New parents must read: Tips on how to let your baby eat by himself

In order to make their children eat well, mothers rack their brains. In fact, it is not difficult to let babies eat by themselves. As long as mothers master some skills, it is still very easy to do. The following are 7 tips and tricks compiled by the editor to help mothers deal with baby eating problems. Let's learn together!

Tip 1

Keep a positive attitude

When it comes to eating, the mother's attitude is very important. The baby's appetite can change at any time, so when you carefully prepare the food he liked last time and serve it to him, he may not want to eat a single bite. What will you do at this time? "Isn't this your favorite? Mommy worked so hard to make it for you, you must eat it, otherwise mommy will never make it for you again." In fact, your baby is not deliberately making trouble, he just really doesn't want to eat.

Smart mom can do this

1. Don’t force your baby to eat something he doesn’t like.

2 Don't worry about him being malnourished, he may just not like this way of eating, not this kind of food, so try a different way of cooking. For example, vegetables, no matter you chop them up and roast or steam them for him, he won't appreciate it, but if you make them into stuffing and wrap them in dumplings or buns, most babies will not refuse.

3. Don’t always force your baby to eat more.

4. Don't worry about your baby being hungry. If he is hungry, he will naturally ask for food. If you always force your baby to eat, it will only destroy his appetite and make him lose his appetite. So, don't try every possible means or even make a big fuss to make him eat more.

5. Don’t always rush to ask: “Do you want more?” Be patient and wait for your baby to ask for it!

6 Treat your baby’s eating problems calmly.

7. Don't praise your baby for eating a lot, and don't be disappointed if he eats less. Your baby eats not because of your praise or criticism, but because he is hungry and wants to eat. So, let your baby have the desire to eat. When you stop forcing him and he no longer feels pressured, he will naturally shift his attention to eating.

8. Do not tempt your baby with food he likes or force him to eat food he does not like.

9. Mothers may say: "Eat a bite of vegetables first, then eat a bite of vegetables, and I will give you potato chips." If you do this, it will only make the baby think that the vegetables are unpalatable and increase his desire for potato chips.

Tip 2

Let your baby eat finger foods

When your baby is six or seven months old, he or she will want to eat by himself or herself, and he or she can do it without you teaching him or her. What will you do? "Oh, it's all over the floor and all over the body. It's too dirty and messy. It's too troublesome to clean up." If you think like this, then don't expect to see your baby eating by himself or herself when he or she should learn to eat by himself or herself.

Smart mom can do this

1. Let your baby eat with his hands.

2. Let your baby grab some bread slices or teething biscuits first; then put fruit pieces, cooked vegetables, etc. in front of him and let him grab and eat them.

3. At the beginning, give him a small amount at a time to prevent him from stuffing everything into his mouth at once.

Tip 3

Give the spoon to the baby

When your baby is 10-12 months old, the most annoying problem when feeding him is that he always wants to grab the spoon. What would you do? "Oh, the baby is poking and shoving in the plate with the spoon, and the plate has turned over and the bowl has fallen." At this point, most mothers will lose patience and even yell at the baby, or immediately confiscate the baby's privilege. The baby can only worry, and some timid babies may even have their enthusiasm for learning to eat extinguished by you.

Smart mom can do this

1. Give your baby a spoon and teach him to scoop up food and put it into his mouth.

2. Put a large bib on your baby and place plastic sheeting or unused newspapers under the chair where your baby sits.

3. Tolerate your baby's messy eating. Give warm encouragement when your baby succeeds.

4. Use a heavy plate that is not easy to tip over, or a bowl with a suction cup on the bottom.

5. Consider the baby's actual ability. When the baby is tired of eating and uses the spoon to scramble in the plate, take the plate away. However, you can leave something on the tray so that he can continue to experiment.

6. At the beginning, give your baby a spoon and take one for yourself and feed him while he eats by himself.

Tip 4

Teach your baby to use a spoon through games

Using a spoon to scoop up food and put it into the mouth are two things that are easy for adults, but they are very difficult for babies. They need time to practice, at least several weeks. Therefore, you can use games to increase the baby's opportunities to practice, and the baby will find it fun and enjoy it.

Game Materials

Some broad beans. Be careful not to choose small and hard objects such as peanuts and buttons to prevent the baby from putting them in his mouth when the adult is not paying attention, which may cause danger.

Two bowls and a spoon. Make sure the bowls are heavy and not fragile, so your baby doesn't overturn them and get frustrated. Choose a larger and wider spoon, otherwise it will be difficult to scoop up the beans.

How to Play

Put the beans in a bowl, give the baby a spoon and a bowl, and teach the baby to use the spoon to scoop the beans from one bowl to another. You can also take a spoon and scoop with the baby. Of course, try to let the baby scoop, the baby will also ask for it, you can give a little help when necessary. Also, when the baby succeeds, don't forget to praise loudly.

Tip 5

Let your baby eat by himself as early as possible

Babies aged 12-18 months love to learn the most. If you don’t let them eat by themselves at this time, and wait until they are almost 2 years old, you will think: “Oh, he has to eat by himself when he goes to nursery, I should train him to eat by himself.” The baby doesn’t think so, because he has become accustomed to you feeding him, so he doesn’t want to eat by himself! Moreover, by then, learning to use a spoon will not be so easy.

Smart mom can do this

1. Provide your baby with his favorite food.

2. Make the dining environment relaxed and pleasant.

3. Prepare a set of tableware that your baby likes.

4. Use small dishes to hold baby's food. This way, the baby will be happy to eat up everything in the small dish. It can also prevent the baby from eating too much of his favorite food at once.

Tip 6: Make your baby feel hungry

The reason why the baby can't eat well is because he is not hungry. So, you need to find a way to make him feel hungry. When the baby doesn't eat well after a few bites, you can calmly say "Okay, baby, you are full" and then take away the bowl. Don't care how much he has left. In this way, after a few days, the baby will feel particularly hungry. At that time, you can bring the food to him and turn around to do other things, so that he has the opportunity to eat by himself.

Tip 7: Don’t feed your baby if he can eat by himself

When your baby is able to eat independently, he may even want to be fed by his mother. If you think that he will eat by himself anyway, it is okay to feed him again, then you may lose all your efforts. If he insists on being fed, you can simply feed him a few mouthfuls and then casually indicate that he is full. In this way, if he wants to eat, he will have to eat by himself.