The skill of using a spoon in the process of eating is the very first self-service skill that a baby will have to get to know. Parents turn to feeding the baby with a spoon when they begin to introduce the first feeding with porridge or mashed potatoes. In most cases, this occurs in 4,5-6 months. At this age, children can not yet independently eat with a spoon. And if they hold this cutlery correctly, then they cannot feed themselves. Therefore, parents will have to be patient and calm until their baby learns to use a spoon. Our tips and tricks will help moms and dads quickly and easily teach their kids to a spoon.
10 tips to teach your child to eat with a spoon
- To feed the baby you need to choose the “right” spoon: it should be shallow, rubberized, comfortable. On the shelves of children's supermarkets you can easily find such cutlery. And sales consultants will tell you which model is best to choose according to the age of the child.
- Do not let the baby play with a spoon, but do not miss the opportunity to offer him to hold it with each feeding. The child must clearly understand the cause-effect relationship “spoon-food”.
- Show by your own example how to handle this cutlery correctly. Be sure to say the name of the subject (“This is a spoon”) and its purpose (“She eats porridge, mashed potatoes, soup”).
- At first, the child must master the ability to correctly and confidently hold a spoon in his hand. The pean will pound the spoon on the table, push it into his mouth, but just not use it for its intended purpose. This is normal. Let the kid get to know this cutlery better.
- Only after that, you can offer him to try to grab porridge or mashed potatoes with a spoon (such an action usually succeeds in 8-9 months).
- The first treatment of children with a spoon is always uncertain. The kid can scatter half of the contents, get dirty, carry it by the mouth. In no case do not scold him for this!
- The best thing a mother can do when teaching a child to use a spoon is to be tolerant of his small failures and enjoy his first successes. Help the baby in this difficult task for him, carefully guide his pen at every stage - from scooping up the porridge to sending it into the mouth. The child should feel your help and support. And such an interaction with his mother will be not only useful, but also very pleasant for him.
- If the baby has learned to grab porridge with a spoon and direct it to his mouth, there is no need to rush it. Give the baby time. Sometimes an independent meal can be delayed. Be patient! And soon the baby's uncertain movements will become neat and accurate.
- Remember that for a child, using a spoon is a process that requires concentration, effort, and coordination. Therefore, such a thing can quickly bore him.Give the little one time to rest (at this moment, you can offer him to drink or wipe the dirty cheeks).
- Eat more often with your child. Put him in a highchair, put a plate of porridge in front of him, equip the child with cutlery, and sit down next to them. The child, seeing your manipulations, will imitate them. In addition, he will know - mom does the same!Psychologists believe that the visibility of actions not only contributes to the rapid development of the skill, but also causes the child a sense of trust.
Do not forget that before the baby learns to carefully use the spoon, it will take more than one month. For him, this new and challenging skill means much more than simple self-care. This is a new step in its development!
Recommended on the topic:
- How to teach a child to eat independently and accurately - a complete instruction for parents
- Teach your baby to drink from a mug
- What to do if the child does not want to eat complementary foods (and what to do if the child does not want to eat from a spoon)
- About the choice of the first dishes -https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/veshhi-dlya-malyisha/pervaya-posuda-dlya-rebenka.html
Video consultation:
You can still try all sorts of tongue twisters, such as: open your mouth the airplane flies, well, how to turn this process into an interesting game with the participation of a child. The child will be interested.
My daughter also handles a fork better; a spoon doesn’t work out so well. She learned to hold devices confidently quickly, just watching adults, but she still hasn’t been able to accurately get into her mouth. For some reason, the baby is trying to stick the spoon sideways, as a result, all the contents are poured onto the cheeks, and only a little bit in her mouth.