Training your baby to self-feed comes with mixed feeling from excitement of independence to frustration of messy outcome.  The transition is a huge leap for kids as it’s both a cognitive development and physical achievement.

 Self-feeding introduces independency and self-regulates a child’s appetite. It’s an exciting activity that requires encouragement, love and practice. The learning process might take time for a child to adapt but it’s worth trying.

The Self-feeding act is simple but hold huge significant especially in the child’s cognitive development. The practice enhances memory and physical motor movement.  The child learns the physical location of their mouths and also gains muscle memory.   Arm movements of directing the food and utensils to the mouth is an incredible mental development. Whether the child loves or hates the spoon, it is essential to allow them to independently control the spoon right from the beginning.

When should you start training your baby to self-feed?

Between 12 and 15 months of age, babies should be able to feed themselves with a spoon. Babies aged 15 months and above should have learned the basic of self-feeding with a spoon and get most food into their mouths. Babies will hopefully eat different family meals with low salt and sugar at this age.

Signs the baby is ready to self-feed

There are a few readiness signs to look for that will indicate it is the right time to begin teaching your kid to self-feed. They include:

• The baby will start grabbing the spoon while you are holding it
• Trying to reach their food on the plate or bowl
• Grabbing other objects and bringing them to their mouths
• Pushing your hands away when you try to feed them

Best food to start with self-feed

For easy training, trying solid foods that don’t contain lot of liquid will do the trick. Also parents/guardians shouldn’t start with tiny foods like grains to avoid the frustrations of scooping. The primary aim being, it should be easy to grab, pick up, and bring them to their mouth.

• Cooked whole-grain pasta
• Slices of fresh ripe fruits like avocados, mangoes,  bananas or apples
• Soft-cooked carrots, sweet potatoes or  mash potatoes and peas
• Chopped pieces of cooked meat like chicken, fish or beef

Foods to avoid when my baby starts self-feed

Here are some of the foods to avoid when beginning to teach your baby to self-feed

They include:

• Hot dogs
• Popcorn
• Raw meals
• Nuts
• Whole grapes

Importance of Training your baby to self-feed.

The guide below shows some benefits of self-feed to children.

• Builds independence and confidence in a child

Self-feeding builds a child's confidence and independence when deciding what to eat. They explore food with their senses and experience new tastes, smells, textures and temperatures.

• Develops their fine motor skills

As the toddlers start feeding, they usually develop their fine motor skills like;

• They learn to pick food up with their hands and fingers. This requires muscle movements which is great for development.
• Toddlers learn to pick up and hold various sizes of food and objects.

• The child monitors their own needs.

Kids learn to understand their own internal needs for hunger and fullness. If you allow them to feed independently, they will automatically eat what is enough without overfeeding. Putting that trust in your kid as they self-feed is hard, but it will likely pay off as they are less likely to overeat.

How can I teach my child to self-feed?

1. Begin with encouraging hand-feeding

An excellent way to start teaching your baby to self-feed is by placing a few pieces of food on the child's bowl and allowing them to play with it. It may look as if the baby is not doing much about eating, but that is how the baby will start learning.

• Provide the child with a suitable spoon.

There are specific spoons suitable for children, which are angled with bulky rubber holds available in all sizes and shapes. They can grab them tightly and aim the food in the angled spoon to the mouth easily.

• Eating together

Families having the same mealtimes set an excellent example to the baby as they watch how other members feed. They also learn how to use utensils found in the dining. Also, try to do the following tips for the child while eating together:

• Place the food bowl on the table so that each family member  can serve themselves
• Prepare the kid's meals from the same foods as the rest of the family
• Position your child’s seat at the table so that they can watch you eating and stay focused while feeding

• Have patience

It always takes time for kids to learn self-feeding, where some will learn faster than others. It is essential to avail them of varieties of food with different flavours, tastes and textures.

• Be a role model.

A parent can demonstrate to the child how to use a spoon or fork by moving it to your mouth. Make it fun and ask the baby to do the same several times.

• Embrace the untidiness

When the kid starts self-feeding, the house will always look untidy and frustrating to a parent. The whole floor will be scattered with food as the kid moves the food all over the house. It is okay to allow the child to explore as they will eventual learn to settle and eat. Parents can use nice words or rewards when the child doesn’t mess the floor. This helps the child understand you’re happy when they don’t mess or play with their food.

• Hand over hand

If the baby struggles to self-feed with a spoon, it is good to place your hand over theirs, holding the spoon gently and guiding them to their mouth. The hand directing procedure is very effective when training your baby to self-feed.

• Have an appetite schedule.

It is good if a parent establishes a routine to allow the kid to know what to expect each day and have a schedule of meals and snacks.

• Give your child control.

Let your child make decisions about food and develop independence. Let them decide what they want to eat and how much they want to eat. Don't force them to finish if they are full to avoid unhealthy eating habits.

As the kids grow the self-feeding becomes a norm and they learn how to tidy up. It’s nice journey that requires utmost patience.