Mealtime Activity: 24-30 Months

Continue to give your child food choices and encourage him to answer you with spoken words, as appropriate. He should also understand the number concept of "just one," and possibly even "two." Ask him to help set the table by giving him simple two-step directions, such as, "Take these spoons and put one next to each plate on the table." He can also help you in the kitchen when you're cooking by getting simple items out of low cabinets. For example, you could ask, "Can you please get me the muffin pan? It's inside this drawer." During mealtime, encourage him to poke his own food with a child-sized fork (with dull tines), as appropriate. By now, he's likely to be completely independent with a spoon and cup. You may also notice during this age span that he's becoming a bit more patient while waiting for his meal!

Possible Intervention Strategies & Supports

• Forcing a child to take bites of certain foods is usually not helpful and is often counter-productive, especially when a child is in the toddler stage  of wanting to assert his 'independence". It is better to continue to offer variety, variety, variety and keep bringing back and re-offering foods that he is resistant to try.

• Provide a reinforcer (e.g., a preferred food, praise, etc.) when introducing a non-preferred food. Use the "first/then" approach to encourage taking the non-preferred food first and then getting the reinforcer.

• If your child is having difficulty following oral directions, keep your sentences short and simple (e.g., "Get cup."). For two-step directions, put an emphasis on the word "and" (e.g., "Get cup AND fork.") to help him identify that there are two separate directions.

Tips

If your kitchen drawers are all too high for your child to reach, safely help him get up on a step stool with your assistance and supervision. When you give him food choices, try to visually show him the two choices instead of just saying them. Also, when using open drinking cups, make sure that you have him use sturdy plastic cups, as opposed to paper bathroom-type cups which can easily crumple and cause him to spill more...and then become frustrated!

Family Handout

Click here to download an editable one-page handout of this age range's mealtime activity, interventions, and tips.