When to start offering a spoon to baby?
We can start offering small purées from 4 months, we talk about 4 months old, that is to say when baby enters his 5th month. Before this time, the digestive system is not mature enough to receive anything other than milk. The baby spoon will therefore make its appearance!
How to choose a spoon?
For babies, to allow them to discover new tastes independently, the following spoons can be used NumNum spoons. They are perfectly suited to the development of baby's motor skills.
Its handle allows a global prehension and facilitates the hand-mouth without baby going too far. Its coating will limit the impact of the lack of coordination but above all will keep the purée on the "carrier" part without it falling off.
And yes, baby does not yet have the ability to move his wrist to keep a classic spoon in the right direction.
Furthermore, to encourage learning and to allow repetition of the movement, it is necessary to place our baby in a position of success: each small victory will encourage confidence and the use of the tool.
For parents, we prefer shallow spoons. The TumTum spoonsThe two-sided spoons allow a perfect amount to be brought into the mouth.
It is important to give your baby time to discover a new texture without it invading the entire oral cavity.
For some sensitive babies, the amount of purée on the spoon will have an impact on the acceptance of a new taste.
How to prepare baby for the transition from milk to spoon?
It is important to encourage oral exploration with rattles, but also the NumNum spoons It is important to encourage oral exploration with rattles, but also with spoons, which can be safely left with baby, so that he can discover the tool without having to deal with a new taste and texture at the sensory level.
How do you offer mashed potatoes?
It is best to start with a small amount of puree on the spoon, so as not to over-stimulate baby's mouth.
As soon as baby is ready to take a bite, you can dip the NumNum spoon into the purée and let him manage the feeding.
It is important to bear in mind that the beginning of diversification is a discovery, there is no rigidity on the quantity that baby should ingest.
Breast milk or industrial preparations will provide all his needs until he is 1 year old.
Little extras from the occupational therapist
Don't be surprised if baby pushes the purée with his tongue or makes a disgusted face at first. As your baby is introduced to the food, he will learn to recognise the new food and the surprised face will give way to a wide-open mouth for more.
The mechanism of pushing with the tongue will also disappear as exposure progresses, giving way to a closing of the lips, a receding of the tongue and a more mature swallowing.
Remember that baby is discovering everything from birth and the process of getting used to it may take more or less time depending on the baby.
Occupational therapist specialising in eating disorders in children