With your baby, you are about to embark on one of the most exciting journeys of your life. Every mother must go through this rite of passage. And while this journey does indeed involve many, many sleepless nights and crazy stories, You’ll melt into a puddle of sheer happiness at times.
One of those developmental milestones will be when your baby goes through the first weaning stage. And it is this time-specific developmental moment, which will force them to explore the world outside the home by feeding themselves, reaching for objects, and eventually sitting up on their own. You can also ask yourself, why are babies so eager to get their hands on solid food?
Babies are so eager to get their hands on real dishes because their appetite grows as they grow up, meaning that you will have to keep a constant watch for the development of their teeth and gums.
What Is A Weaning Table?
A weaning table is usually a lightweight table that is a comfortable size and height for your little one. They usually have multiple compartments. This way, you can separate different foods without getting all mixed up. You can also choose a weaning table with three distinct sections, which will help your baby learn how to sort food into specific categories. With this comfortable furniture, little ones have the freedom to move independently.
And indeed, this child-sized furniture is designed for babies between 6 months and one year old. Most people recommend purchasing a weaning table once your baby is about three months old because this is the first time she understands how food looks and snack times.
What Should You Look for When Buying A Weaning Table?
- Generally, babies under six months do better with a lower or shorter weaning table. On the other hand, babies more than nine months normally do better with a higher or taller weaning table. It would be best to note that every child is different when it comes to growth and development, so this will also depend upon the child’s unique needs.
- Remember, when choosing the right weaning table for your baby, you are also choosing a place where she will be spending a lot of time. As such, you should make sure that the surface is free from sharp edges, which can hurt your baby.
- You should also think about giving your baby plenty of time to adjust to her new weaning table. If you are using a mobile or highchair and you want to switch over to a weaning table, give yourself two weeks at the very least to do so. In terms of safety, check for safety straps on the table’s legs and below the table to prevent your infant from falling over while eating.
What Are The Benefits of Using a Weaning Table?
- Promote Independence – By giving your baby a weaning table, you will be providing her with the opportunity to develop her sense of independence. This will prepare her for the more independent, non-dependent phase that she will experience as she grows up, typically around the 1-year mark.
- Teach Sorts – Teach your child about a variety of foods by placing those foods into separate compartments on the weaning table. This will assist kids in learning how to categorize things and recognize where they belong and what they should avoid.
- Give Them A Healthy Start in Life – Weaning tables are also used to teach kids about eating habits and provide opportunities to practice eating finger food early. Weaning tables are also used to teach children about eating habits and help them practice eating solid food at a young age.
- Reduce Food Regurgitation – Babies who have trouble learning to chew and swallow will swallow food again if it gets stuck in their windpipe. To avoid this, place a tiny cup or bowl beneath the weaning table so that your child has something to grab onto during feeding sessions.
- Teach Them To be Clean and Hygienic – Aside from using a weaning table for snacks, you can also use a weaning table as a teaching tool to teach your child about being clean. The table’s surface will be hygienic because it will get damp from the baby’s drool, making it a suitable space for washing dishes and cleaning up messes in general.
- Learn Table Manners – Weaning tables also help children learn about table manners. Place a few placemats around the surface of the table to help your baby practice sitting properly and learning to eat slowly, as well as feeding themselves appropriately.
Reasons Why You Need A Montessori Weaning Table For Your Baby
1. Prepares your baby for toddlerhood
By using this child sized table, you are helping your baby prepare for her transition to toddlerhood because she will be developing motor skills and interacting more with you. She might get distracted by the different types of food available to her on the weaning table. Since she cannot speak yet, the Montessori style method begins. You will have to offer yourself an example to the child by demonstrating what they should do next with the food — either scoop it up using a spoon or bring it closer to their mouth. You can even let them explore before giving them guidance on what they should do next.
2. Great for self-feeding
Even though this is something that a baby will learn to do along the way, it is still great to have a weaning table that allows them to practice self-feeding. Suppose the weaning table has multiple compartments containing tasty food like her favorite fruits and vegetables. In that case, your baby can work on those fine motor skills by using a spoon to pick up various objects and putting them into her mouth. They might start developing their eating habits by picking up pieces of food and putting them back down again because they aren’t yet ready to eat it.
3. Provides you with multi-compartment eating areas
If you’re concerned that your baby may get her meals mixed up, then a weaning table is the ideal solution. This way, the various compartments will allow your baby to learn how to organize and sort food by putting it in portions based on their size. For example, if there are fruits with different colors and sizes, she will learn not to overeat any food because it might be too big for her. She will also learn not to eat all at once because it may be too small for her.
4. Keeps your child active and occupied
The ability to play as they feed is an important precursor to her later development of self-confidence and independence in the toddler years. This is an area where you can teach your child how to be a productive member of society. And by playing along with her, you can help maintain her interest in feeding and help them develop their fine motor skills through different hands-on activities.
5. Promotes healthy eating habits
By using a weaning table for meals, you are helping your child develop healthy eating habits. For example, if they are exposed to the proper foods at the right time of their growth period, they will learn to eat normal-sized portions. They will also learn to appreciate color and texture variation in their food to help them develop better taste buds. You may also limit how much food they eat by imposing nutrition and portion restrictions on them. You would already be saving money on a pediatrician’s bill because there would be no need to visit the doctor so often since they will get better nutrition from the weaning table when appropriately used.
6. Helps you understand a baby’s behavior
You can learn better ways to connect with your child by simply observing their progress on the weaning table. You can watch how they develop their fine motor skills, eating habits, and hand-eye coordination. You will also see what they learn from the food available on the weaning table by observing how they interact with their environment. The more you understand your child’s growth, the better. The relationship you will have with them as weaning progresses since you will better deal with their behavior.
7. Can help your child transition to eating solid food
By using this Montessori toddler furniture, you are helping your child learn how to transition from drinking milk from his bottle to eating solid food. The weaning table will be something they can learn to pick up and hold onto on their own since it can be heavy enough to move around as they eat. They will also become more accustomed to using utensils, understand the concept of meal times and start interacting with the world around them in preparation for when they eventually begin transitioning into toddlerhood, which happens at about one year of age.
Final thought
Montessori weaning tables are fantastic for your baby’s overall development. They are a great way to get them to eat different foods, and they will grow accustomed to the tastes of various types of food early on by having them taste other fruits and vegetables. This way, they won’t be picky eaters as they get older because they will appreciate all the different types of food out there. Montessori Academy understands the importance of healthy growth, and weaning tables are a big part of that. So we encourage you to pick up a weaning table for your baby.
Contact us at (310) 215 -3388 in Culver City and (323) 795-0200 in West Adams to learn more.
