Understand and Parent Your Almost-Toddler

Toddler Toddler Understand and Parent Your Almost-Toddler Understand and Parent Your Toddler

Understand and Parent Your Almost-Toddler Your almost-toddler wants to do things himself. He may suddenly—or slowly over time—let you know that he does not appreciate your feeding him by refusing to eat from the spoon. He wants to feed himself. He needs you as much as ever, and you haven’t spoiled him, he is just letting you know that he is not a baby anymore. You may not be ready for it, but he is! Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility in Feeding Beginning after the middle of the first year and moving into the second, parent and child make the transition to the division of responsibility of older children: The parent is responsible for the what, when and where of feeding; the child is responsible for how much and whether of eating. To gradually make the transition to the meals-plus-snacks routine of older children, parents make wise use of snacks to let the almost-toddler arrive at the family table hungry (but not famished) and ready to eat the food there. Your Child’s Growth and Development Your almost-toddler is learning that he is a separate person from you. He wants to do things himself. He still needs you as much as ever. How to Parent Your Almost-Toddler Recognize and support your child’s need to do it himself. Include your child at family meals. Let him be independent, but remain present. Give him attention but not all the attention. How to Parent Your Almost-Toddler with Respect to Feeding Time snacks and nipple feedings so he can be hungry but not starved at mealtimes. Have sit-down snacks. Choose “safe” food to pick up, chew and swallow. Eat with your child. Enjoy your own meals. Give him about a tablespoon of each food. Let him have more if he wants. Let him eat his way—much or little, fast or slowly, fingers or spoon. Be good company. Talk and answer. Eat with him—don't just feed. Give lots of chances to try new food and learn to like it. For a comprehensive set of educational materials that teach stage-related feeding and solve feeding problems, see ELLYN SATTER'S FEEDING IN PRIMARY CARE PREGNANCY THROUGH PRESCHOOL: Easy-to-Read Reproducible Masters (4th grade reading level, English and Spanish) and ELLYN SATTER'S NUTRITION AND FEEDING FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN: Handout Masters (7th grade reading level, English only). Copyright © 2005 by Ellyn Satter. For more about feeding your toddler, see Ellyn Satter’s Child of Mine; Feeding With Love and Good Sense or www.EllynSatter.com For permission to reproduce this handout, call (800)808-7976 or e-mail info@ellynsatter.com

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Ellyn Satter Associates
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