It may be tempting to spoon feed your little one, as it's
quicker, less messy and allows you to monitor how much your baby is
eating. But did you know that allowing your baby to interact with
food is actually a really important part of learning?
By letting your little one play with their food, they are
learning about texture, taste, shape, size and colour of different
foods. By picking up foods or a spoon and putting it in their
mouth, they are learning hand-eye co-ordination.
How will I know when my baby's ready?
A recent study showed that by the age of 6 months 40% of
children can reach out for and then eat a finger food and by 8
months of age,
90%1.
So somewhere in between 6-8 months, your baby will probably have
developed the ability to both reach out for and eat finger
foods.
What sort of finger foods should I give?
First finger foods should be soft and/or easily dissolve or mush
down in a baby's mouth. Rusks and baby biscuits are a popular
choice as are soft cooked vegetable sticks or soft, peeled fruit.
Why not try slices of banana or steamed carrot sticks and broccoli
trees?
Won't my baby choke?
It's natural to worry that your baby will choke on finger foods.
That's why it's important to get the right texture, so the food
almost melts in the mouth. Here are some tips:
- Baby biscuits and rusks are made so that they dissolve in the
mouth while being easy for little hands to hold.
- Raw fruit such as apples and pears, even when peeled, can be
quite hard and small lumps could be a choking risk. Either steam
cook peeled apple and pear until soft or opt for softer fruits like
melon sticks, peach slices or banana chunks.
- Small round fruits like grapes are also a choking risk if
served whole. Wait till your baby is a little older and cut grapes
in half before offering them.
When can my baby use a spoon?
Once your baby can grasp and feed themselves finger food, they
should also be able to hold a spoon. You may find it takes them
quite a while to master the art of loading the spoon with
food, transporting it to their mouth and finally getting it in
their mouth to eat! A study showed that by 15-18 months, 64% of
children can feed themselves with a spoon without spilling much and
this increases to 88% by 19-24
months2.
Practicing feeding themselves is a really important part of
learning so, while more food may be going on the floor, high
chair and in your hair, it's essential to your little one's
development. To help speed things up and to reassure you that your
baby is getting something to eat, try spoon feeding them yourself
but giving them a spoon of their own, offering lots of praise and
enthusiasm when they get their spoon into their own mouth!
What about the mess?
Letting your little one get stuck in with their hands or spoon
is a messy business but try to remember it's a key part of their
learning. Use lots of newspaper or a big splash mat under their
high chair to catch any food that is dropped (or thrown!) Some
people use a washable shower curtain as a splash mat.
Remember that your baby is only starting to discover the
exciting world of food, so everything is new and interesting to
them. The more they explore now, the less likely they are to be
fussy eaters in the future.
References
1 Charlotte M. Wright, Kirsty Cameron, Maria Tsiaka, Kathryn N.
Parkinson. Is baby-led weaning feasible? When do babies first reach
out for and eat finger foods? Maternal and Child Nutrition 7(1):
27-33.
2 Betty Ruth Carruth; Paula J Ziegler; Anne Gordon;
Kristy Hendricks. Developmental Milestones and Self-Feeding
Behaviours in Infants and Toddlers. J Am Diet
Assoc. 2004;104:S51-S56.