Teaching Your Baby To Use A Spoon: A Starting Solids Guide

You have no doubt come across the strong opinions that circulate about spoon feeding puree and baby led weaning. What is often missed is not what texture the food presented is, but how it is presented and fed to our babies. Responding to your baby’s communication and following their lead is the cornerstone to mealtimes. In order to follow their lead we need to provide varied opportunities for them to enjoy mealtimes and develop oral sensory motor skills. This fundamental approach doesn’t require caregivers to make the decision of BLW or purees, it allows baby to make the decision right for them at each mealtime and each developmental stage.

What spoon suits me best?

At around 6 months, I only have a small mouth and the right spoon for me is the one that matches the size of my mouth and also my skill level. A spoon about as wide as my tongue will be comfortable in my mouth and allow me to move my tongue and lips more easily around it. My upper lip doesn’t move down and forward to remove food from the spoon until around 8 months, so a shallow spoon suits me best up until this age. After that, you can choose a deeper spoon for me so I can practice clearing the food from a spoon with my upper lip. You can use a spoon with a long handle but I’d also like the opportunity to use a short, wide handled spoon. At around 12 months I may be ready for stainless steel spoons but I still need a short, wide handled spoon.

Why is seating so important for me?

If my body is well supported during mealtimes, I can eat and drink more safely, I feel more comfortable (so I can sit for longer and won’t get tired or distracted), I can communicate with you better, I can use my hands more easily to manipulate food and utensils as well as move my mouth (my jaw, tongue, lips etc) more efficiently.
I can do all of these things when I am in midline (my head or body aren’t leaning to one side or the other). It’s also helpful if I am at a height that supports my elbows on the table or on my highchair tray (you may need to pop padding like a folded towel under my bottom to boost me up).

How can you provide opportunities for me to learn to be independent with a spoon?

I may want to self-feed from the start or I may want to wait and accept the opportunity
later on. If you can offer me the opportunity, I’ll be able to take that step when I’m ready. If I’m not offered the opportunity, I may not be able to show you when I’m ready.

Opportunity 1:
At first, when I am ready, it’s easiest for me to be handed a preloaded spoon with the spoon bowl facing me. I can practice bringing it to my mouth. I might also put my hand over your hand on the spoon and guide it towards my mouth. I won’t be able to rotate my wrist for a while yet, so if I pick it up by the handle and the spoon bowl is facing out, I will probably turn the spoon upside down on the way to my mouth and the food will fall off.

Opportunity 2:
Offer me the opportunity to pick up a preloaded spoon from my tray or the table.

Opportunity 3:
You can teach me to dip now or earlier if I’m interested, you can do this with finger foods and with a spoon. This will help me bring the spoon from my plate to my mouth and pave the way for scooping. I like it when you give me words for actions and do it in a playful way, “Dip, dip, dip!” My food will probably fall off the spoon as it’s normal for me to turn it upside down until around 18 months. Foods that stick to the spoon easier will be helpful for my confidence and skill development (yogurt, mashed potato/sweet potato, porridge etc). If I am ok with it you can help me feel what it’s like dipping and bringing the spoon to my mouth by putting your hand over my hand and guiding me. I also like to watch you do it with your meal while we eat together.

Opportunity 4:
A bowl with higher sides makes it easier to get some food on my spoon when I scoop. Thicker foods will again be easier for me to scoop when I’m starting out. If I am ok with it, you can help me feel what it’s like to scoop and bring the spoon to my mouth by putting your hand over my hand and guiding me. With your hand over mine (ensuring I’m not trying to pull away), guide my hand that is holding the spoon down and let it bang onto the bottom of the bowl, then say, “sssssssccccoooooop” as you slide the spoon
to the edge of the bowl and scoop up and then bring it to my mouth. I may only need you to
put your hand over mine for the scooping part. I also like to watch you model this with your own food when we eat together.

I might communicate by…

Some of my communication may be subtle and other times you will definitely get my message! Please look carefully for what I may be telling you with my body and my voice. Help me learn the words “more” and “finished” by interpreting my communication and saying these words for me. Here are some examples of how I may communicate with you:

• Looking at the spoon (I want some/I want more)
• Opening mouth (I am ready for you to put some in my mouth)
• Reaching (Can I please hold the food/the spoon)
• Leaning forwards (Can you bring it closer)
• Smacking lips together – like I am eating something (I want some/more please)
• Keeping mouth shut when food is presented (I don’t want any/any more or I don’t
  want to be fed by you)
• Turning head away (I don’t want any/anymore or I don’t want to be fed by you)
• Trying to get out of the high chair (Mealtime is over for me please)

If you honour my communication and listen to me, I will enjoy meals so much more. I will also learn to listen to my hunger cues, understand how my stomach feels when I’m hungry and when I want more. I will also understand when I am full and what fullness feels like and learn to stop when I get this feeling. It helps me know that you trust me and it helps me trust you more around mealtimes. This builds a solid foundation for my relationship with food for my whole life.

Written by Jamie Williams Paediatric Speech Therapist.
Find her on Instagram @nourished.babes