Independent feeding is one of the most important developmental milestones in every child's life. It is a skill that is typically acquired by the second year and a half of life, and its onset can be seen when the child expresses interest in food and begins to wish to eat alone, with their hands, or with utensils. Research indicates that a child's early participation in family meals, based on the complementary feeding on-demand paradigm, can positively impact communication and language development. This is the primary focus of a study published in the journal Child Development by a group of researchers from the University of Chicago, Rome Tor Vergata, Sapienza University of Rome, and the National Research Council's Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (CNR-ISTC), in collaboration with the National Institute of Health, Appalachian State University (USA), and Aston University (UK), and conducted on nearly 200 children. “Mealtime is not merely an opportunity to satisfy the need for nourishment, but a context in which multiple developmental processes are activated, involving motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional development”, explain the Roman researchers. "Children are given the opportunity to observe the behaviors of others, imitate them, and participate in social interactions when they have the opportunity to share meals with the rest of the family". The study discovered that children who eat more frequently without adult assistance at one year of age also produce significantly more vocalizations and gestures during mealtimes. "Children who learn to eat independently early have more opportunities to manipulate food and refine their motor skills through fine hand movements, which also impacts their ability to communicate through gestures, which is crucial at this age", explain the authors of the study.