A spoon clattering to the floor or a puddle of jelly on the table is likely to delight a little one. As a parent, be firm in those moments. As a parent, calmly but decisively stop any attempts by your child to flip their soup bowl or dig their fingers into their porridge, and make it clear that this behavior is not acceptable.
If you don’t address the behavior early and then suddenly start enforcing rules later, you’ll likely face trouble and hurt feelings. Your child needs to learn that the dining table is not a place for play. They won’t learn that if you give them toys at mealtime or try to rush their feeding.
You can’t expect your little one to sit perfectly still and do nothing but open their mouth during meals. As a parent, engage them in conversation and spark their interest in the food and the act of eating.
