April 28, 2007 10:35 AM
Mealtime for baby
Came across this on YouTube:
Now, this is a mom with good instincts. Some of us who grew up without younger siblings or poor parenting have to start from scratch to rethink how to do things with our own.
Here is what is great about this lunch scenario:
1) Lincoln is feeding himself - which encourages independence. Later he will learn to use a spoon, but the hand-to-mouth control will be already established.
2) Lincoln is having lots of practice with pincer grasp - which is vital to his later ability to wield a pencil or pen. The earlier this practice comes, the better - and food is a great motivator to practice :)
3) I like the way the mom handled it when Lincoln banged the plate - simply removing it. After a few repeats of this, he'll learn that plates aren't for banging.
4) Mom is carrying on a conversation. Mealtime is about so much more than eating - it's about social interaction and good feelings and loving the people in your family. This kind of early focus sets up a pattern for later on - when you will reap the blessing of having your teens and adult children linger at the table, wanting to talk with you.
I loved this video! Thanks for sharing!
Posted in Babies, Montessori, Mothering, Toddlers | Permalink
Comments
If only it were that easy.
Cheers
Posted by: mcewen | April 28, 2007 10:54 AM
It isn't always that easy, I know. And I often caution moms when I share something that although we need ideals to strive for, we have to make sure that our ideals don't become sources of discouragement, but sources of hope.
So if you look at a video like this where things seem to be going perfectly, you need to know that this mom too probably has less-than-perfect moments.
I've noticed that some people react to stuff like this with cynicism while others react to it with hope. I'm always on the side of hope. People who've been reading here a while know that I come from a very bad background. when I made a decision to become a good mother, I actually spent time going to the park to watch mothers interact with their children so I could learn what it should look like.
Maybe I'm weird, but I really truly enjoyed this little clip. It helped remind me to take more time with the children I still have at home - even if they're long past the high chair stage.
But I'm a hopeful kind of person. And I'm hoping there are some readers out there who feel that way too.
Posted by: barbara | April 28, 2007 11:08 AM
I love it! Thanks. My boys have all resisted spoon feeding and preferred to feed themselves. It makes for a much messier meal time, but other than that it works great!
Posted by: Carole | April 28, 2007 5:00 PM
Thanks for posting this!
I want to start off with finger foods with my daughter (4 and a half months now) when she starts showing interest in solids, but I'm getting a lot of advice from the in-laws that say you have to spoon feed them only mushy stuff. I don't know how old this boy is, but I'd like to do something like it.
Posted by: Misty | April 28, 2007 9:19 PM
Well, I react with hope. I am an adoptive mummy and our children will very likely never be that young, unless the Lord grants us the desire of our hearts, but still I can see how I can learn from that mother. Our son is now 3, old enough to feed himself, and all too often he sits alone at the dining table while I quickly eat standing up and getting a head with dishes or dealing with some other chore. When it is just the two of us to eat, I seldom make any effort at all and sometimes don't even clear the table properly. I can make more effort. I really liked how this mother gives her son real crockery. We do that too, and I think it makes a difference. Thanks for this cute video, Barbara.
Posted by: Lucy | April 30, 2007 4:36 AM
Barbara~ Thank you so much for posting my video, I am truly honored. We have such a fun time feeding Lincoln, and like another poster said, I definitely have my moments of cluelessness. As a first time mom, there are more moments like that than not! It took a while for Lincoln to learn how to use the pincer grasp, and it is because we gave him plenty of messy opportunity to practice. Lincoln is now almost 9 months old, but I recorded this video at about 7 1/2 months old.
Posted by: Katrina | May 1, 2007 11:44 AM
Anyone else notice that Lincoln is stinkin' CUTE?? And his mother is definitely one awesome mom.
Posted by: jpimpin06 | May 1, 2007 12:38 PM
jpimpin-- I noticed how adorable Lincoln was too!
Great mommy=great baby!
Posted by: JAK | May 2, 2007 11:38 AM
