Recently my stay at home daddy/husband gave my daughter a bowl and spoon a few times to try her hand (ha!) at eating. Over this weekend, while my in laws watched on Skype, my daughter showed that she can independently used a spoon to eat her meal out of a bowl. Since there have been times she flipped an offered bowl of food over, I never imagined it would happen all of a sudden. I can now believe the pictures in the book Baby-led Weaning with 20 month olds setting their own place at a low table and pouring their own water. Christine, of The Aums blog, told me her 19 month old places a napkin on her lap and wipes her mouth and hands through meals! My daughter has come a long way since her earliest explorations at 6 month (see first photo gallery). This required little effort, except for observing her for patterns, staying out the way as much as possible and cleaning up after, which has been less and less over time. With the snack station and other eating independence has come overall development of physical skills. This has been an amazing and amazingly easy-going journey. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Almost 14 months….
Positioning Food
Guiding food in mouth
Able to bite, even without teeth
Spoon and bowl...
[This typical Konkani food was lovingly made by my mother, who would tell you that the dal (lentil soup) was supposed to be sambar, but we didn't have sambar powder. Typically the idli (fermented and steamed rice/lentil cakes) are soaked in the sambar (tomato broth with vegetables). My daughter tried out spooning the dal onto her idli before picking it up to eat it. South Indians (and others) around the world love idli; my daughter does, too!]
Posted by Christine on December 27, 2010 at 4:46 pm
19 month old in our house also places a cloth napkin on her lap and wipes her mouth and hands throughout a meal…pretty cool!