When your one-year-old eats in her highchair, always use safety straps. But because she may have little patience for sitting in a highchair now that she’s a toddler, you may want to begin exploring alternatives. A child-size table and chairs will allow your child to sit (at least for a minute) and eat without risk of serious injury. Some toddlers eat best when allowed to wander about a little while eating rather than being forced to eat only in their chairs. They’re just too eager to get up and about again to focus on eating. If you decide to allow your child to eat while wandering about the kitchen, just make sure she doesn’t eat on the run. A useful rule for eating away from the table is: Walk, don’t run. We all remember how our own parents used to warn us about running with a popsicle or a lollipop in our mouths. Mama was right. In fact, it’s not a good idea to let your toddler run with any kind of food in her mouth. Finally, whenever and wherever your toddler eats, stay near her in case she starts to choke.
