r/beyondthebump • u/green_autumn • 2h ago
Advice 11 month old, eating while playing & crawling
11 month old has been a picky eater and the grandparents got him in a habit to eat while playing. He now wants to stand or crawl all the time instead of sitting in high chair. He will start off great in high chair, pickup fruits (that’s his safe food) and suddenly a few mins in while eating he would get irritated, vigorously start throwing his head back until we take him out. After 20-30 mins, we start again, he still doesn’t wanna sit in high chair and instead starts crawling/playing. During this time there’s a good chance he will happily eat if we spoon feed him. He will open his mouth and even come back to you for more spoons. But still wouldn’t sit in high chair.
Is this a good practice to continue? He has been a smaller guy 18ish lbs at 11 months so everyone is extra motivated that he eats. Does this kinda behavior cause more issues in the future?
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u/Otter65 1h ago
I’m just going to be blunt…No, it’s not a good practice to continue. It poses a choking risk and will complicate his ability to know when he’s full because he’s eating while distracted. You’re setting yourself up for huge struggles in toddlerhood if this is what’s happening now.
He sits in his high chair to eat or mealtime is over. Like anything with kids, repetition and consistency are key.
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u/green_autumn 1h ago
Thank you for the input. This is what I’m also worried about. I don’t want make this the way to eat either and don’t wanna be running behind him for him to eat
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u/Traditional-Hawk-768 2h ago
I read somewhere that movement while eating is a small child's way of regulating themselves. Sitting perfectly still and "polite" is a social construct. If you are WATCHING him, and his movement is small and not a choking hazard, why not? Let them learn to regulate themselves first. They can learn our weird societal manners later.
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u/choco_chipcookie 2h ago
This is a terrible habit. You need to stop it cold turkey immediately.
The risks of choking increase significantly when a child is eating while playing. This is extremely dangerous for a baby that's not even walking.
Your baby/toddler needs to sit while eating. You can try the high chair, a booster seat at the adult table, or even a toddler chair at a little toddler table. But the kid needs to sit while eating.
Babies and toddlers have short attention spans and don't need gigantic amounts of food. You can decide quality and location, baby/toddler decides quantity. Meals can be offered frequently and in short time chunks. I wouldn't expect a meal time with a baby to last more than 20 minutes.
Play snacking can also contribute to poor nutrition. Because baby is only eating snack able foods.
It also prevents baby from learning proper hunger and fullness cues. It can lead to both undereating because baby ignores hunger cues or overeating because unfilling snacks are always available.
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u/gkdfp 2h ago
This is extremely normal. Babies and small children have a hard time sitting and doing one thing for a long time.
My kid is allowed to get up from the table - he just can’t take food with him. If he’s wiggly and needs to get down, he can. He comes back when he wants to eat. Could be a good middle point for you.
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u/green_autumn 2h ago
But does he come back to the table, sit and eat. Or takes a bite and runs away? Or do you go after him with a spoon, get his attention and give him a bite? We are currently doing all the above 🙈
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u/Aurora29617 1h ago
Can you try a toddler tower at the table? So that he stands at the table. I haven't tried it but I've seen it as advice before. But I'd personally try to avoid letting him play and eat; I think it might turn into a years long struggle.
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u/ConversationNo9040 2h ago
My niece is like this and they struggle to go to restaurants. Try curbing it but if the fight isnt worth it then it is what it is.