While parents are caregivers for babies, they also need to train their children to be independent and free-thinkers. If you’ve noticed, that’s always the norm in the jungle kingdom. From birds to mammals, parents teach their kids to fly or hunt, and then let them live on their own.
With human babies though, that cycle is far longer – 18 to 21 years at least.
Now, we are not saying that you teach your child to hunt food and leave them out in the open. But making them self reliant and independent will surely give them the skills to deal with the world confidently and on their own terms.
That’s exactly what this mum has been practising with her 17-month old baby.
TikTok user Laura with the username @lauralove5514 has been sharing videos of her parenting tricks and tips, which recently caught the attention of several users. The mum, in her viral video, showed her 17-month-old toddler Jonah, making his own snack much to the surprise of other users.
While we’ve shared several recipes of homemade snacks for toddlers, this for the first time we bring you homemade snacks by a toddler.
Making Homemade Snacks For Toddlers Using Gentle Parenting
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Laura is a mum to a three-year-old and a 17-month-old baby and practices gentle parenting. This is where parents treat their children as equals and encourage them to learn good behaviour.
The mum is trying to make her kids self-reliant from a young age, she says. And this includes doing everyday tasks on their own.
In the video shared on TikTok, the toddler can be seen making his own snack, albeit following instructions from the mum. The video shows Jonah trying to peel a banana. When he struggles, the mum demonstrates first how to do it and then lets the toddler try again.
In the next sequence, Jonah can be seen using a child-safe slicer to spread chocolate hummus on a piece of bread. The little one finds it difficult to do the task, but once again, the mum steps in and demonstrates the same to the baby.
Laura explains her actions, “If he’s having difficulty with something, I will model to him or use hand-over-hand one time to explain how it’s done and then after that I just kind of let him do his thing. It’s important to try not to fix what they’re doing.”
She further adds, “If I were to go in after and add more hummus or spread it out more, that would give him the idea that his job wasn’t good enough, which would defeat the purpose of trying to give him self confidence and independence.”
The video shows Jonah making his snack, which includes a piece of bread covered in chocolate hummus, and two small banana slices. Boy, that’s some hard work and indeed impressive from the little one!
Netizens Love The Idea Of Toddler Making His Own Snack
Viewers truly appreciated Laura’s parenting style and Jonah’s snack-making skills too.
One user wrote, “You’re teaching them to be independent and that’s a wonderful thing. I did the same with my boys.”
Another viewer commented, “I love this. It actually builds confidence. This kid [is] gonna be a champ.”
One user rightly said, “This is how you prepare a child for life.”
That’s why many experts believe that preparing children to be independent at a young age makes them more successful as adults. This is largely to do with the fact that independence comes from a certain degree of discipline and that helps adults navigate through life in a better fashion.
When kids learn to be independent at a young age, you are not only encouraging them to be independent of taking care of themselves but also of developing their own personality, career, and life choices.
The key is to encourage them and every effort they make to learn and grow on their own. As parents, you will also always be their guiding light and voice of reason, but you cannot shield them from all the shortcomings in life.
That’s why Laura’s parenting technique isn’t just about teaching her kids new skills. It’s also about allowing them to make mistakes and learning from the same.
3 Homemade Snacks For Toddlers That They Can Also Make At Home
Let your child try these homemade snacks for toddlers, under your supervision of course.
1. Apple race car
Image Source: Pexels
A recipe your toddler can make on their own and even get creative with it. This one takes little effort and is absolutely safe.
Ingredients:
- 4 jazz apple
- 16 green grapes (cut in half)
Method:
- Cut two full cheeks from the apples and slice out to create a wedge. Parents can make the slices for the kids beforehand.
- Slide the toothpicks through each apple wedge to create car axles.
- Place half-cut grape on each side of the toothpick to make the look like wheels
- Serve on a plate.
2. Two-ingredient pancake
homemade snacks for toddlers
Kids love smoothies and a banana smoothie is bound to be a hit and give them the right nourishment at any time of the day.
Ingredients:
Method:
- Mash the ripe bananas well.
- Beat the eggs and add them to the mashed bananas until well combined.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over low medium heat.
- Add a small cup of the batter to the pan.
- Cook until bubbles form on the surface. Then flip the pancake and let it cook for about two minutes.
- Serve with maple syrup or honey.
3. Three-ingredient mini muffins
Image Source: Pexels
You can try this recipe with older kids and have a blast decorating the muffins. The more batches you make, the more fun it will be.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup thickened cream
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180-degree Celsius.
- Spray the mini muffin tin with cooking spray and keep it aside.
- Take a bowl and mix the flour and sugar together.
- Add the cream and fold the mixture using until all the ingredients are mixed well.
- Add the mixture into the muffin tin and let it bake for 15-20 minutes
- Parents, remove the baked muffins from the oven and it cool for two minutes.
- Garnish with chocolates and candy.
ALSO READ:
How Much Snacking Is Too Much Snacking For An 11 Month Baby?
How To Tame Your Snack Monster
