Choosing the right spoon for starting solids

Your baby can start using a spoon from the day they start solids. Something for you to think about is that you really want them to eat confidently and learn with the right tools.

Our award-winning Clever Spoons were designed by me after struggling to find the right spoon that worked with my August. The benefits of our Clever Spoons are:

• A narrow scoop that fits in all mouths
• It’s not too shallow and not too deep
• It has a wide neck to support grip placement and a textured handle for more friction and grip
• Features a notch at the back to hook onto plates and bowls

I’m incredibly passionate about giving babies the right tools to set them up for success, so no blog about spoon feeding would be true to my passion without mentioning our award-winning spoons! But back to what you’re here for, my top tips for starting spoon feeding are below.

Tips for Spoon Feeding Your Baby 
1.     Let your baby come toward the spoon with an open mouth. Don’t just jam it in whenever their mouth opens - it’s about respect and making sure they’re ready to take on food. Dumping food in too soon can mean they’re not ready to handle or swallow it safely.

2.     Avoid scraping the spoon off their teeth, gums, or lips - it makes them passive in the process. We want them to close their lips around the spoon. So hold it, let them come forward, and pull back.

3.     Since lip closure isn’t great yet, food will pool around their lower lip. Yes, that gets messy. But don’t be tempted to scrape it off. Imagine someone scraping your lip every bite - super distracting and frustrating right? Just let them get messy and feel what messy is like. You can wipe their face at the end of the meal.

These baby feeding tips are going to give you both a better mealtime experience.   

Level Up: The Spoon Switching Method
Once you're both feeling more confident, try the spoon switching method. It helps teach babies how to feed themselves. Spoon switching with our Clever Spoons is easy, and if your child can bring a toy or teether to their mouth then best believe they can bring a spoon full of food up to their mouth too! What's more motivating than food?!

You can read my blog about Spoon Switching here

You can learn more about our Clever Spoons and grab your own set right here