At what age can a child eat independently
When it comes to children's self-feeding, generally after the baby is 8 months old, you can try to let the baby eat by himself.Babies from 8 to 12 months can eat by themselves; from 13 to 15 months, they can use a spoon; after 18 months, they can eat by themselves.
However, although it is no longer a problem for the baby to eat by himself after the baby is 18 months old, it is still more difficult to let the child eat a meal in a peaceful manner like us. Parents should be mentally prepared.
To train your child to eat independently, you can start by providing finger food to your child. However, the choice of finger food is also exquisite. For babies aged 8-9 months, it is recommended that parents choose some soft and easy-to-eat foods for babies, such as steamed soft and rotten carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and potatoes. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents give their baby a spoon during the meal, let the child play with it, and cultivate the habit of using utensils.
Cut these foods into strips and steam them in a pot. After the taste is dense and free of hard cores, you can put them at a suitable temperature for your baby to eat.
10-12 months old baby's oral muscles gradually develop, you can try to give your child some larger particles to exercise your child's chewing ability. During this period, things like bread sticks and apple slices can be eaten by the baby.
After the baby is 13 months old, the food texture that can be eaten is wider, such as shrimp balls, beef balls, etc. can be eaten by the baby.
After the baby is 18 months old, most of the food the child has tasted, as long as there is no allergy, parents can continue to give the child to eat. However, it is still necessary to follow the habit of eating less oil and less salt.
Finger food
Train children to eat independently, and parents can point out food to children. The baby is easy to hold and can control how much to eat. It can also promote the development of children's fingers and help children develop good eating habits.
1. Food shape
Finger food, not just finger-shaped food. But all food that can be picked up by hand and will not fall apart can be called finger food. However, when adding finger foods to your baby, you should also adapt to your baby's growth and development.Mothers can observe the development of the baby's little hands on a daily basis to decide what shape of food to add to the baby.
If the child's little hands and fingers are not particularly flexible, it is recommended that parents choose bar-shaped food, which is more suitable for the baby to grasp.
If the baby has been able to use the thumb and index finger, or the thumb and middle finger to pinch things accurately, then all shapes of food at this time are not difficult for the baby.
2. Possible problems
When the baby retches and coughs while eating finger food in the mouth. Most of the time the gag reflex occurs. In the process of eating, it is easy to touch the back wall of the pharynx, which is a kind of self-protection for children. Parents generally don't need to worry too much.In addition, being stuck and choking is also a situation that babies are more likely to have in their diet. It is recommended that parents learn the Heimlich maneuver in advance, in case of emergency. For babies under one year old, it is recommended to use the back chest compression method.
Cutlery selection
Parents all want their children to have the good habit of sitting up and eating seriously, which requires parents to let their children eat in a fixed chair when they first try solid food, which can make them realize that sitting It's time to eat on the chair.1. Selection of dining chairs
The baby's seat must be safe and comfortable, and a high chair or an active high chair is a good choice. Babies can not only face and see their parents, but also help children learn to observe table manners and learn to eat by themselves. And the high dining chair is also more comfortable for parents.2. Choice of spoon
When the baby first starts to add complementary food, it is best to choose a spoon as a tableware for the baby. Choose safe, non-toxic, and non-fragile materials. The tip is soft, the size can fit the weight of the baby's food, and it does not need to be too deep. The long straight handle is easy to pick up (suitable for babies who have just started to eat complementary food, and it is convenient for parents to feed).
3. The choice of fork and spoon
When the child enters the stage of self-eating, it is recommended that mothers choose a fork and spoon with a relatively short handle, and the handle should not be too "thin", otherwise the baby's small hand will not be easy to hold. In addition, it is best to choose bright colors and cartoon patterns, which can attract the baby's interest in eating.
4. Tableware material
It is recommended that parents prefer SILICONE material, which can withstand high temperatures of 200 ° C without deformation, and does not release harmful substances, making it safer to use.
Food allergy
Food allergies are a common problem for babies who are introduced to solid foods. It refers to the abnormal immune response of the body after the baby eats certain foods.1. Symptoms of food allergies
Common symptoms: worsening of hives, eczema; swelling of eyes, tongue, face, mouth, and lips; diarrhea, vomiting.Individual rare symptoms: dyspnea, shock.
2. Foods that are more likely to cause allergies
Milk and dairy products, eggs, peanuts, fish, crustaceans, nuts, wheat (eg bread, biscuits), beans, bird's nest.3. What should be paid attention to when adding new food
- Try foods that are less likely to cause allergic reactions first;
- The food should be cooked thoroughly;
- Try only one new food at a time;
- Start with a teaspoon of half to one hour, gradually increase the amount, try two to four days in a row, and the baby with eczema needs to try it continuously for a week;
- Carefully observe whether the baby has allergy symptoms. If you don't have an allergic reaction, try another new food.
Train children to eat independently
After choosing the right food for the child, parents should not miss these small methods for cultivating children to eat. What I want to remind everyone here is that I want children to learn to eat independently as soon as possible. This stage of eating is everywhere, and it is really inevitable. Parents should be mentally prepared~.
1. Encourage children to eat independently
When the baby puts the food in the mouth smoothly, parents should not forget to praise the baby at the right time, so that the baby's self-confidence will also be greatly increased, and then he will be more willing to try to eat by himself.
2. Choose a complementary food suitable for your child
In addition to finger food, complementary food for children is also an important part. In the addition of complementary foods, mothers should also follow the growth and development rules of their children, from thin to thick, from one to multiple, and gradually add them.
3. Minimize chasing feeding
Since you want to train children to eat independently, the habit of chasing feeding is really important. Chasing after feeding seems to love the child, but in fact it "harms" the child and hinders the child's enthusiasm for self-feeding.
It is suggested that parents should start feeding their children with complementary foods, instead of feeding them over and over again. This will not only easily make children lose their autonomy, but also easily lead to overfeeding and obesity.
Generally, the time of a meal should not exceed 30 minutes. If you are not sure whether the child is full, you can also judge by the child's performance:
- The baby is no longer interested in food
- Eating slower and slower
- Tightly close your lips
- Start playing with cutlery or food
- Spit out the food you eat
4. Pay attention to food shape and character
The baby is also the master of "like the new and hate the old". You may cut the same food into pieces every time. After the child eats it a few times, he starts to dislike it. But when you turn the lumps into flakes, and even the dexterous mom arranges the food in all kinds of tricks, the kids love it again.
In addition, the characteristics of the food also need to be considered by mothers. Some babies like to eat puree, and some babies like to be crispy. Therefore, finding out your baby's preferences can also make the child's eating path smoother.
Reasons why children are picky eaters
Now let's talk about the problem of baby's picky eater and partial eclipse. Many mothers think that their children are picky eaters and picky eaters must have learned bad habits. The fact may really surprise you. The reason why children have picky eaters and partial eclipses after one year old may be caused by these reasons:
1. Slow growth and decreased appetite
When the baby is just born, the growth rate is very fast, and the growth rate will gradually decrease until the baby is about one year old. Because of the slow growth, the child's interest in eating will also be affected.
2. Taste development
As the child grows and develops, the sense of taste will gradually mature. Many babies will have taste preferences at this time, and almost all foods will not be rejected like before.
At this time, as long as the child does not have a certain type of food and does not eat at all, it is not a partial eclipse.
Children picky eaters, partial eclipse coping
1. Parents lead by example
We can't ask children to eat bland food while parents eat fried chicken, braised pork feet, and spicy hot pot.
Children tend to learn the eating habits of their loved ones, so parents should be role models. All family members can be role models for children on a healthy and balanced diet, such as grandparents, parents, or siblings. Role models can also take the lead when adding new foods to your child. And remember not to play with mobile phones or watch TV while eating, which will have adverse effects on children.
2. Food variety
Even if you like the same food and eat it every day, you will feel bored, even for adults, not to mention babies!
Therefore, it is also important to pay attention to the variety of food. For the food that the baby does not like to eat, you can change the character of the food, and then choose some cute and bright tableware to enhance the baby's desire to eat.
Even if the baby still refuses to eat, mothers must remember not to force the child to eat, this will only leave bad memories for the child and make the child hate eating.
In addition, if the baby really doesn't like a certain food, mothers don't have to worry too much. They can also replace it with food containing the same nutrients without being too serious.
3. Encourage eating
When encountering food that the child does not like, you can give the child a small portion of food, give it multiple times, and encourage the child to try it boldly.
When the child has a little progress, giving the child some praise at the right time can also increase the child's interest in eating.
4. Increase activity
When the body feels very hungry, it is also extraordinarily hungry for food. Many children's picky eaters and partial eclipses are actually related to the children's low body consumption.
You can take your child to exercise more and choose some sports or games that the child likes. While promoting the child's muscles to get full exercise, it can also increase the child's consumption, increase the appetite, and improve the child's food intake.
5. Three meals and two o'clock time arrangement
For babies 7-24 months old, adaptive feeding is recommended. Mainly cultivate children's interest in food, and then eat independently.
For babies aged 2-5, three meals a day should be arranged, three times in the morning, noon and evening. On this basis, two extra meals can be given to the child.
Generally, they are arranged in the morning and afternoon. The best food for snacks is fruit, milk or some soft pastries.
The interval between meals is generally 4-5 hours, and it is best to have a gap of 1.5-2 hours between the time of snacking and the main meal. And the amount of added meals should not be too much, otherwise it will easily affect the intake of the main meal.
