone spoons can be sterilized, boiled, disinfected in the microwave without any problems. Quality products do not melt from high temperatures and do not emit hazardous substances. Another advantage of silicone products - they do not heat up from food, do not burn the delicate skin of a child. In addition, they are very light in weight, just right for the baby of the first year of life, it is very easy to manage with them.

However, in some cases, parents (and even children) prefer metal spoons. A teaspoon for feeding a baby is a classic. On sale, you can also find heat-sensitive spoons. This is a modern development, the spoon changes color if the food is too hot and dangerous for the baby. Such spoons are especially convenient if you are used to heating food in the microwave - often food can be hot inside the whole mass. Remember that all the dishes of a child should be of high quality, no dubious and cheap plastic that emits harmful toxins in food.

Moms and dads who are just preparing for this status need to know that a spoon may be needed for the baby from birth, even if the baby is breastfed. You can give medicine in a spoon. They give breast milk from a spoon when the baby has a cold and his nose is clogged. As you know, with impaired nasal breathing, the process of breast sucking is much more complicated.

How to teach a child to eat with a spoon

Do not hope that the baby will immediately begin to use the spoon for its intended purpose, as soon as it snatches it out of your hands. He can knock with it, scatter food, poke a cat in the face with a spoon, but just do not use it in the process of eating. Therefore, before eating, you need to carry out some preparation.

First, put a small oilcloth under the highchair - this will protect the floor from food that will invariably fall. Be sure to put on the baby a bib and preferably even a bonnet, because often the porridge is on the head and in the hair. It is advisable to purchase stable dishes for the child - it should be either heavy or on suction cups so that the baby does not knock over the plate. Try to devote a separate time to the process of eating, you can not eat on the run, in the living room or under cartoons. So a child from early childhood forms the correct attitude to food. It will be much better if the baby eats at the same time as the rest of the family. For a child, this is a great example - everyone eats with spoons, and do it carefully.

To begin, put a spoon in the child’s hand. If the baby is holding the device incorrectly, do not try to fix it, over time everything will go back on track.

Holding the child’s hand with a spoon in his hand, gently scoop up the porridge and mark the spoon in his mouth. Until the baby has developed muscle memory, it should be helped in the first few days. Gradually, the child will understand everything and will eat from a spoon without your help.

Remember that you should start training only if the child has shown interest in the spoon. Otherwise, you will only get soiled around the surface.

Training should take place as part of the game. The child must not be forced, rushed or scolded. Mom needs love and patience.

More often, try to eat in front of a child. After all, young children often repeat after adults.The kid will see how to properly hold the spoon, how to use it, will understand that this is an integral "attribute" of adult life. If the baby is already a little able to eat with a spoon, publicly report such a great achievement to dad, grandmother. The child already understands a lot, for him it is a matter of pride.

There are children who perceive a spoon as a toy. In this case, do not give the tableware at another time, only during the meal. You can understand the meaning and purpose of the spoon with the help of toys. Put dolls and bears on the sofa, feed them with a spoon from a toy bowl.

The tip may sound a little strange, but try to play in the sandbox more often. A sand shovel is an enlarged copy of a spoon. Playing with a spatula, the baby will learn how to better handle a spoon.

During the training, try to choose for the baby those dishes that he prefers. The child loves banana puree - offer this delicacy along with a spoon.

Do not scold the child if he wants to eat with his hands, not with a spoon, just the baby has not yet matured before owning the cutlery. In this case, the learning process is better to postpone.

To make the child more interesting, you can offer him a choice of several spoons - one of the proposed ones will certainly suit his taste. In some cases, babies prefer forks. Do not be afraid of injuries - children's forks are not dangerous, as they are not sharp, the edges of the appliance are dull.

It is clear that at first, out of three spoons, only one will be heard before the mouth. Therefore, do not forget to feed your baby with your spoon at the same time so that the baby does not remain hungry.

Very effective children's game with a car and a garage. Explain to your child that a spoon is a machine that should fit exactly in the garage - that is, in the mouth. You can accompany the process with the sounds “AAA-A-AM”. Try not to use the “VZHZh” sounds or other imitative syllables, otherwise the child may choke on eating.

And remember that training should take place in a calm and healthy environment. You can’t accustom a child to a spoon if he is sick, if his teeth are cut, if guests are in the house or you came to stay with your grandmother for a while. In no case can you compare a child with a neighbor, brother or friend, especially older children who already understand a lot. So you cultivate children's complexes in a little man.

In the learning process, the most important thing is the lack of training. As a rule, if a child often sees eating people, he will gradually learn to do it himself, just give the baby some time and freedom. Sit down to dine together, offer the child a spoon, and eat your portion calmly without bothering the child. Indeed, often children learn best to be independent in kindergarten, when everyone around them is just eating, and no one is above their souls and does not repeat how to properly hold a spoon. Believe in your child, trust him, calm down and he will succeed!

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