At the beginning of weaning, babies will eat with their fingers and their meals will be placed directly on the tray of their highchair. But when is the right time to introduce cutlery and plates at mealtimes?
Eat with a spoon from the start of BLW
During the weaning process, your little one will discover many different textures. However, some of these are difficult to pick up with fingers. Smooth textures like compotes, purees, and the like are hard to eat with hands . That's when a pre-filled spoon comes in very handy!
At first, baby will need someone to fill the spoon for them, which they will then grasp and put in their mouth themselves. Later, with time and the development of their fine motor skills , baby will be able to fill their spoon independently and eat like a grown-up!
The plate at mealtimes from 12 months
Before your baby is 12 months old, food should be placed directly on the highchair tray . Eating at first requires a lot of effort and attention from your baby, and there's no point in adding new items to the tray when everything is still new to them! The most important thing initially is to keep it simple: the food directly on the tray and bringing it to their mouth. This will already require a lot of effort! A plate on the table might distract them. Plus, your little one could play with the plate and throw it on the floor. It's best to wait until your baby is 1 year old before offering their meal on a nice, compartmentalized plate ! These plates are practical for arranging the different foods in the meal, and they also have suction cups to prevent the plate from ending up on the floor.
Of course, you will find a container at mealtimes before the baby turns 1, when you introduce them to smooth textures which are not practical to eat when they are on the highchair tray.
Eating with a fork from 12 months
Introducing a fork at mealtimes should happen well after introducing a spoon. Using a fork requires much more coordination . Your little one needs to be able to spear food and rotate their wrist to bring it to their mouth. It's usually around 12 months that babies become interested in using a fork, wanting to imitate you. During family meals , your baby will see you eating with utensils they don't have and will want to try it too! Give them a fork and let them experiment.
Your little one will eat like a grown-up with their own cutlery. But remember that every baby develops at their own pace ! Your baby might show interest in a fork before 12 months, or perhaps after that age!
Photo: © Moon and the other
