Question/Answer

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Here's a question I recently got asked:

What do I do when I can’t get my 10 month old to eat and they

just want to throw their spoon?

ANSWER:

Empathy comes first!

Here's a few things to think about:
What might be going on?
Is he just trying to play a game? Maybe. Is she frustrated? Maybe.
What else? What might it be like to be this child in this situation?
How long have they been sitting in this chair?

What else might have been going on that day? Is it possible that the child doesn’t know how to communicate what he really wants to this person?

Is she tired? Or he's hungry, but wants something different eat? Or maybe I'm the problem (not giving him my full attention).

These questions should help get your heart in the right place!

Now, as a parent – how do I lovingly set limits so that my child comes to understand that even if this (food, spoon, situation, etc.) isn’t what they want, they need to learn to communicate in a respectful and kind way?

Perhaps, they could just be telling me they are done with that food. As I'm removing the carrots, I might say, in a really loving way, “Are you done with carrots?" Then do the teaching: "Oohh, say ‘All done’” and present them with something different. “Did you want peaches or peas?” Give them a choice before they get too upset. Generally, if they throw their spoon again, with as much compassion as I can, I say, “Ooohhh, looks like you’re alllll done.” With lots of love and care, I scoop them up. set them down and send them on their way.


I thought I'd be fun to do a Question of the Week. So if you have a question, you can either leave a comment with the question or email natalie@kerimaughan.com and I'll answer one a week.