My son is 10 months today and I started weaning him at around four months mainly on purees with a mix of finger foods. What stage should I introduce letting him feed himself with a spoon? What have your experiences been? How should I go about starting?
Replies
I let my LOs get to grips with a spoon as soon as I started weaning so they could get used to holding it and putting it their mouths, gradually improving their co-ordination. I would encourage my LOs to feed themselves as I was feeding them by offering them the bowl to put the spoon in themselves, at first with a little help, then giving them lots of praise when they did get a mouthful (even if most of it was down their front!) The more confident they got, the more I would let them have a go, usually taking it in turns, a spoonful from mummy, then on their own. be prepared for lots of mess! I find little yoghurts are good for them to practice being a bit more independent, with relatively less mess too! I found my first LO took to using a spoon a lot more quickly than my youngest. She still likes to get stuck in with her fingers, but enjoys using a spoon (and drumming on the highchair with it too!). I would say a lot of encouragement and praise helps. Also let your LO choose the spoon he wants to use.
Thanks for the great advise. Ive always let him hold a spoon while I have fed him and he does like to chew on it, but has yet to put any food on it. I'll try with the yogurt first and see how we get on. Wish me luck
Your welcome! I look forward to hearing how he gets on!
Not bad for his first time, he did end up with yogurt all down his front! Although he found this with his hand and licked it off his fingers