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Self feeding

JonMcP
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 Joined: 2007-01-03
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OK, my 15 month old is doing really well with self feeding small things like pieces of mac and cheese or cheerios, etc.. I've started trying her on biting off pieces of larger things, such as bread or cheese slices. I've seen kids younger than her do this with ease, but she always seems to, literally, bite off more than she can chew.

During today's lunch we were eating a banana, and as I was cutting it into smaller pieces I thought, what the hell, let's see what she can do with this. I stopped, and showed her how I could take a small bite off of it. She clapped like she got the idea, so I did it again. I then handed her the banana and she took a small bite just like I did... then another small bite and another and I started patting myself on the back that I'd taught her something that any monkey 1/5 of her age can do. Thats when she started deep-throating the entire banana. It was shocking!

After doing the old finger sweep to clear her breathing passages (don't worry, I never leave her side when she's eating for this very reason) I started wondering about what the trick is to this. For you long timers- how do you teach a toddler to do this kind of thing? I'm afraid I've made such a production out of pulling huge mouthfuls of food out of this kid's mouth that she'll never get the hang of this. I swear, I think it's like a game or something to her.

Jon


‹ 3 months and counting former co- workers ›

Submitted by JonMcP on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 2:06pm.

megafun
megafun's picture
Posts: 89
 Joined: 2008-01-07
 Dad Points: 101
Slow and steady. Repetition

Slow and steady. Repetition is the key. When I went through that stage with Dylan he would do pretty well for a few bites and then try and eat the whole thing. So, I ended up cutting up half of the banana into pieces and letting him have the other half as a whole piece. I would assist him with the whole piece while reminding him that we take small bites, one at a time. Eventually he wouldn't eat the smaller pieces and ate the whole banana one bite at a time. I had/and still do have a few set-backs with large bites and putting more than one bite in at a time but as a whole he's swallowing more than he chokes on.

Joel
Madison, Wi
Dylan-2, Surprise-April 30, 2008

http://grateful-joel.blogspot.com/


Wed, 01/09/2008 - 3:04pm

CiaAlum92
CiaAlum92's picture
Posts: 533
 Joined: 2007-12-19
 Dad Points: 1583
Quarter them.....

I've found that cutting things into longer and thinner quarters was better than just chunks.
Also if you lightely squeeze a banana it splits into three equal pieces laterally.

New dvd player........................ 45 dollars (peanut butter accident )
Trip to Sesame place ............... 1200 dollars
Many trips to the Emergency room. boo koo dollars
Living life as a SAHD for a 2 year old

Kevin


Wed, 01/09/2008 - 9:42pm

Ironcat
Ironcat's picture
Posts: 45
 Joined: 2008-01-26
 Dad Points: 109
My son loves the idea of

My son loves the idea of bananas, wantd every single banana he sees... Of course as soon as he takes a bite he shudders and spits it out and says "ewwww" but then he wants the next one.

Go figure.


Wed, 01/30/2008 - 6:09pm

Greg Barbera
Posts: 169
 Joined: 2006-11-16
 Dad Points: 347
i still have problems

feeding myself.

just because the kids outgrew their bibs doesn't mean we have to stop wearing ours, right?


Wed, 01/30/2008 - 6:16pm

JPhillip
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Posts: 657
 Joined: 2006-11-17
 Dad Points: 947
Bibs are ok.

There are a few lobster joints in Northern New England that will give you a cool plastic bib to wear when you go there. If you go to a blue crab joint in the Chesapeake Bay area you get a cool bib AND a hammer!


Wed, 01/30/2008 - 8:10pm

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