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Ever wondered how on earth your little one is going to get to grips with kids’ cutlery? From spoon-feeding and self-feeding with their hands, to then needing to learn a completely new skill of feeding with a fork? Needless to say, it’s often a long and messy journey.

My almost-three-year old is only just now really getting good at using her fork. She’s always preferred the speed and efficiency of using her hands, having been brought up on Baby-Led-Weaning and self-feeding. So now, going through the same process with my second daughter, who’s now 9-months, I started to wonder, “Is there a better way?”.

Perfecting her self-feeding skills, pre-cutlery

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Rennae from Grabease Australia, a company that makes innovative cutlery for little hands. I was really curious about the cutlery, and wanted to try it out with Addie. But first, I had a few questions for Rennae . Here’s what she had to say…

My 5 Questions for Rennae from Grabease

What is a good age to start using cutlery and why?

Technically there is no right or wrong age, but I would say, the earlier the better. Grabease is suitable from 6 months. I think with anything, the more a baby handles something and gets the opportunity to play with it, the more competent they will become. I started using Grabease with my daughter at 7 months and put them out for her with every meal. Now at 12 months she has a very finely developed pincer grip and already has her pencil grasp because she has been practicing for the last 6 months.

What are the benefits from starting kids’ cutlery at a younger age?

Just like Baby-Led Weaning, cutlery is all about nurturing a baby’s independence. The earlier they familiarize themselves with utensils, the sooner they will be able to self-feed, which alleviates a lot of frustrations for both baby and parent around mealtimes. A happy baby makes a happy parent, right! As well as this sense of achievement, Grabease are a developmental tool. Your baby will not only be emotionally content, but will be physically developing fine motor skills that lead into so many other aspects of childhood development, particularly the pincer grip and pencil grasp. Delaying introduction is limiting a baby’s capabilities.

How does introducing cutlery tie in to introducing solids/BLW

Baby-Led Weaning and using cutlery go hand-in-hand. One does not replace the other, they complement each other. The BLW journey with hands is very important as it helps a baby to experience texture and it is all important for the gag reflex. Utensils then bring to the table the next developmental step in learning about mealtime etiquette and motor development, as well as speech development. The thing they have in common is that baby is in complete control and is self-feeding, which is everything that Baby-Led Weaning stands for.

Image from Grabease Australia

What issues do parents/children face around traditional kids’ cutlery? What is your solution to that?

Let’s talk about traditional children’s cutlery. They look very much like adult cutlery, just scaled down to a small size as perceived by an adult. However, if you put a traditional child’s spoon next to a baby’s arm, you will see that a “child size” spoon is actually the same length as a 12-month old’s forearm! If adults used the same proportions in utensils when we ate we’d be eating with a serving spoon. So, therein lies the major design flaw. Traditional children’s utensils are too big.

Then there is improper hand-hold. Due to the long handle a child can’t use a proper vertical hand grasp to use them, so they hold these handles with a fist. This doesn’t encourage fine motor development, if anything it hinders it because the handle is always too long to hold vertically. Why is this vertical hand grasp so important? The vertical hand grasp is a baby’s natural hold, and is how they develop their pincer grip and pencil grasp. So, if they aren’t using those hand muscles correctly they aren’t going to develop it properly for school age.

There really is only one solution and that’s Grabease. They encourage vertical and horizontal hold because of the short ergonomic handle and have been endorsed by Occupational Therapists due to this revolutionary feature.

Tell us a bit about Grabease cutlery and why you love it?

I’m a Mum of two. When I had my son, who is now 5, I did Baby-Led Weaning with him and noticed so many gaps in the feeding product market and I had ideas all those years ago to start my own line of smocks and utensils. Skip ahead 4 years and I had just had my daughter when all the same problems started cropping up again, with the lack of good quality feeding products, so I decided to design my own. When I set the wheels in motion I also started a blog to help other families with Baby-Led Weaning and through that process I found Grabease on Instagram. I couldn’t believe it! It was pretty much the design I had in my head! So, I contacted the developer and here I am, the proud face of Grabease Australia.

Getting to grips with Grabease

The reason I loved them so much was that they were the right size for a baby and were made for their current and developing skill set. They aren’t JUST utensils, they are a developmental tool. They nurture independence, they are non-toxic, they have a choke guard for safety. Really, Grabease ticks ALL the boxes! When I first gave them to my daughter at 7 months she could instantly pick them up and bring them to her mouth. From that moment, we haven’t looked back. Grabease is the only choice in infant cutlery, I can confidently say, that no other utensil even comes close.

Thanks, Rennae!

Rennae very kindly sent us a set of Grabease cutlery and Addie has given them a go! She is able to pick them up and get them to her mouth without a problem. Yippee! However, getting food on them and into her mouth will take a good bit of practise. But I’m eager to see her develop this skill! As Rennae mentioned, it’s critical to offer that regular exposure to the cutlery. This way, babies learn that cutlery is a part of meal times, and with practice, they’ll soon master the new skill.

I’m so excited to see how Addie gets on with her Grabease cutlery. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and I’ll keep you updated as Addie gets better with them! And if you want to check out the cute and colourful cutlery yourself, and maybe grab a pair for your own little one, then hop over to Grabease Australia’s website page, Facebook page and Instagram for more!

BONUS: get my FREE eGuide now – click the title below:

“Stress-Free Solids: A guide to introducing new foods while managing intolerances and allergies”

Thinking of introducing solids and wondering when to start? Why is one age better than another? What do you give them, and when?
Read on for my tips to get through without all the confusion!

Is your baby reaching the age for introducing solids? Do you think they should probably be having a little more than just milk? Then you will be starting to look everywhere for the answers on when to start, and what to give them. And you’ll know it’s an overwhelming topic, with lots of contradictory advice!

It can be a stressful time for parents, wanting to do and give the best for their little people. And with good reason. A healthy start to solids lays the groundwork to future wellbeing and positive attitudes around food. Eek, no pressure!

There are a lot of mixed messages around the best time to start introducing solids and what to give a young infant. So, I’ve done the hard work and broken down the current research and knowledge for you. I’ve also included my top tips on introducing solids (which I have used for my daughters).

Introducing solids? Hip, hip hooray! Thanks Mum!

What we know: current research and facts

Current research recommends introducing solids at around six months, but not before four months ^[1]. Many website authors have interpreted this as ‘introduce solids from four months’, but it doesn’t mean this at all. Research shows that introducing solids before the age of four months increases the risk of atopic disease and food allergies, but so too can leaving it until after six months ^[2,3]. Another study found no evidence of any benefit from additional foods for infants between four and six months of age ^[4].

In addition, starting too early can be detrimental to their still-developing digestive system. From the ages of four months up until 12 months, infants are developing the various enzymes required to fully digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In fact, they don’t develop enough pancreatic amylase to fully digest starches until around 12 months (but can digest those that are very well-cooked). This means well-cooked vegetables are great early foods, but some grains are much harder for them to digest until after 12 months or even later.

Ultimately, by around six months their digestive system is developed enough to digest protein, fat and starches in solid foods. Bear in mind that it will take a little longer for premature babies to develop these enzymes so their digestive system takes a little longer to be ready.

Messy eater, who, me?

My 4 Top Tips For Introducing Solids

1. Find the ‘sweet spot’ and start when they are ready

I believe there is a sweet spot in which to begin introducing solids. This should be based on the above – around six months. But to work out when they are ready it is important to also go on the individual child and their personal development.

Good head and neck control, and the ability to sit upright. With some support. There is a visible shift in their ability to sit around the same time that they are developmentally ready to start solids. I found that my girls were able to sit in their highchair, with a towel for support, quite well around a week or so before they turned six months.

The tongue-thrust reflex starts to reduce. This reflex is the one that pushes those purées back out of their mouths! But it is actually a baby’s inbuilt safety mechanism to prevent choking. This reflex subsides between four and six months old. (See #3 below for more on this).

The ability to reach out and grab things. If they are reaching out, picking things up and bringing them to their mouths, then they have ticked off another developmental element. You may also notice that they start watching you intently when you are eating. Food envy starts early, my friend!

2. Remember that solids are ‘complimentary foods’

The term ‘weaning’ can be misleading, as it implies your baby’s milk intake will reduce. It will, but not straight away. Early solids are not intended to replace milk feeds, and really are “in addition to” milk instead. It’s also very easy to get trapped in the belief that your baby needs to eat as much as possible from the get-go. That puts a lot of pressure on parents to get the food into an unwilling mouth! It adds unnecessary stress that you just don’t need. So, it’s worth remembering that solids are ‘complimentary foods’ in addition to breast milk and formula.

My daughter self-feeding at 8 months

3. Accept that to begin they will spit out more than they swallow!

The reason for spitting so much out is due to the baby’s tongue-thrust (or ‘gag’) reflex being situated much further forward on their tongue. This is a sign their mouth isn’t quite developmentally ready to eat yet. But by introducing foods – and letting your baby ‘play’ with the feeling of food in their mouth – their reflex will move to the back of the tongue. This allows your baby to move food to the back of their mouth and then swallow it.

Your baby’s ability to take foods in and the transition of the tongue-thrust reflex improve quickly, and within a few weeks you will notice that much less food is being spat out. In my experience, this improvement happens even more quickly when the baby is in charge of their food and is self-feeding.

You may be worried about the amount of food being spat out. It’s true that babies’ have increased needs for certain nutrients (iron, for example), so it can be a bit stressful when they spit out or drop more food than they eat. However, by ensuring their bowls are full of nutrient-rich foods (especially iron-rich) you are already helping with their intake of important nutrients.

4. The best first-foods to start with

Well-cooked vegetables are the best foods to start your baby with – whether you’re doing purées or baby-led weaning. Soft-cooked carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, zucchini/courgette, broccoli, parsnip, peas, cauliflower and potato. Avocado is a great addition, as it adds in healthy fats. Soft-cooked beans (kidney, cannellini, black etc) are also a great addition, providing all-important iron and fibre in the diet.

You can also offer soft, ripe fruit – pear, banana – and soft-cooked fruit – apple, other stone fruits. However, it is best to keep fruit to a minimum to help develop the palate on savoury foods, and encourage your child to love their veg. Keep some cooked, frozen pear handy to help whenever the poos become a little MIA – which can happen when their baby tummies are first adjusting to the new foods.

Introducing solids: my 8 month-old's lunch - omelette, pear and water.

My 8 month-old’s lunch: omelette, pear and water. Yes, she ate much more than this!

What next?

If your baby is six months old, then you can go ahead and start solids (unless there are any developmental delays that could prevent this). If they are between four and six months old, then look out for the signs that they are ready, as all babies develop at different rates. Try to aim for closer to six months, than four. And if they are under four months old, please hold off from the solids until they are more ready.

For more advice on feeding your baby, get in touch with me via the Contact page or at hello@therealnutritionist.com to arrange a ‘baby-sized’ consult and feeding plan package deal!

BONUS: get my FREE eGuide now – click the title below:

“Stress-Free Solids: A guide to introducing new foods while managing intolerances and allergies”

Research

[1] http://foodallergyresearch.org.au/infant-feeding-roundtable-part-ii-2016/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4646750/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18166574
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25420475

Kids’ Cutlery: when should you give your baby a fork?

My 5 Questions for Rennae from Grabease

What is a good age to start using cutlery and why?

What are the benefits from starting kids’ cutlery at a younger age?

How does introducing cutlery tie in to introducing solids/BLW

What issues do parents/children face around traditional kids’ cutlery? What is your solution to that?

Tell us a bit about Grabease cutlery and why you love it?

Thanks, Rennae!

BONUS: get my FREE eGuide now – click the title below:

Introducing Solids to Baby: What, When & How?

What we know: current research and facts

My 4 Top Tips For Introducing Solids

1. Find the ‘sweet spot’ and start when they are ready

2. Remember that solids are ‘complimentary foods’

3. Accept that to begin they will spit out more than they swallow!

4. The best first-foods to start with

What next?

BONUS: get my FREE eGuide now – click the title below:

Research

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