Becoming a mother is a big responsibility for anyone but with that bundle of joy, you likely think it’s worth it. One of the activities you eventually share with your child is teaching them how to eat independently. Having your baby eat alone saves you a lot of time while helping them develop their motor skills. There are many ways to help your baby self-feed – it’s only a matter of how good and safe you do it. Here are five easy and safe ways to help your baby eat independently.
1. Setting The Feeding Area
As you help your child self-feed, setting the feeding area is an excellent way to simplify the process. An area in your home should be dedicated solely to your child’s meals, whether on a high chair or a low table.
It should have everything that they need at this age because they are still learning. The chair or table should be ergonomically designed and built for them. Moving in and fitting in your child’s space should be easy.
Ensure that the area where your baby eats is free from obstructions, furniture, cleaning tools, sharp objects, and the like. Make it bright and clear so they’ll see everything they need.
The eating area should be far from the playroom, where your baby might accidentally choke on some toys. The ideal spot should be high enough, so they don’t choke on food as they sit on their own. You might also want to place a mat or table cover aside from the baby’s food. This will protect your child from dirt and germs from their food.
2. Prepare A Baby Feeding Kit
Another way to help your baby self-feed is by preparing a baby feeding kit. This is everything your baby needs to eat, minus the food.
Your baby feeding kit should have a bib, spoon, fork, and bowl. The bib will be useful in keeping your child clean as they eat. You can encourage them to use the spoon and fork by showing them how it’s done.
As for the bowl, make sure it’s made of a material that’s not harmful to your child. Check if the spoon and fork are BPA-free. A feeding kit with these items makes learning how to self-feed a lot easier for your children.
Keep in mind that babies are messy, so you’ll need a lot of towels, tissues, baby wipes, and a change of clothes. Diaper changing materials, bibs, milk bottles, and formula should always be prepared.
Don’t forget the sanitizer, a burp cloth, and a water bottle to wash away sticky food stains. A diaper rash cream and some medicines should also be placed there. It’s easier to prepare everything ahead of time than quickly grabbing everything when your baby is crying because you ran out of their milk.
3. Use Finger Foods
One way to help your baby self-feed is by using finger foods. It’s an easy way to get them to eat on their own while preventing choking and messing. You can begin using these foods at around 9-12 months.
The first step to this is to warm the food ahead of time. It can get boring when babies eat bland food. Some parents like to add a bit of sweetness or saltiness to their baby’s food. However, if you would rather keep it healthy, you can warm the food up.
There are different ways to warm your baby’s food. A microwave is the most convenient approach but some people are concerned about microwaves leaking radiation. If you use the microwave, you might want to cover the bathing tray with plastic.
Once the food is warm, you can feed it to your baby. When they’re ready for finger food, you won’t have to feed them using a spoon or a fork. Use your finger instead to show them how it’s done. This is also an excellent gauge of whether your baby is ready for solids.
You can also feed them food that needs to be chewed. This is an excellent way to encourage chewing and swallowing. It’s also a fantastic way to start them consuming greens.
4. Set Regular Mealtimes
Ever wonder why your baby eats so much? Well, it’s because they’re hungry. Babies don’t have regular eating schedules, so it’s easy for them to get hungry.
If you want to help your baby self-feed, you should create a schedule for their meals. You can do this by letting your baby nap simultaneously before mealtimes. By doing so, their appetite will be at its peak.
Setting regular mealtimes will help you determine your baby’s hunger, which is essential when self-feeding. Some babies get easily distracted when eating, so monitoring their hunger is important.
When you discover your baby is hungry, you can immediately feed them. This will save you time and worry as you do other tasks.
5. Keep It Fun, Not Stressful
Finally, you should avoid making self-feeding a stressful experience. It’s very easy to scold your baby for eating too much or too slowly. But other than that, self-feeding is an enjoyable activity.
Your baby will constantly improve their motor skills as they learn how to eat. They need constant reminders from you and praise when they pick up eating on their own. But most importantly, you must avoid stressing them out, making them eat even less.
You don’t need fancy tools or toys to make meal times enjoyable for your baby. Your love, patience, and positivity will be enough. Keep meal times fun and not stressful for your baby.
The Bottom Line
Remember that your baby’s motor skills are still developing at this stage. Expect them to make a lot of mistakes. Your job is to provide them with a comfortable environment to eat in. A baby feeding kit with feeding utensils will make self-feeding a breeze.
However, don’t focus too much on making your baby self-feed. Meal times are the time when you can bond with and bond with your baby. Make quality mealtime with your child, and don’t focus too much on the food.
nice post, thanks.
Thanks for sharing this .. it will surely help esp sa mga first time mom