Day 313 - How to Teach Your Baby to Use a Spoon

Today's first time parenting tip - Patience and imitation are your best friends when teaching your baby how to use a spoon

Using silverware is the next step for your baby after they learn how to eat with their fingers. Since it requires fine motor skills, balance and coordination, you can expect the process to take a little bit of coaching. Here are some important tips to remember:

• Be patient. They won't get it right away, and getting frustrated won't help them learn


• Teach through imitation. You can do this by eating with a spoon out of your own bowl or plate. If they're eating something you don't mind stomaching, you can even spoon up their own food to show them how


• Let them experiment. There will be a fair amount of dumping food on the floor, their head, the cat, etc. It's O.K., your infant is exploring this new tool they've found.


• Get a baby sized spoon. It's smaller and will be coated in a soft rubbery material that's easy on the teeth and easier for them to handle

Parenting, Teach, Spoon, Feeding, Food

Day 286 - Trick for Getting Your Baby to Eat

Today's first time parenting tip - Feed your baby off your plate, or eat off theirs

Here's a quick tip if you're struggling to get your baby to eat food rather than play with it.

I've found our son sometimes doesn't want what's on his plate, but he'll scarf it down if he thinks it came from our plate. Or, he'll be more interested in what's for dinner right in front of him if he sees us eating it as well.

Try putting some of his food on your plate and eat a little bit of it. If he leans over or wants to grab at it, try feeding it to him. My wife had a salad and he ate nearly half of it.

Other times he thinks that fruit or cheerios are things to mash around and throw on the ground. If I start eating pieces off his highchair tray, he'll pick up a couple pieces and start eating. It only takes a few tastes of the things he likes to get him started, after that he's all about feeding himself.

Parenting, Food, Feeding, Difficulty, Eat,