Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-06-29 | Page 8 | Your Baby and Mine

Your Baby I And Mine By MYRTLE t MEYER t ELDRED SELF FEEDING PREVENTS MISBEHAVIOR MIS MIS- DEliA BEHAVIOR VIOR AT TABLE The necessity for initiating the habit of self feeding arises during th the thelast thelast last half of the first year Not only Is it essential that the child learn how to manipulate feeding tools but also this habit prevents much misbehavior at the table The idle child whose only duty is to open his mouth at intervals intervals in in- and accept the food that is stuffed into it the child whose appetite appetite appe appe- tite docs does not reach to the heights expected ex cx- by his mother is inevitably a restless child I If he doesn't stand standup up and demand to be let out of his high chair hell he'll amuse himself himsel by pushing awa away the food or turning his tiis face coquettishly out of line of the spoon in order to while away those monotonous periods SELF FEEDING There may be a good reason for the childs child's which should inspire his mother not to force food on him but in lii most cases the childs child's restlessness at the table ends when he ic is busy feeding himself himsel Self feeding may be started as early as is the ninth month At this time the child should be well used to spoons as playthings and should know something something something some some- thing about the art of or filling the spoon and dumping its contents What he has to learn now is to fill the he spoon from his plate and find the way to his mouth Give the child an ordinary long-handled long spoon which he can grasp right at the bowl Show him how to direct it toward the plate push it along until loaded and then hen bring it to his mouth Make use of some simple phrase such as Fill spoon put in mouth and repeat this constantly while the art is progress progress- ing ng Words are arc so confusing to a achild achild achild child that he is in some doubt about our meaning when we use various phrases for the same ceremony DONT DON'T FUSS oUSS The mother may hold the spoon lightly to show shuw baby what she wants and ind she should be satisfied at first with two or three spoonfuls successfully successfully successfully success success- fully manipulated Baby Daby ver very often oHen pours the contents of oC the spoon on the floor Mother l can caner er very easily show him that this isn't the thing he is learning to do There is no use making a great fuss about it as ns this only eggs the child on to repeat the exciting perform performance ance Remove the plate for a moment moment mo ment and when he is ready to cat eat again ngam bring it back within reach and say Fill up the spoon put in mouth and expect that he wants to do just that HELP OUT The moment he shows definite signs of fatigue take his spoon away awny and finish the feeding We want the thc baby aby to enjoy feeding himself and it itis itis its is s better to stop just this side of boredom boredom bore bore- dom than to risk sickening him of the duty It is sometimes mes more convenient for the mother to give the child every ery other spoonful herself thus showing him a constant example of exactly how low to feed himself and also managing manag manage ing to get through before baby is worn out I Tomorrow When In Doubt Do N Nothing S. S I