athena1277 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 How can I help my dd(8) not be a super messy eater? She eats cereal and there's a mess all around her bowl when she's done. I fix rice with dinner and she gets it everywhere. I kind of understand about crumbs from sandwiches, because she is on a GF diet and GF bread is unavoidably crumbly. But does it have to be all over her chair and floor when she is done?:banghead: I have been trying and trying to help her not be so messy, but nothing seems to work. Ds(3) eats much neater than she does, so I know it's possible for an 8yo to eat better than she does, I just don't know how to get her to that point. Any ideas or suggestions? I do make her clean up her mess, but that doesn't do anything to make it less of a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Dd has a friend who's messy--it's rather endearing, actually! Is she taking small enough bites? Eating too fast? How is her dexterity--and eye-hand coordination? Is she spatially aware in general, or is it a problem elsewhere? Half the problem is speed, the other half is getting the food to the mouth, IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 With my dd7, a lot of it has to do with the fact that she doesn't close her mouth when she chews. We've been working on that. I remind her to close her lips when she chews. She also has a tendency to keep shoving more food in before she's even chewed what's in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilliams Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Look at this problem the same as legible handwriting. Is she sitting at an appropriate sized chair and table height? Can you modify to give her more stability? Is her chair close to the table? Is the plate flat? Try a shallow bowl to help her scoop the food on the spoon. Is the spoon handle too narrow? Can you give her a spoon with a larger handle? Think fat pencil versus skinny pencil. Does she lean forward over the table so spills go back on plate? Is she overloading her spoon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 In my experience, it's a personality thing. If you keep gently correcting and having her clean up the mess, she will probably get better as she matures, but she may never be as neat as someone with a different personality type. Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Ds5 has a friend that is much messier than he is. Friend is 6. For these 2 boys, it is a hand eye coordination thing. Ds is much more coordinated than his friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 LLL is messy about everything: eating, her room, her hair, her clothes, playing in the dirt. It just is her personality. She's also clumsy, often spilling her water glass at the dinner table. We're working on it, but trying not to make a big deal out of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Between my three eaters, and the countless children I have had at my home for meal times, these are some factors I've noticed involved in messy eating. Chair not appropriate distance from the table. Not sitting up properly. Not eating over the plate. Chewing with the mouth open. Taking bites too big or overloading the utensil. Mishandling the utensils. Bad grip on the utensils. Bouncing and fidgeting. Not paying attention. We had one child visit that holds her utensil too loosely. She dropped her fork about 7 times during lunch. My oldest has an issue with spoons for the longest time. He kept tipping the spoon backward, because his chin was tipped downward and all of his soup or cereal would pour out of the spoon, into the bowl or more frequently on the table. Observe your daughter eating so you can find out where the problem is. Then mention your observations. Help work with her. She may not be aware of something that she is doing that is contributing to the mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Does she overfill her spoon? We've had that problem here, and with coaching the problem is reducing. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 My 7 yr ols is a very messy eater. He is also super clumsy. He trips on thin air. He's been evaluated by an OT and is diagnosed with a "Coordination Dysfunction." Still makes me giggle, but it is hard on ds. He's often very frustrated because he has trouble doing what he tries to do. I keep that in mind so I don't get frustrated as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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