From 18 months your baby he will begin to take his first solid foods by hand. His abilities have developed enough to be able to coordinate his little hands and put them in his mouth.
Gradually, he will try to take the spoon to imitate the elders. And without hardly realizing it, your baby will eat alone! Although at first it seems a bit awkward, with your help and daily practice it will be increasingly independent. It is time to teach you some basic postural hygiene guidelines. At lunchtime, maintaining good posture is key to its development.
Why posture is important when eating
Teaching your baby to adopt the correct posture when she is eating will help her to swallow and digest the food correctly and healthily. Thus we reduce the risk of our baby suffering from choking, cramping and postural asphyxiation.
Bad posture can cause neck and back damage
It is also essential not to take bad habits that may impair your physical development, since bad posture can cause neck and back damage.
The proper way to sit at the table is by adopting a straight posture, with your back resting on the back of the chair or slightly detached from it, but always maintaining the verticality of the back.
How to help your baby adopt the correct posture
Once the baby has enough maturity and is ready to sit with his back straight, you can practice with him specific exercises to facilitate your sitting without overwhelming him. For example, place a blanket on the floor and lie on your back, take it from the wrists and pull them gently to incorporate it little by little.
By playing we can help the baby strengthen his back and develop his sense of balance
You can also sit on your lap and play with him "walking, jogging and galloping." These types of games, in addition to helping you strengthen your back, develop your sense of balance, which is essential so you can get to sit without falling.
To obtain that the little one feels right at the table, approved child restraint systems are essential. Young children tend to bend their back slightly when they sit. It is their natural posture and we cannot force them.
A highchair capable of adapting to its growth as Polly Progres5 will always guarantee a good posture so that the child can integrate and eat with the family.
Polly Progres5 is the only one evolutionary highchair It adapts to the different stages of baby growth, from birth to 3 years, thanks to its five different configurations. From hammock to high chair and high chair to booster seat, in a single article. In each of its positions it helps the child to feel comfortable, can handle food with ease, does not hurt himself, integrates into the family environment and eats in a good posture.
What postures to avoid
Using fluffy pillows and pillows as support is not recommended, since they force the baby to adopt forced postures that can be harmful to his back.
It is not advisable to use pillows and cushions as support
It is also not convenient to let the baby get used to curving his back and tilt the chin towards the inside of your chest, since in this way you run the risk of suffering postural asphyxiation. Although this is related, above all, to the car seats, it can happen in any posture in which the baby leans on himself reaching to support the chin on the chest.
In general, although we can practice games and exercises that help our baby sit or sit, the ideal is that let's respect each baby's own rhythm and do not hurry or force him to adopt positions in which he feels uncomfortable.
Sitting down to eat alone on his high chair, sharing the same table as his parents, the schedule and the family dining room, will also expose the little one to new stimuli, will foster his autonomy, his desire to know everything and will further awaken his senses.
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Images | iStock / PavelKriuchkov / Avatar_023.
