8 vital tips from baby to toddler
1
Start as you mean to carry on….
Bring baby to meal times for connection from day 1. Then from the moment you start to wean your baby concentrate more on making your mealtime rituals consistent and predictable.
Aim: think of meals as a way to teach your little human what sitting at a table looks like, the use of utensils, eye contact and connection.
Research shows this “scene setting” matters most of all
(read caption to find out more about the research I am referring to)
2
Weaning tables
Start to eat meals at a weaning table like this from around 15 months. This can ease the jump from high chair to eating at a table because this table is at the child’s height.
High chairs with trays can be very isolated and anti- social in my experience.
3
How to start using a weaning table
Start from around 1 year with the table against a wall and an adult on the other side for support.
Adding sensory activities or finger foods during a social family eating experience will develop interest and skills.
4
Serve themselves
Try allowing your child to serve themselves from a shared family style bowl into a sectioned bowl. Children may feel empowered by choosing the portion size.
We eat with our eyes first. Portions piled high are off putting. This will take practice, but we all started from somewhere. Suggest they serve you…
5
Set the table
Allow a child to learn life skills such as laying the table from when they can walk. Toddling whilst holding a spoon is a step in the right direction.
This results in a child having more autonomy.
More autonomy can reduce power struggles at mealtimes. Numerous studies show that toddlers will eat a balanced diet if their parents resist the urge to push too much.
6
Snack table
The low level table can become an open structured snack table. You can set out the snacks for the day and your child can come and go as they please or structure set times to enjoy a snack together at the table.
More benefits: it’s so light it can be moved around, it’s a good activity table and snack table… an all in one. Decorate it to create your own style!
7
have you tried the ezpz open straw cup?
or a montessori style tower to build interst in family meals?
8
For fun and to develop hand eye co-ordination and pincer skills in the early toddler stage… Check out these hacks on Amazon which add fun and a chance to do things their way.
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Bribe or reward?
Make sure you know the subtle difference to be aware of + take advantage of my top tips to use in your family.
Rewards such as treats and stickers have a few pit falls.
Rewards can shift unintentionally into a bribe- this is not the best place to start with parenting skills.
There was once an experiment by Professor Pavlov on a group of rats that supported a theory called behaviourism and it was based on rats getting a treat when they performed a certain task and this formed the basis of the concept of reward. Let’s face it we are all human and carrot dangling can motivate us.
However, lets break down the “The sticker chart” approach into two key words;
bribe and reward.
A reward could be a sticker, a little sweet or chart leading to an end of week toy bonanza for example.
Except that the child knows if they do X they will get Y
Is that a bribe or a reward?
It could be said that a bribe is the reason someone is motivated to take action. They follow through with something so that they can achieve the end result.
A treat = a bribe.
Whereas a reward is an effect, the consequence of the behaviour or the act.
A surprise and not the motivator. You see how the two words are very intertwined and overlap. It can be very easy to slip into a bribe environment.
Tell me your comments and thoughts below.
If you would like to use rewards here are my top tips
1. Make the reward exclusive to a particular action to avoid confusion
2. Be very consistent and clear, avoid complicated charts and systems
3. The reward needs to be immediate and tangible- a physical item for example
4. Reward items could be as simple as a cheerio, a hand stamp, charms for a bracelet
5. Use it very short term and not as a long term behaviour approach.
Be careful to avoid haggling…