Your toddler can start showing signs of wanting to feed itself once you start giving them solid meals. Although it’s frequently messy and can occasionally be frustrating, it’s fantastic to encourage your youngster to want to feed themselves.
How to teach baby to use spoon? There are often situations when your kid will start showing signs that they are interested in feeding themselves with a spoon.
For instance, they might pick a spoon, hold it and even try to feed themselves.
The self-learning process is vital for kids’ development.
It will be messy, but indeed it’s a fun process teaching your baby how to use a spoon. It is a milestone in their development and a step ahead in their growth.
How To Teach Baby To Use Spoon?
Teaching a baby self-feeding is a messy process, but it is beneficial in the long term as children will experience new sensations like different temperatures and textures.
In addition, babies become more confident and independent when they self feed.
With the approach of self-learning, your kid is bound to learn, develop and grow; thus, keep motivating them.
Before starting the self-feed practice on your kid, make sure you have patience and ways to make it fun for your little one.
Before introducing your baby to a spoon, ensure that your baby is familiar with finger foods.
This is a foremost step as it will help your baby develop skills, which are vital for them before using a spoon, as it helps them develop new skills like using fingers and hands for difficult movements.
When starting with finger foods, you should first go with soft foods that kids can easily smash with their fingers.
This is a safe and straightforward way to start for your little one.
For example, food such as soft-cooked noodles, bananas, steamed veggies is good food to move ahead with.
Next, choose the foods that you can cut into bigger pieces as it will make it easy for the kids to pick them up and eat themselves.
If you are feeding them baby food and purees constantly on your own, then you should wait before introducing a spoon to them.
However, by the age of twelve months, many babies might feed themselves finger foods, and it is the stage where you can present them with a spoon.
1. The Perfect Time To Introduce Spoons To Your Little One
Many children will have the necessary growth and a desire to use baby spoons during their first or second birthday.
However, the fact is not uncommon that every kid differs from each other, so you need to pay attention to the clues from your child.
Watch your kids as they grab the spoon and engage it by clamping down and cleaning the food with the utensil.
As soon as they get comfortable with solid food and control grasping food with their fingers and hands, offer them a spoon.
They will learn as quickly as possible until the parents are not intervening in this process.
Plus, spoons are safe to use; it is even better to hold off on the fork as even any small, soft ones can be dangerous if it reaches their eye.
Learn more from another post: How To Teach Baby To Chew
2. What To Do If Your Baby Refuses Spoons?
When your baby is in the developing stage, it is common to refuse spoons from their parents.
The same is that the kids pushing for independence and control in their daily routine activities.
To fight this fastidious eating, parents should try to incorporate more foods that they can eat themselves.
Try to give them a utensil-like spoon and let them use it at their convenience. However, you need to be ready to deal with many messes and see the food flying.
An additional method you can try is an old game called airplane game.
You can play any variance in this game as it will help as long as you can make it fun for your kid.
Try not to get discouraged as a parent, have patience and enjoy this journey. It is a very normal phase that will frequently occur between nine to eleven months.
3. The Right Way Of Self-Feeding
There are several ways of teaching kids self-feeding. First, begin to aside some time just before they start their meal for practice.
The baby is hungrier initially, and this practice may help motivate your little one to get the food in their mouth themselves.
You can try another way, where you are supposed to leave some pieces on the food tray of babies so that they play or practice with while you may alternate with spoon-feeding.
You should encourage your little one to put food into their mouth, make them practice the chewing and swallowing part.
However, you always need to check that your baby’s mouth is apparent before offering them anything from the spoon.
Summary
Wondering about how to teach baby to use spoon? When your baby gets comfortable with the finger feeding process, move a step ahead on the self-feeding journey with the use and introduction of their first utensil, a spoon.
According to experts, parents should introduce their kids with a spoon when they turn ten to twelve months old.
But there is no proper age or time when you should offer your baby a spoon and see significant development.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it true that feeding a baby with a spoon is terrible for their health?
The baby’s attitude with foods is not linked with spoons; instead, they are connected with positive feeding communication.
Therefore, you should offer them purees with a mixed diet, as it will not negatively impact them.
But, again, the critical factor is the variation, a chance to explore, and majorly a laid-back approach to parenting.
What is the age when kids eat all by themselves?
When the kids grow by the age of nine to twelve months, the baby will show signs showing they are ready to feed themselves.
By this age, parents notice that their kids are picking up small objects such as toys, food with their fingers all by themselves.
The moment your baby starts to pincer grasp things around them, this is a milestone they have achieved,
What is the reason for my baby crying when I feed them with a spoon?
When a baby faces hurdles with solid food, parents might worry and try to become forceful or dominant with their kids.
However, spoon-feeding is not a perfect way to support a baby’s natural feeding cues, like putting a spoonful of solid food into the kid’s mouth when they do not wish to consume it.
Mo Mulla is a work from home dad who enjoys reading and listening to music, He loves being a dad and husband to a growing family. He also loves writing about his passions and hopes to change the world, 1 blog post at a time!
