Table Manners for Toddlers

Toddlers are not known to be the politest of eaters, but now is a good time to start teaching your child some basic table manners. Starting when your child is young will help ensure that good table manners become habits for life. Here is a list of basic table manners to start working on with toddlers and young children, as well as some tips for encouraging them in your child.

Table Manners

While it's too early for learning how to use a knife and fork and the proper way to sip soup, there are some basic table manners that are easy to learn for toddlers and young children. Eating with a spoon and fork is one of those manners. It is usually taught once a child is about a year old, when you move from feeding your baby yourself to letting your toddler feed herself. Encourage the use of her fork or spoon, as many toddlers prefer their hands which may be easier to eat with. Another important table manner for an older toddler is to say please and thank you when asking for foods as well as when you are handed your plate. Eating slowly is another important table manner, both for politeness' and safety's sake. Eating too fast can cause choking if there is too much in your toddler's mouth. Finally, encourage your toddler to chew with their mouth closed and not to talk with a full mouth.

Model the Behavior Yourself

This is probably the most important and helpful way to teach your toddler good table manners. If you regularly talk with your mouth full and sit with your elbows on the table, you can't expect your child not to do those things. So, for example, if you want to encourage your toddler to say thank you when handed her dinner, do the same when handed your dinner plate and have other family members do so as well. Eat slowly to model careful and safe eating to your child (eating slowly has an added benefit for you: researchers say it may help you avoid overeating, as eating slowly gives the brain time to realize when the stomach has eaten enough.)

Use Gentle Reminders
A toddler or young child can be expected to forget sometimes and eat with his mouth open or talk with a full mouth. Rather than getting angry at him or getting annoyed, gently remind your child that it is not polite. Since toddlers are sometimes hard to reason with, and probably won't understand fully when you explain the logistics behind certain manners, you could also use a visual reminder. One example would be to hold your lips together with your thumb and pointer finger, to remind him to chew quietly or not to talk with food in his mouth. Of course, continue to model the behavior yourself and give your toddler time for good table manners to become a habit.