Do A Baby's Eating Habits Change After 15 Months?

The early years of a child's development are an exciting and challenging time for new parents. A toddler's motor skills and vocabulary grow in leaps and bounds as the months go by. An important stage in a toddler's life is between the 15th and 18th months. This is when most children begin to perceive themselves as autonomous individuals and strive to assert their preferences. This is also when most children begin feeding themselves, and those two factors have a bearing on your toddler's eating habits.

15 Months

At 15 months of age, most toddlers are able to walk and eat finger-friendly foods. According to the Baby Center website, most are able to handle toddler-friendly forks and spoons by this age. Bear in mind that all children are different, so if yours reaches some milestones later than her peers, it's not usually a problem. At 15 months your toddler may start cutting molars, which causes some sleepless nights but will eventually increase the range of available foods. In the interim, most toddlers appreciate teething biscuits and other hard foods to gnaw on.

Preferences

By 15 months, your toddler can safely eat most foods. It isn't necessary to puree his meals any more, but most young children appreciate soft foods, which are easy to chew and swallow. Most toddlers will eat foods cut into small enough portions to be handled easily. This is the age when your child will become vocal and insistent about food preferences. Try to ensure that your toddler receives little exposure to sweets other than fruits and vegetables, such as sweet potatoes. A premature taste for desserts can result in a tot who refuses many healthy foods.

The Power of No

Many parents are startled when their toddler develops an appreciation of the word "no" at 15 months, and begins using it on all occasions. With some children, this means a suddenly picky eater refusing a range of foods. The best solution is to keep several kinds of food available, and offer either-or choices. Like older children, once toddlers have refused a food they're more likely to refuse it in future. However, offering a choice rather than a yes or no decision leaves your toddler feeling in control, and accepting a food once makes it more likely she will accept it in the future.

Good Food Habits

Your child's improved physical capabilities allow for lots of new foods to be introduced after 15 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Healthy Children website offers several pages of advice, from healthy snacks to minimizing dietary fat. Savvy parents can apply some creativity to these recommendations. Making foods fun for your newly mobile and newly independent toddler can improve his chances of developing good lifetime eating habits. At 15 months, every day is a voyage of adventure and discovery for your child. Guide his eating habits through this period of rapid change, and both you and your child will benefit for years to come.