February 2017
The Tr ansitional Eater
SEMI- SOLIDANDSOLIDS
Swit ching t o Tabl eFoods
W hen a child r eaches the age of 8-15 m onths, they w ill begin
joining the r est of the fam ily at r egular m ealtim es. This typically consists of 3 m ain m eals + 2
DIVIDED
RESPONSIBILITY
W hile a child is still
lear ning how to eat as
w ell as w hat they enjoy
eating, it is im por tant to
r em em ber that ther e is
divided r esponsibility
betw een the
par ent/car egiver and the
child. The
par ent/car egiver is
r esponsible for offer ing
inviting, healthy m eals.
The child is r esponsible
for deciding if they ar e
hungr y, w hat they w ould
like to eat, and how m uch
they w ould like to eat.
This division of
r esponsibility is vital to
developing eating
com petency.
eat ing
compet ency
snacks. These young childr en w ill begin lear ning about new
sem i-solid and solid foods and how to get them fr om the plate,
into their m ouths!
At this tim e in a child's
life, they ar e ver y m uch
so in tune w ith their
instinctual eating habits.
That is, they under stand
w hen they ar e hungr y
and w hen they ar e
satisfied. They w ill
com m unicate this in
var ious w ays, in attem pt to help you under stand w hat they ar e
feeling dur ing the m eal tim e. If a child is not hungr y or is feeling
full, they w ill show num er ous cues. These cues m ay include:
- Cover ing or blocking their m outh w ith their hands
- Tur ning their head aw ay fr om their plate
- Keeping their m outh closed
- Show ing signs of ir r itation (cr ying, fussing)
It is im por tant to r espect the cues that ar e expr essed by the child,
show ing that they ar e under stood and they ar e in contr ol of w hat
and how m uch that they eat.
W hile this child is lear ning how to feed them selves, r em em ber to
show them that they ar e in contr ol. Allow the child to eat nothing
at all or their entir e plate of food- as long as it is their decision
and they ar e not pr essur ed to eat.

Eating w ith Toddler s
LEARNINGNEWFOODS
AToddl er 's Food Jour ney
W hen a child r eaches the age of ar ound 2-3 year s old, they
w ill begin eating table foods that ar e sim ilar , if not the sam e
DIVIDED
RESPONSIBILITY
W hile a child is still
lear ning how to eat as
w ell as w hat they enjoy
eating, it is im por tant to
r em em ber that ther e is
divided r esponsibility
betw een the
par ent/car egiver and the
child. The
par ent/car egiver is
r esponsible for offer ing
inviting, healthy m eals.
The child is r esponsible
for deciding if they ar e
hungr y, w hat they w ould
like to eat, and how m uch
they w ould like to eat.
This division of
r esponsibility is vital to
developing eating
com petency.
February 2017
eat ing
compet ency
as the m eal that the entir e fam ily w ill be eating. This food m ay be
chopped sm aller , have a little less spices, or any other alter ations
to m ake it m or e
appealing and safe for
a child to consum e. At
this age, a child m ay be
eating w ith utensils, as
w ell as their finger s. This
is nor m al and is sim ply a
w ay for childr en to
becom e m or e fam iliar
w ith the foods they ar e eating, and slow ly tr ansition into using
utensils only.
Ther e ar e im por tant consider ations w hen sitting dow n to a m eal
w ith a toddler :
- M ake sur e the toddler has appr opr iate seating ar r angem ents so
that they can com for tably feed them selves at the table
- Tr y not to pr essur e a child to eat. Allow them to eat at their ow n
pace until they have declar ed that they ar e full
- Engage in conver sation at the table, allow ing the toddler to
independently focus on their ow n plate and food
- Avoid using the "clean your plate" r ule; allow the child to
deter m ine how m uch they feel like they need to eat
- W hen a child is done eating, help them clear their plate and set
them up w ith an activity or som ething else to focus on or do. This
show s that eating is dur ing a specific m ealtim e and w hen they
ar e done, the m eal is over.