Eating with a Spoon

Lately, my girls have started to really resist being spoon-fed. They much prefer finger foods, and it's getting more and more frustrating to feed them meals since I don't always have time to prepare finger foods for all three meals of the day.

I thought this may be a sign that I need to start letting them practice self-feeding with a spoon. Anyone have suggestions for a good spoon to start with? As well as good foods to use.

thanks!

 

i just used the pack of "disposable" toddler spoons i found at the supermarket in the same aisle as the sippy cups. i put them in the dishwasher & have never had to throw one out. the girls still use them now, so i think they're great.

for an easy to make finger food, i used to put purees on a piece of bread (i usually toasted it, but you don't have to), then cut into strips. my girls loved it & it took 30 seconds to prepare.

 

I did the same as Rachel, I bought the take and toss spoons. An easy finger food for us was toasted bread with melted cheese (if you have a toaster oven) or plain old toast with a little jelly was a big hit, cheerios, kix, waffles, scrambled eggs.

 

The first food my LOs ate themselves with a spoon was their cereal (breakfast and some evenings) and yoghurt which they love. I made sure the consistency of the cereal was not too runny and offered extra drinks and fruit on the side rather than mixing the cereal with extra fruit purree. It was messy, very messy, and I had to wipe down the table, highchairs and floor after each meal and often change the babies and myself for the first weeks (despite large bibs). But the children were so happy and proud to eat on their own and are really good with spoons and forks now. For me, it was worth it.
I agree with PPs - finger food does not have to take long to prepare, bread with cream cheese, purees, cooked soft veggies like carrots (cook for a few days ahead) or soft fruit are quick to prepare and cut up.

 

You can mix baby ceral into their purees to make them sticky so they stick to the spoon. I start spoon feeding early and I sit my kids at the table, in a trayless high chair, from the start so they see the rest of the family eating with spoons and want to to it too. In fact I gave all three of my babies a spoon for them to hold from the first day they ate solids at 6 months. Drex is pretty good with the spoon at 12 months and very independant. HE feeds himself or he doesn't eat. The girls let me spoon in about 50% of their food at a year old. With Drex, even when I give him "finger foods" he tries to get them on his spoon first.

At this age you don't need to prepare special food for them. Just give anything that you are eating that is not hard and a choking hazard. Drex's favorite food at the moment is rice, and it's the same rice the rest of us are eating.

Oh and for clean up--I just let the dog in after we are done eating and she cleans up the floor!

 

I agree on the take and toss spoons... I swear I don't think I will ever have to "toss" them, they wash so well and are sturdy!

My duo are 16 months. My DD is good with yogurt, pudding, or thicker rices with sauce for spooning. getting the hang of applesauce. My DS much prefers to be fed, but I do try to get him to spoon at least a bite or two on his own.

Yes, messy business, but necessary.

 

I second (or third) the Take and Toss spoons. DH bought them before the boys were 12 months and we're still using them. :good: As far as feeding themselves go, I found that forks were *much* easier for my boys to use than spoons. When they started refusing to let us feed them, we pretty much moved 100% to finger foods and let them have forks. Occasionally we'd let them "practice" with a spoon, but honestly it was a huge mess and it was so hard for them to get anything to their mouths with spoons; only recently have they gotten proficient enough to eat soup and they *still* spill half of it! :lol:

So you can try letting them have spoons and see how they do, but don't be surprised if they get really frustrated. We got rid of all purees/baby foods/cereals at about 15 months and just let our guys have small bites of what we were having at meals to eat with their fingers or forks.

 

I have found that metal toddler spoons (gerber, I think) work better for my kiddos. They always want to turn them upside down as they are putting it toward the mouth and I think the heavier spoon helps deter that. Early on we practiced with yogurt and pudding as well as macaroni and cheese. at this point, mine are doing better with forks as long as it is something they can stab with the fork and put in their mouths (pieces of grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, green beans, etc)

 

We started letting the spoon feed at about 11 months...
It was probably the messiest thing that's ever taken place in our house (and it happened three times a day!)

I showed them how to use the spoon at the beginning of each meal (scooping it up and shoving it in my own mouth) making sure they actually saw me doing it! And then let them roll

I started with things that stuck in clumps to the spoon (wheat bix was the best) so they could easily scoop it up without it falling off the spoon

They tested their boundaries by flinging food at the floor, at me, at each other, at the walls but soon learned the only place it was allowed was in their bowl or in their mouth !!!

They had it perfected by about 12 months.

I've had comments about how good they are at feeding themselves! And it makes it a whole lot easier for me !

 

My girls are doing quite well with spoons at 16 months. We use the take and toss (but wash them). I find they can grab them well and they have a good spoon shape to them, the forks are good as well. We started a few months ago letting them feed themselves and it is messy!!! I actually let them use glass custard cups to eat out of and only once did one hit the floor. I find they are nice and heavy and don't slide around much. It takes a bit before they get comfortable to hold the bowl stready with the other hand. (I know not everyone would use glass like me though). In the beginning I would use rice cereal to thicken yogurt, applesauce. Basically any puree that I was going to let them attempt on their own got thickened with the cereal.

I try to plan my meals ahead and do large batches of pre-cutting and cooking and then freeze them. But quick finger foods I do are toast with cream cheese and fruit puree on it. Cheese cubes. Eggs scrambled and cooked in the micro for 1 minute in a measuring cup works awesome. I steam a lot of veggies and its pretty quick. Pasta freezes well. I'll cook up some macaroni with a smidge of sauce and freeze it in small containers for them. You can cut an apple into four put it in a shallow amount of water and cinnamon into the micro for 2 minutes (need a dish with a lid)and it steams it soft and cut into cubes. Sometimes nice for a change. Black beans. I actually use canned ones and rinse them well. They are easy to pick up and soft and my girls now scoop them with a spoon. We still end up with food on the floor and I feel like all I do all day is clean

 

Thanks everybody. My girls LOVE cheese toast. I'll have to try jelly and some purées. I definitely need to start staying pn top of menu planning so im not always ewdorting to the same things everyday.

We already use the take n toss spoons so I'll probably start letting them use them. I have to psych myself up for the mess. Haha! I am not one for having problems with messes, but my girls hate to be cleaned up.

 

Some days my DD has a bath after lunch AND after dinner (don't use soap/baby wash, just rinse them down). And I cut her hair in the back because she likes to scrunch her fingers through it when she's eating...