The Amount of Soy Yogurt That is Just Right

My daughter is going through a yogurt phase.  She goes over to the refrigerator, points until I open it, and grabs the yogurt and runs as soon as she sees it.  This is a good snack for her, and I'm not complaining, but she's not interested in being fed much anymore.  She wants to hold the yogurt cup herself.  She wants to feed herself.  Of course, with a full cup of yogurt this is a recipe for disaster, so I have devised a method for feeding her yogurt that is both easy and effective.

This would be too much yogurt for my 18 month old to carry around without spilling.

So I peel back the top only half way, pour about a tablespoon or two into an empty yogurt container I have washed out, and place the top back over the first yogurt and return it to the refrigerator.

Then I can let the munchkin roam free with her yogurt and if she does spill it, it's only a few tablespoons.  She asks for more when she's done and will eat anywhere from a half cup to an entire yogurt using this method.

No muss, no fuss, no fancy toddler feeding dish.

I also use these yogurt cups for snacks that she can carry around since she seems to have outgrown the snack traps.  She wants an open cup of her snack.  So I give her just a few raisins, or freeze dried peas, or pretzels, or whatever snack she is having, and she can ask for me.  The fact that she has learned to sign more has helped in the development and success of this method for sure.  It's fun that she understands when she points to something she wants and I say, "Get your cup and I'll give you some."  She runs and finds her snack cup and I give her whatever it is she is pointing at or what I am preparing.

This method is a great idea for older kids too.  I would always want a BIG bowl of cereal or a BIG cup of juice, and then so much gets wasted because just like so many people, my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  Teaching early on to just eat a little and then get more if you want it keeps you from wasting food or overeating past when you are full.