Rachel Richins: Teaching children to refuse food politely

You are a busy parent who has just put time into preparing a meal or snack that ended up being thrown on the floor, in your hair and on your nerves. When is the best time to teach children manners? When in their development are they ready to learn this is not the best way to say they don't want to eat that food or to even eat at all?

Teaching children to turn down food politely has helped parents be less frustrated at meal times. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by age 12 months, children have the ability to do the following:

Test parental responses to their actions during feedings

Test parental responses to their behavior

Pay increasing attention to speech

Respond to simple verbal requests

Respond to “no”

Use simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”

By 18 months:

Say several single words (15 to 18 months)

Use simple phrases (18 to 24 months)