Encouraging independence in nutrition

Food is a crucial part of every human being's life. From the moment we are born, it is necessary to feed ourselves in order to survive and grow healthily.

As we grow older, our diets become more diverse and complex; we learn to eat different types of foods and make choices about what we eat. It is in this learning process that we can foster independence in our children's eating. When we give them the opportunity to make decisions about what they eat, we are giving them tools to become more independent and responsible. In turn, we are helping them develop self-esteem and self-confidence.

The treatment

Nothing positive is achieved for a child when we impose our adult character on them. The best alternative in infant education is to try, by means of suggestion, to make them interested in food. A good treatment to the children facilitates a healthy learning, therefore we allow them to achieve their autonomy in the feeding with affection. All aspects of training are influenced by the level of commitment we show when we learn to treat children respectfully.

Difficulty

For many purposes, as parents we tend to demand a certain level of performance that hinders the child's interest in food. We first understand that the processes of assimilation of information are individual and we need to know what the learning pace of our children is. It is good to pay attention because if they present difficulties during feeding, we can give them the opportunity to make mistakes and creatively look for solutions that facilitate their correct assimilation. The level of autonomy they will assume in the future and the emotionality they will project to reach their achievements depend on feeding, since we encourage the expansion of their sensory experience.

The schedules

An element that we should not neglect for a better teaching of our children is the respect and fulfillment of life schedules. We can instill in them the limits for change of activity by increasing awareness of their time. Playtime, eating, bathing and sleeping schedules all play an important role in understanding the discipline we want for them. Nutrition time needs to be as regular and enjoyable as possible as the rest of the child's life schedule depends on it.

The space

In order to instill good eating habits in our children at an early age, it is necessary to select an adequate space. Sitting at the table with the family, surrounded by a familiar and cozy atmosphere help to make their time enriching. It is not advisable for the child to eat standing up or in an inappropriate place such as public spaces or in the playroom because it destabilizes the assimilation of obedience. Something unfavorable during mealtimes are distractions, which affect the correct digestive assimilation of food and nutritional learning.