In this article we have compiled 12 of the most important tips and tricks about introducing cutlery that we, as parents, have to offer.
1. Baby cutlery training should be started as soon as possible.
It is ideal that from 6 months the baby starts interacting with the spoon. The more he practices, the faster the motor and coordination benefits will occur. All these benefits will be seen even when the child will have to use his hands to learn to write with a pen or pen, or in any activity that involves finger and wrist dexterity.
2. Enter the cutlery in increasing order of learning difficulty, from simple to complex.
You start with the spoon, then the fork, and the knife is last. In short, the recommendation is as follows:
– at 6 months, introduce the baby spoon, a light, soft model, preferably made of silicone.
– between 10 and 12 months you introduce the first training fork. Also at this point you can switch to a training spoon.
– around 2 years old you can already offer a normal spoon and fork, but preferably made of wood or bamboo.
– around 3 years, the training knife appears.
3. Seat position is very important.
Cutlery is only used from a stable position. Regardless of the age of the child and the type of cutlery they are experimenting with, the position at the table must be stable. Make sure the little one doesn’t slide out of the seat. It must sit straight, fixed and comfortable. When it is very small you can place a rolled towel or a small pillow between the back of the chair and the baby’s back.
4. Help your child by giving him the right tableware.
Learning how to use cutlery is a big enough challenge that no additional difficulties with the bowl or plate are necessary. Tableware must be constructed in such a way as to support learning to use cutlery. Use non-slip bowls and plates to make learning less frustrating. The bowl must not move when the little one tries to scoop up food with a spoon, poke with a fork or cut something with a knife. Use bowls with raised rims for easier picking up of food using a spoon and fork. HERE you can find our recommended products.
5. Place the plates and cutlery in the same order at each meal to create a familiar routine for the child.
In this way, the little one will quickly identify each type of cutlery and the energy will be invested in using the cutlery.
6. Use the right cutlery for each age.
At every stage of development, the child must be able to hold the cutlery and move it without difficulty. The texture of the handle is very important. For babies and small children, cutlery with a silicone handle is recommended, which offers a very good grip. Pay attention to how heavy the cutlery is. Cutlery should be light enough to handle without difficulty, but not so light as to be flimsy and useless. As for the fork or knife, the heavier they are, the easier it will be for your little one to poke or cut. So you have to find the balance.
7. Breaks down learning to use cutlery into simple steps that are easy to follow and execute.
Very effective is the reverse learning process. You start with the last step in the movement you want your little one to master and work backward from there. Let’s take the teaspoon as an example. You start by loading the spoon with food yourself and offering the spoon directly into the baby’s hand. The baby will just have to take it to the mouth. Then, once he’s comfortable with this move, you just load the spoon with food and put it down for the baby to grab on his own. In the last step, guiding his hand, gather food together in the cup of the spoon. Then he will do it all by himself, from collecting it in the cup to taking it to the mouth. When using the knife, the same principle, but the movements to spread on the bread and cut with the knife will be broken down into simple steps.
8. Find the most effective way for your child to learn.
There are 3 modes and each child has one. You can guide his hand with your hand over his and go through the steps together. You can simply show him how you do it and let him watch. Or you can explain it verbally. Be aware that some babies cannot follow an activity with their eyes and listen to explanations at the same time, so try to choose only one way of ”teaching”.
9. Pay attention to the food you serve.
If you want your baby to be able to use the spoon, make sure you don’t start straight away with a completely liquid food like soup. It will be difficult for the little one to keep the contents in the spoon cup. If you want them to use the fork, make sure the food is soft enough to poke with the fork. As with the knife, the food must be able to be cut with the knife you are practicing with.
10. Encourages a correct grip of the fork and knife from the first moments.
The child’s index finger must rest on the cutlery, pointing along it, toward the top.
11. Practice every chance you get.
Ideally, the child should interact daily with the cutlery they are trying to ”master”. You can also practice outside the meals. For example, in the kitchen, when something is being cooked with dough, the little one can also get a piece of dough to experiment with using cutlery.
12. Have patience and perseverance.
Learning new things takes time, but the rewards are worth it.
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