Hey there, parents. No matter how you and your little one start your journey with solid foods, your baby learning to use a spoon to feed themselves is not only a huge step for their self-development, it will take your family’s love of food and mealtimes to the next level. In this blog, we’ll take you on an adventure of tasty tips, delicious facts, and a dollop of developmental know-how as we explore the advantages of spoon-feeding and how to support your child to ‘grab a spoon’ and enjoy a lifetime of Joyfull Mealtimes.
What is self-feeding?
It’s a memorable (and super cute) milestone when your little one grabs a spoon, attempts to load it with food, and navigates it (and its yummy contents) toward their mouth for the first time. (Of course most of the food will end up ANYWHERE but in their mouths). Whether your baby is Baby Led Weaning or enjoying purees or a combination of both, when they can eat or food without your assistance, or explore food with their own hands/utensils, this is known as ‘self-feeding’. Learning to self-feed and spoon exploration is vital for your baby’s eating skills and future love of food, so get that splash mat out and get ready for some messy (and tasty) fun.
When is your baby ready to self-feed?
Current best practice recommendations are that babies only consume breastmilk and/or formula until around 6 months. Signs that your baby may be ready for solids include:
- Being able to sit up independently or with little support
- Being able to hold their head steady
- Being able to pick up and bring things to their mouths independently
- Showing an interest in food
Always check with your paediatrician, GP, speech pathologist/feeding therapist or family health nurse before starting your baby on solids, and remember that breastmilk and formula will continue to be your baby’s primary source of nutrition and hydration for their first year of life. Your baby also only has a tiny tummy capacity, so they don’t need to consume large servings of food at first- food before one is all about learning.
What are the benefits of self-feeding?
Every day since they were born, your baby has been observing you eating your meals with cutlery. By the time your baby reaches one year old, they’ll be enjoying three meals per day (plus snacks) and using a spoon independently every day.
When your little munchkin grabs a spoon and takes charge of their feeding, they establish a sense of independence and autonomy because they can choose what and how much they eat. They are in control of their appetites and their bodies. As your little one practises self-feeding, they will learn how much food they should load onto their spoon to chew and swallow comfortably. (Remember, they won’t always nail it- and that’s totally fine.) Self-feeding also empowers your baby to recognise their hunger and fullness cues, laying an essential foundation for a positive relationship with food for life.
Just like all of us, your little one will have unique tastes and preferences when it comes to food. Self-feeding allows your little one to choose what to eat – and what they might choose to skip eating that day (remember, smelling and licking still counts as ‘trying’). Remember, if your baby ignores a particular food one day, you can try offering it the next day cooked differently, and they may love it! Keep introducing different tastes and textures to your baby as it will help them develop a diverse palate and may even help them become more adventurous eaters when they are older. Trust us; they’ll thank you later when they love a wide variety of foods.
Self-feeding also helps your little one develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and over time their efforts to load up their spoon with porridge or yoghurt will become more successful (and less messy. As tempting as it may be, resist the urge to keep wiping your little one’s face after every bite, and leave the clean up until the end of the meal).
Babies who feed themselves can also better control how quickly they eat, allowing them to explore food at their own pace. Allowing your little one to explore food using their very own baby bite-sized-friendly spoon at family meal times will also encourage them to develop their social language skills so that they can go on to enjoy a lifetime of social eating with family and friends.
What spoon should your baby use to self-feed?
At Joyfull Mealtimes, we’re all about creating delightful mealtimes for your little ones. As a company run by a paediatric speech pathologist and feeding therapist, we really know our stuff when it comes to safe, effective, and developmentally appropriate products for your baby’s self-feeding journey.
We developed our Tiny Tongues First Spoon Set and Taste Tester Spoon Set to support your baby’s spoon exploration. We designed the Joyfull Mealtimes Tiny Tongues spoon with a soft customised shallow bowl ideal for little mouths. It’s perfect for little ones starting to self-feed.
The Joyfull Mealtimes Taste Tester spoons are also ideal for your little one to continue their spoon-eating adventures (it can also be used as a teether).
Joyfull’s Flexi Spoons are also an excellent option for your little ones’ self-feeding journey. With their ”stick onto anything” prongs and unique bendy design, Flexi Spoons will help encourage your little one to scoop and squish up more of the good stuff at mealtimes.
All our spoons are made of safe and durable silicone, gentle on your baby’s mouth, and perfect for introducing new tastes and textures. By choosing Joyfull’s spoons for your baby, you’re supporting their development and building their confidence and autonomy around mealtimes. Our baby bowls and plates are also the perfect sizes for little hands, making self-feeding a fun and easy experience.
As your child grows, our range of divided plates and utensils, including baby silicone suction bowls and silicone suction baby plates, are perfect for introducing new foods and encouraging self-feeding. We designed all our products with love to promote independence and confidence in your child, helping them to develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
Enjoy the self-feeding journey with your baby
Self-feeding is a fun and fascinating sensory experience for your baby. They’ll use their senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and even hearing. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy the journey of self-feeding:
- Don’t stress about the mess! Use our Joyfull Mealtimes PLAYmat and silicone bibs- or strip baby off to their nappy and let them go for it! A few short years of mess is worth it for a lifetime of happy eating.
- Eat your meals together with your baby. Being a role model will help your baby learn to self-feed more quickly.
- Don’t wait until your toddler is ravenous before offering them food- aim for the sweet spot when they have an appetite but are not overtired or too hungry.
- Variety is the spice of life- we can’t emphasise this enough. The wider the selection of foods you offer, the more your child will get used to different tastes.
- Remember, every baby is different, so don’t compare them to others. Allow your little ones to develop their self-feeding skills in their own time.
Let us know what your baby had for their first self-feeding experience, and check out the Joyfull Mealtimes spoons here and here.
*Babies that don’t display these signs of readiness for solid food are at higher risk of choking. ALWAYS stay with your baby and watch them when they are eating. We also recommend parents take an infant first aid course.