Recently, a Bengaluru based nutritionist’s (fitnaari.india) post grabbed attention, in which she spoke about Baby led weaning (BLW-offering your child finger food that they can eat on their own). For this, she put up a video in which her child is eating on her own on a high chair, but so is her househelp’s child, but on the floor. While her idea was to talk about how BLW is part of our Indian tradition, she was brutally trolled for making her househelp’s kid sit on the floor.However, the trolling apart, many users commented that sitting on the floor is actually beneficial for a child, though it might sound a little unconventional to the Western world. Here is how eating on the floor can support your child’s development.
Enhances Sensory Development
Eating on the floor allows children to see and feel food “upfront”. This “food play” is incredibly beneficial for sensory development. Children can explore different textures, colors, shapes, and smells of food items, which acts as a sensory playground . Squishing, squeezing, and manipulating food helps strengthen hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.For picky eaters, this can actually be quite helpful. By interacting with food, children can gradually become more comfortable with unfamiliar foods, which they were earlier too anxious to try. This exploration activity encourages independence and self-feeding skills, as children naturally use their hands to eat.
Betters posture
Traditional high chairs, especially those without proper footrests, can be uncomfortable for kids. When children’s feet dangle in the air, they have to use their core muscles to stabilize, leading to tiredness and potentially eating less.Eating on the floor, particularly in positions like crossing their legs, can naturally promote better posture. It also opens the children’s hip joints, and provides more flexibility to their pelvis and legs . This ergonomic position can reduce fatigue, improve attention during mealtime, and even decrease the risk of choking. This apart, it also strengthens finger and hand muscles, essential for fine motor skills, and builds muscles in the mouth, tongue, and jaw, which are important for eating, drinking, and speaking.
Makes them independent
When children eat on the floor, they often have more freedom to explore food at their own pace, without someone nagging them. This environment naturally encourages them to develop independence and self-feeding skills . They learn to gauge their hunger, and eat accordingly, preventing overeating.Allowing children to have this control over their eating process helps them build confidence in their abilities. This is crucial for overall development, teaching them not only about nutrition but also about mealtime behavior and responsibility .
Improves Communication
Mealtime is an excellent opportunity for interaction, and eating on the floor as a family can really strengthen family bonds. This experience makes conversations easy, fostering improved language and communication skills. Children can learn new vocabulary related to food, colors, textures, and tastes.Additionally this technique promotes cooperation and sharing with siblings, and friends. Making mealtimes a fun and relaxed activity by allowing exploration also develops a child’s interest in eating, encouraging happy and healthy habits .
Boosts Creativity
Embracing messy mealtimes (yes, messy is good!) and floor eating can truly foster creativity and imagination. When children are given the freedom to play with their food, their creativity really improves, and this imaginative play stimulates their artistic side and encourages problem-solving skills.
Just make sure the floor is clean and sanitized, when your child sits down for a meal, since there will be inadvertent spills that can be cleaned up later.
