Should Your Baby Start Self-feeding?
By the time your baby completes 12 months, he/she should be able to feed themselves with their fingers and chew food well. However, this differs from each baby. While some can start feeding themselves by 12 months, some might take 16-18 months or more. Give your baby the space to be an independent feeder. They might also start using a spoon while not being entirely successful at it. However, you can guide your baby to do so. A child usually mimics the habits of adults around him/her. To instil good feeding habits in your child, make sure to have at least one meal a day together.
Introducing Different Kinds of Food Items
Since your toddler is more curious to try out new food items, it is a good time to introduce all healthy foods such as fruits (banana, grapes, apples, oranges, etc) and vegetables (spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, kale, carrots, etc). This helps your child to develop a taste for different food items. Make sure to provide these food items either boiled or chopped to chewable pieces to make it easier for your baby to feed itself.
After your child turns one, you can continue with breastfeeding while you slowly introduce other dairy products in the diet plan. You can try feeding him/her milkshakes, kheer, puddings, yoghurt, or paneer instead. Most importantly, keep the intake of fatty and sugary foods like sweets and deep-fried items at a minimum.
Here is How You Can Make Food Fun
This is a right time for you to experiment with your child’s food and make it fun for them to eat. You can start with serving food in colourful bowls, with interesting patterns and cartoon figures. Mix different food items─ broccoli with potato or paneer with rice. Try making a smiley face with sandwiches or use cookie cutlery for food items like idlis and rotis to give them interesting shapes.
Force-feeding might not be a solution to your baby’s diet changes. Give you and your child the space to experiment his/her tastes and preferences. Monitor the eating changes in your child and include a variety of food items as a part of the meal plan. Most importantly, make sure your child gets all the essential nutrients required.
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