How to Teach a Baby to Self Feed

Mealtime with a little one who is learning how to self-feed will be anything but boring. With practice, your baby will gain mastery of tiny fingers to pick up food morsels. Little ones also need to learn how to transport food to the mouth using utensils. Teaching a baby how to self-feed may involve some time, effort and clean up, but these independent skills are an important milestone for young children.

Things You'll Need

  • Child-size baby spoon and blunt fork
  • Soft finger foods (cooked noodles and vegetables, dry cereal and soft fruit)
  • Thick pureed foods (applesauce and cooked cereal)

Instructions

    • 1

      Give your baby the child-size baby spoon and blunt fork whenever you put her in her high chair. Gradually, she will learn how to use the utensils by watching you use them to feed her and yourself.

    • 2

      Place soft finger foods, cut into baby bite-size pieces onto your child̵7;s high chair tray. With consistent exposure, your baby will realize that these foods are for eating. By about 9 months of age, many babies have the fine motor skills necessary for picking up small pieces of food for self-feeding, according to the Vermont Department of Health.

    • 3

      Demonstrate spearing the soft chunks of food on the high chair tray with the blunt fork. Spear a chunk of food and hand the fork to your little one so she can put the food in her mouth. Offer praise when she succeeds in using the fork. With encouragement and opportunities for practice, your baby should learn how to manage the fork by about 18 months of age.

    • 4

      Load the baby spoon with a small amount of pureed food that is thick enough to cling to the spoon even if your little one turns it upside-down. Give the loaded spoon to your baby to handle. He may move it straight to his mouth or he may play with it. Remain patient and positive; with practice your baby will master this skill.

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