It’s that time of year again…turkey time! Are you ready for football, stuffing, pumpkin pie and family? We hope that you will have the opportunity to spend your holiday giving thanks with those you love!
While there are so many positive aspects of holidays, we Mommies are often finding ourselves being stressed about seeing relatives…especially those that may express their opinion about how our children are developing! Relax and remember that every child develops at his or her own pace!
Seeing as this coming holiday revolves around mealtime (we love routines!), this is your toddler’s opportunity to SHINE with their newest skills! Have you introduced using a spoon and fork, or drinking from an open cup? Need a place to start? We reached out to our Occupational Therapist friend, Hayley Phillips, M/OTRL, for some ideas!
You have about a week to practice! So, before you impress Grandma and Grandpa, or Great Aunt Esther, here are some ways to work on your child’s skills required for using a spoon or fork, and drinking from a cup, before you even introducing food or drink into the equation…
Side Note! To ensure optimal carry-over of skills, it is recommended to use the same type of utensils that the child eats with as he/she does for these play activities (i.e. the same handles).
If your child has difficulty maintaining grasp on the spoon/fork, a built-up handle or textured handle on the utensil can help your child maintain a better grasp on the utensils. (A cost effective and creative way to build up the handles on utensils is get some foam tubing of a small diameter and place over the handles).
If your child tends to turn the utensils over when bringing them to his/her mouth, trying a utensil with an arched handle is recommended (The arch makes it very difficult for the child to turn the utensil over).
Thank you, Hayley, for sharing these awesome ideas! What fun ways to learn such important “big kid” skills! Have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends…and give yourself a pat on the back when your little guy or girl scoops their own mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving!