When the baby is 4-6 months old, he begins to show interest in adult nutrition and during the same period, he first gets acquainted with fruits and vegetables in the form of mashed potatoes from a small spoon, to which the child has yet to get used to.
How to teach a child to a spoon – features
You may have noticed that before taking the spoon into the mouth, the baby’s tongue becomes like a small “roll” used to hold the mother’s breast or bottle nipple.
He then applies gentle pressure to the object, as he does to obtain liquid nourishment. Not having received the desired milk, some children refuse to eat from a spoon, simply because it is not customary.
To help your child, next time try a little pressure on the tongue so that the child intuitively understands that it is not necessary to use the sucking reflex with such nutrition. Put the new food on the very edge of the spoon, the child will feel the new taste before the hard surface and is more likely not to refuse to eat using cutlery.
Don’t be discouraged when your baby starts spitting out new food – it’s a part of learning all kids go through. Offer the spoon again and don’t be alarmed if he agrees to eat just a little.
Try to introduce the baby to a new food from a spoon every day at the same time, after a week, the child himself will begin to ask you for delicious food. To teach your child to eat from a spoon without any difficulties, check out the tips below:
- Use a small plastic spoon that is not as cold and hard as metal.
- Make sure your baby sees the approaching spoon, while feeding, he should look at you. Thus, the baby will quickly understand what will happen now and the risk of choking on food will be minimal.
- Do not remove the spoon while touching the upper lip or upper teeth. The mouth area is very sensitive, so the child may feel uncomfortable.
- Some babies propel food out with their tongue for a long time, always keep paper napkins near you.
- Is your child refusing to eat and turning away? Don’t insist. Offer an empty spoon for introductions and play, but don’t leave him alone to prevent choking.
Never force your baby, put off learning or introducing solid foods for a few days and try again. The desire to eat from a spoon will not manifest itself immediately, the main thing here is the support and approval of an adult. Learn more about first foods in this article .