There comes a time when our children start to want to do certain activities on their own. This is normal, as they become more and more autonomous and, in addition, they love to discover and investigate. In this sense, one of the most interesting moments is to understand when your toddler can eat on his own. Do you know at what age he will want or be able to use the cutlery on his own? Let's see.
Find out when your toddler can eat alone
During the first months of a child's life, eating will be a cooperative task, as parents or an adult must be in charge of the child's eating.
However, there comes a time when they themselves demand the use of the spoon or their fingers, and it usually happens, in a generalized way, from 9 months onwards, first with their hands making a pincer grasp with the index finger and the chubby finger, and later with cutlery. The little ones feel more autonomous, are curious and are improving their motor skills, both gross and fine.
Obviously, these first attempts by the little one will be terrible, but fun. In any case, we must be prepared for them to stain everywhere and, of course, they will need our help.
Be that as it may, and despite the fact that we see that little food in each spoonful actually ends up in the child's mouth, we must not discourage them, on the contrary, we must encourage them, help them improve their motor skills and ensure that, with our guidance, they will gradually do it on their own.
In addition, we can bet on certain foods that the baby can eat with his hands, taking small pieces of fruit, for example.
That they are clumsy and not very dexterous is completely normal. Our children will be developing their motor skills for years, until at least 6 or 7 years of age. In any case, helping to encourage these habits is healthy for children to feel more independent.
The little one's food
As we have observed, the baby should eat on its own those foods that do not pose a problem. In general, small pieces of fruit can be adequate, as long as they are soft, especially when we are talking about months old children.
What can we give him to hold in his hand when he is just one year old? For example, pieces of very cooked zucchini, pieces of ripe banana and foods that practically melt in his mouth when he is going to eat them.
Later on, when he is over 18 months old and wants to try with a spoon, we can offer him casseroles, creams and other foods that, mashed and close to porridge, help him to eat without choking on something that is too hard for his developing mouth.
Just like stews, fruits and vegetables are also easy to grind. In this aspect, we are presented with a very wide field, ranging from natural pieces to those consumed in preserves, for example.
Other interesting foods for the little ones to start eating on their own are small pieces of tofu. Or cottage cheese, bits of grated cheese, well-cooked pasta...
As you can see, there are many options to achieve the autonomy that our children need so much to develop properly until they can pick up the cutlery on their own and eat so that most or all of the food ends up in their mouths.
To find out more about this and other topics, remember that at Logos Nursery School we have a professional team specialized in infant development. So you will know when your toddler can eat alone, and many more secrets that we have prepared for you and for your little ones to grow up happy and healthy.
