When should my baby be self-feeding?
Many parents are SHOCKED when they learn about self-feeding milestones…
…in a good way.
Many parents think self-feeding milestones should be achieved much earlier than what is actually expected.
Self-feeding is hard and it takes time. Check out the graphics below!
Yes, babies can self-feed at 6 months of age, but it’s really just bringing a pre-loaded spoon to their mouth! Scooping isn’t expected until much later. Most babies attempt to scoop around 9 months of age if they have been given opportunities to self-feed pre-loaded spoons. Scooping messily is expected at 12 months of age and refines over the next year!
Numbers 1-4 are great as teethers before starting solids. I recommend giving to baby around 4 months of age in play. Then baby will be more likely to bring them to their mouth once they are sitting in the high chair!
Piercing with a fork is usually mastered once scooping as started to refine, so more around 15-18 months.
These utensils are my favorites for self-feeding. Number 7 in particular is great because the fork is dense silicone and is not so harsh on baby’s teeth as they learn how to take food off the fork!
Practice makes perfect, so give your little one time!
Click here to see all my favorite utensils for baby!
Similarly to spoon feeding, babies can drink from an open cup and straw cup at 6 months old with support. Pop some puree in the open cup and fill it to the top! Help baby take small sips. Puree moves slower than water, so it is easier to manage.
For straw drinking, picking a squeezable cup can help baby learn how to quickly drink! Numbers 1, 3, and 5 are able to be squeezed. Plug the little hole in the lid for 1 and 5 before squeezing, and just squeeze the bear’s tummy to help the liquid go up.
Around a 10 months or so, start using some travel straws for out and about and to prep for bottle weaning. Numbers 6, 7, and 8 are my favorite “no-spill” cups that are free flowing and promote mature oral motor patterns for drinking.
At meals, continue to practice cup drinking until your little one can regulate small sips of water on their own, which usually comes in around 18-24 months! Small open cups usually result in the most success!
Click here to see all my favorite cups for baby!
Babies use their hands to eat and that is NORMAL! Not every meal needs to include a utensil and that is OK. Well into toddlerhood, little ones will still use their hands to eat some foods. The main fine motor skills for finger feeding come into play around 7-9 months and 9-12 months. The raking and pincer grasps are ones to watch out for, as they help baby make it to their mouth with foods!
If you’re not seeing finger isolation by 12 months of age, I would reach out to an occupational therapist for some help!
If you’re running into some trouble with getting your little one to bring a utensil to their mouth, or pick up pieces of food off the tray, try these tips:
Bring familiar teethers to the tray! Dip them in puree that your little one likes and see if baby will bring a teether to their mouth instead of a spoon.
Offer a pre-loaded fork with soft solid bites on it! If baby is chewing, but not so interested in picking up foods to chew, this can help them bring bites to their mouth.
Hold a preferred bite of food out (a Puff, a small piece of banana, anything they like!) and keep your hand several inches from their mouth. Wait for their hand to reach out and grab your hand and TOGETHER place the bite in their mouth. Do this several times and then try to encourage them to take the bite from your hand and put in their mouth.
Work on holding their own open cup or straw cup for drinking! This “self-drinking” motor pattern is similar to self-feeding!
Offer them a pouch (homemade or storebought) and see if they will hold it and bring it to their mouth! This is also a great step in the direction of using utensils and finger feeding. We like these!
Teethers Can Help
Many people think teethers are just for teething, but that’s not true! Around 10-12 weeks of age, babies start to chomp on their fisted hands or fingers and this is the first sign that teethers are ready to come into play!
Giving baby teethers to mouth helps them practice self-feeding, as well! Give your little one teethers (and spoons- I see you number 6!) in play and then bring them into the high chair when starting solids and beyond.
These are my favorites!
If your baby is just not into self-feeding right now and it’s more of a frustration than an enjoyment, TAKE A BREAK. It’s ok to step back and try again later. Involve your little one in making foods outside of the high chair- like putting ingredients in a blender for a smoothie, or moving ingredients from one bowl to another! Read your baby and proceed how is best for you!
REMEMBER: ***If your little one was born prematurely (before 37 weeks), use their adjusted aged for these milestones until they are 2 years old! If your child has had some delays in gross motor skills (e.g., sitting up, standing, walking), then they may achieve these milestones a bit slower- and that is OKAY. These are a guideline, and if your child is not exactly on this timeline, don’t stress!***
Everything you need to know about starting solids.
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