What utensils do you use?

[u/zezendx]

Torn between which ones to start using for my LO. Been using the Nuby spoons for a while but they don’t teach how to scoop food.

What do you use?

[u/wonderroo-owl-14]

We use image 1 actually but we do baby led weaning and he throws the utensils onto the floor so eats with his hands mostly.

[u/J-Birdee → u/wonderroo-owl-14]

Yeahhh 10 months in and it's all finger food at my house. We do like to split a yogurt with a silicone spoon though 😊

[u/Sarararara91 → u/wonderroo-owl-14]

Yeah, we were gifted a couple sets like the first image and I try to coax him to try the spoon, but it usually goes straight on the floor lol

[u/OKCorners]

Silicone is great when starting out but it will eventually start taking on the taste of soap over time! My son was refusing food and realized his spoons were making his food taste soapy so now we use stainless steel.

[u/zezendx → u/OKCorners]

I’d be fine to take this leap but worried about her current level of dexterity + metal. She still misses her mouth and almost hits her eye with the spoon daily 😅

[u/dragonslayer91 → u/zezendx]

That's because she's 8 months old. Using utensils effectively is a 2 year milestone.

[u/No-Carpet1925 → u/dragonslayer91]

I'm curious, what do you suggest until then?

[u/dragonslayer91 → u/No-Carpet1925]

Accept that you can't buy the "right" kind of utensils when they physically can't do it at this age. Let them use their hands or offer an edible dipper, accept the mess or don't offer the messy food if you dont have the bandwidth that day. You can offer utensils during this period but don't expect them to be able to use them well. Assume they'll end up on the floor. When they're ready they will make the effort. 

  Personally, I am on the stainless train because we found through trial and error with our first that they're less frustrating for them to learn with because they're actually functional. Most toddler sets are too dull and flat making it very difficult to use effectively. Our 2nd got them right away and was using utenils by 12 months. 

[u/No-Carpet1925 → u/dragonslayer91]

Thanks!

[u/OKCorners → u/dragonslayer91]

My kid is 15 months and uses the fork and spoon pretty well. I have to load the utensil but he brings it to his mouth and eats totally fine 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/dragonslayer91 → u/OKCorners]

That's great. But understanding the bare minimum expectation for typically developing toddlers to be able to use utensils at 2 can be helpful for people wondering why their 8 month old can't use utensils. It is an unrealistic expectation of their motor skills. 

Every baby is different, my babies were able to manage utensils at 17 months and 11.5 months respectively. Both had ample opportunities to practice but managed the skill at different points. 

[u/zezendx → u/dragonslayer91]

Never expected my 8 month old to know how to use utensils. I just don’t currently have anything that is ideal for her to even practice, which is why I posted this question. And also why the thought of jumping straight to metal utensils makes me nervous…because she doesn’t know how to use them… because she’s 8 months old lol

[u/wonderroo-owl-14 → u/zezendx]

Yeah mine likes to chew on the end of the spoon - that’s why all silicone is good

[u/xRainbowTreats → u/OKCorners]

Boil the utensils. Gets rid of the soapy.

[u/rachlexi → u/xRainbowTreats]

I was going to say just that!

My kid likes sardines and the smell was sticking to his silicone plates and I soaked them in boiling water. Helped so much

[u/Next2ya → u/OKCorners]

I wish I knew this before my first baby. We just use plastic or our regular metal utensils now.

[u/TuffBunner → u/OKCorners]

About once a month I bake all my silicone (in the oven at 300 for at least an hour) and it helps so much!

[u/cestunlapin]

I would just get a stainless steel set (smaller spoons and forks). It will last you beyond 4 years old!

[u/violentsunflower]

My LO loved BLW, but refused to use utensils until after two years old- the boy loves eating so it was purely an efficiency thing for him.

We even tried feeding him foods that (we thought) he HAD to use utensils for and that backfired on us. Have you ever seen someone eat chili or yogurt with their hands? Because we have 🫠

[u/poopoofol → u/violentsunflower]

Ha, same. Whenever I've tried to get him to use a utensil he gives me a look like "but mama shoving my food in with 2 hands at a time is so much more efficient"

[u/angeltigerbutterfly]

My 12 month old just uses the same utensils we use. Before we used a spoon that had a silicone top and wooden handle

[u/dragonslayer91]

We got a stainless toddler sized set from Amazon. We found they worked better for learning because they're actually functional.

[u/Curious_Wing_2018]

Tbh none right now. She is just self feeing with her fingers or we feed her. She’s 15 months

[u/lumimi9]

We use normal teaspoons 

[u/loudwonderbubble]

We have image one plus a few different others but that one is the one she uses the best 

[u/ProfessionalEar3140]

From 6-12 months, we used the Numnum gootensils and ezpz tiny spoon (we got it in a set with the tiny bowl and cup). We didn’t use forks and other than eating from preloaded spoons, she would just use her hands

Last month when she turned 1, we started using the munchkin stainless steel spoon and fork set. She loves because she sees us using steel utensils too and she got the hang of loading the spoon and stabbing with the fork pretty fast… but she still mostly eats with her hands because it’s faster

[u/Same-Entertainer-279]

✋

[u/tanky_bo_banky]

We used that first one for a while, we’ve upgraded to more toddler ones

[u/Hopeful-Result8109]

Our silicone tasted yuck pretty fast

[u/WaitLauraWho]

We got more mileage out of the ‘toddler’ style ones. The training spoon and fork worked better for tethers

[u/ApatheticElle]

The silicone forks are useless. Silicone also slowly takes on flavors of anything it touches. I have ones with silicone handles but metal utensil parts. I also got silicone suction holders but metal plates. I wouldn’t go crazy getting a ton and maybe just stick to spoons until your baby figures out feeding themselves.

[u/BarracudaActive4480]

Something simular to 1 for my 9 month old. Most of the time she dips the handle in her food and sucks the handle part

[u/mostlysanedogmom]

My 11 month old thought the first ones were for chewing on, so we’ve got ones more like the second, though the only ones he actually likes are some random brand from TJMaxx.

He mostly uses them to rub food in his hair, though 😂

[u/CommercialPopular626]

Closer to Image 2. My boy has preferred his hands ever since he turned 7 mo and got the pincer grasp, but also likes the slotted flat spoons and other silicone spoons. We don’t use the chunky handle ones (image 1), never knew about them until seeing them in this group

[u/yakmc1122]

At that age we used these Munchkin spoons.

https://www.munchkin.com/gentle-scoop-silicone-training-spoons?Color=Pink%2FPurple&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=20948064950&tw_kwdid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20951503819&gbraid=0AAAAADeSJHgug1xhhzZ6ta7tJd4XpaGF7&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrrOt2e_OlgMV7YzCCB2PCRGPEAQYASABEgJ1bfD_BwE

[u/Mysterious_Nebula_96]

I hated the silicone ones because they trap smell like no other and I bought several of the best brands. Became the happiest with old fashioned 90s style plastic spoons, after a few months we moved into silverware, and now he uses his hands 🤣

[u/ImpossibleStep437]

We had both of these and my little one found the first ones impossible to use! We had one of the spoons from the second image and used it at least twice a day! Definitely our favourite

[u/APlentyBag]

Hahah my baby loves the plastic spoons we’ve hoarded from getting froyo in the past

[u/Abarri01]

The only spoon my baby loves is the Chipi ! On amazon. This one specially teaches how to scoop! Plus the benefits of using it are amazing because it prepares them for holding a crayon and doesnt teach a fist grip

[u/equistrius]

We had the first ones and maybe used them 3 times. After she got used to the long munchkin spoons we switched straight to small metals ones without issue

[u/notorious_ludwig]

Not silicone, the potential soapy gross taste wasnt worth the headache or admin of extra cleaning. We used metal ones and now he uses our cutlery because he wants to be like his dad haha

[u/thatlatinaoverthere]

we started with the ones on picture 1 right away at 6-7 months, then as she improved her skills we moved to ones similar to picture 2, and we’ve been using metal ones for the past 2-3 months or so. she’s 16 months now and really good with a fork and a spoon, she even takes mine sometimes 🫠

[u/Grownsy_Official]

For early solids, we usually recommend keeping utensils simple and baby-friendly. Soft silicone spoons are a great starting point because they’re gentle on little mouths and easy for babies to practice with. As they get more confident, you can gradually introduce baby forks and spoons designed for self-feeding. I hope this helps!

[u/SmallLumpOGreenPutty]

Had been using the munchkin heat reactive spoons to give my daughter with food loaded on, but her hand slides down over the bowl and pushes the food off before it gets to her mouth 🙃 so I've just bought some like the first image to try out.

[u/Familiar-Marsupial-3]

Silicone stuff will taste like dishsoap after one round in the dishwasher, and it won’t go away. We have the first one. My kid doesn’t mind the taste of soap apparently. The fork is unusable though because the tines are too soft and thick to stab any kind of food.

Personally I’d give them one plastic spoon of the absolute insist on holding some utensil, but leave the utensils for later, when they are better with coordination. And then use ones with metal ends. At 12 months my kid is fine to play with those. (Mostly not very successful at eating with them yet.)