Recently, our two year old championed the art of potty training. We thought that we would never see the day that she would ask to go potty rather than hugging the banister and doing her do. Now that that milestone has been achieved, we return to the "less messy" milesones; using a spoon to eat without all of it ending up on her clothes and sleeping in her bed without waking up yelling for mommy and daddy as if we'd abandoned her!
Last night, rice, baked chicken and broccoli were on the menu. Amari is very good at using her hands to pick up most items and tends to avoid the spoon all together. When it calls for it, she will try but if she cannot get a mouth full of rice or whatever the delectable item, she gets discouraged and asks for help. So last night there I was, just as all the nights before, feeding her with her toddler spoon, those items that continued to litter my floor. When I encouraged her to try again, she yelled, "No mommy, you do it!" Now we have tried several spoons on the market. Those with rounded edges, those that curve and even small metal ones. Nothing seems to work! Some say that the type of spoon matters, but I feel like it’s the process in which we introduce utensils that concerns our children most. Here are some easy instructions on how to encourage your toddler to use a spoon or fork. I will report back when Amari has mastered it!
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
• Baby spoon
• bowl
• thick yogurt
• favorite dry cereal
• Soup
1. Spoon half a cup of thick yogurt into a bowl in front of your toddler. Hand him one spoon while you keep another.
2.Let your baby play with her spoon while
you use your own to feed her the yogurt. If she decides to put her spoon in the food as well, let her.
3.Fix yourself a small bowl of yogurt to eat in front of your toddler. Make sure he also has a bowl and spoon in front of him. Watching you eat will show him what to do. Even if he doesn't understand how to scoop, simply touching the spoon to thick yogurt will transfer food to his mouth.
4.Place one piece of dry cereal on your toddler' s spoon. This will teach her the right way to hold the spoon without dropping it's contents. Using dry cereal is much less stressful than using liquid.
5.Pour some soup into a bowl. Give your toddler the bowl and a baby spoon. Let him use the spoon to transfer liquid from the bowl to his mouth.
Tips & Warnings
• Avoid moving your toddler' s spoon with your hand. Let her do it herself.
• Give your child finger food to go with the yogurt. This will prevent him from getting frustrated.
• This method could take weeks or months to perfect. Don't give up.
Read more: How to Teach a Toddler to Use a Spoon | eHow.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment