Avoiding Pitfalls when Dining with a Toddler

Who doesn’t love a dinner date? There is something so universally appealing about sharing a meal with your loved one: eating delicious foods whilst engaging in conversation and enjoying each other’s company.

Of course, most of us have a different image in mind when the meal companion is a young child. Below are the three most common pitfalls you can avoid in order to have more enjoyable meals together.

Toddlers eating according to Montessori / Batole a jídlo podle Montessori

Embrace the mess (and the cleanup). Instead of hovering over your children to make sure they won’t spill or drop food, it’s much more pleasant to relax, expect mess to happen, and make sure the child has the tools to clean up (napkin, wet sponge or cloth, sweeper and mop). Here is a promise: if the sight of a two-year-old scrubbing their chair clean won’t make you smile, I will eat this article.
Don’t sweat the calories. It takes a lot of energy to force, plead, or threaten some children into eating the “correct” amount of food. While, in fact, you want your child to listen to their body’s signals and eat only as much as they need. Unless a child has certain medical conditions, it is completely safe and natural for their appetite and nutritional intake to vary widely. If you really find yourself worrying whether your child is eating enough, track the average they eat in a week.
Take the time for meals. Food is interesting and should be enjoyed and explored. However, set the expectation that during meals, we will focus only on food and one another. Just like checking your phone is a faux pas at a dinner date, toys, screens and wandering off should not be acceptable during your child’s meal. This healthy habit is very easy to implement – simply require that a child sits down to eat and help them clean up if they leave the table.

Toddler setting a table according to Montessori / Batole připravuje stůl podle Montessori

Eating with Montessori Toddlers /Jak jí batolata v Montessori jeslích

Teaching children to use cutlery and dishes / Jak učíme děti používat příbor a nádobí

By Michaela Tučková, IMSP Toddler Teacher

Want to learn more? Read our next article:

CREATING A MONTESSORI HOME

Comments

Další články

Mindful Walks and Experiential Learning in Elementary

Maria Montessori used to walk through the forests in India pulling leaves from trees to teach about their function and structure, digging in the soil to demonstrate the ubiquitousness of life, examining root systems and connecting them to academic ideas.

Let´s pack for a trip with your Toddler

Summer is the perfect time for trips and outings. A backpack of their very own is a great gift for an older toddler or a pre-schooler: It builds their independence and confidence as they actively participate in preparing for each trip, and then carry their necessities by themselves.

Benefits of Practical Life for Toddler Development

“The first thing to realize about these exercises of practical life is that their aim is not a practical one. Emphasis should be laid not on the word “practical” but on the word life. Their aim is to assist development.” E. M. Standing, Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work

Understanding your child's inner sense of order

Have you ever noticed that your child enjoys singing the same song over and over again, or wants you to repeat the same story for what feels like a million times? Dr. Montessori highlighted the importance of sensitive periods in children, which are known as windows of opportunities for children to develop skills, including movement, language and most definitely, order. A child’s need for external order is present as early as childbirth and peaks in their second year, before fading at about the age of 5. This period of development helps a child to develop a connection between themselves and the world, process information and overcome challenges.