Baby spoons?

[Frugster]

Do you really need those silicone covered spoons to feed baby their first foods? Can a regular teaspoon really hurt them?

Not a huge expense, but looking to avoid unnecessary baby purchases!

Thanks!

[I'm a red panda]

Their mouths are usually too small to close around a big spoon. I'd get the baby spoon, it might not be necessary but it really facilities learning to eat.


(Edit: No kids of my own, but been a lead teacher in an infant room, and have fed a large number of infants. Some could handle that metal spoon, others wouldn't have eaten.)

[tobitonic]

We use the big wooden ones to avoid raising picky eaters.

[abhe8]

We use the toddler size. They last a little longer that way. They are not necessary, but they do help contain the mess of learning to eat.

[firelight]

We use the baby spoons and still use it into toddlerhood. My kid is very comfortable using spoons and can feed herself now without messes.

[gooki]

Teaspoons are perfectly fine.

[meerkat]

We have smaller metal spoons that we use normally, but we bought a set of baby spoons because the metal ones seemed too harsh on the baby's bare gums. Now that he's getting teeth he likes to tap his teeth on things (cups, toys, spoons) and the teeth-on-metal sound would make my hair stand on end so I'm glad he has the softer ones. Also, since they're brightly colored, if we take one somewhere I'm less worried about losing/forgetting it. If you're comfortable using a regular teaspoon, though, go for it. They'll be around later if you change your mind.

[little_brown_dog]

I would say yes - they are the right size and babies like to dive into the spoon and chomp on them with their gums. The rubber covering helps prevent damage to their mouths. No matter how good you are at feeding, chances are your baby is going to slam their gums into the edge of the spoon a few times.  Teaspoons would probably be fine, but I like that the baby spoons are softer just in case. They're only a few bucks for a pack of 4 to 6....so why not?

We bought the gerber metal spoons with silicon tips and use them in conjunction with a regular ceramic cereal bowl to feed our 7mo old. When she's a bit older, we'll probably get her a couple little plastic bowls and plates that she can't break.

[Freedomin5]

I got a free Nuby one that changes colour when the food is too hot. All I had to do was register my pregnancy on the BabysRUs website and then printing out the coupon and picking up the welcome package which included all sorts of free goodies.

My kid is two and now she likes the ikea kids cutlery. I paid $1.50 for a pack of spoons, forks, and knives.

[GuitarStv]

We got a baby sized rubber coated spoon, and it was great for our son.  His teeth came in pretty early and he was constantly whacking it into them while learning to eat.  You really only need one odd sized spoon though, it takes just a second to wash at the end of the meal.

[ABC123]

It could be uncomfortable if they chomp down on the metal, and it is likely a little too big for their mouths.  I did get some toddler spoons, they have a kinda wavy handle that makes it easier for them to grasp when they are learning to feed themselves.  Actually, my 5 year old still really likes them and will use that kind when he gets to pick out his own silverware.  I paid a few dollars for 2 spoons and 2 sporks.  They have gone through 2 kids so far, and are in perfectly fine shape for the newbie on the way.  Seems like a pretty good use of a few bucks.  Now the actual baby spoons, with the tiny metal handle and the rubber coated spoon part, those I found kinda useless.  Very difficult for them to use themselves when learning, so can really only be used for babies being fed by others.

[K-ice]

We use the big wooden ones to avoid raising picky eaters.

LOL, I imagine you are joking all around. But in all seriousness, I believe it's illegal to use anything but your hand for spanking.

As for Baby spoons, I agree with Ikea and, you only need one.

[farmerj]

Like everything in the World of Children, it depends on the baby. Different spoons work best on different kids. We could practically shovel food into the eldest one's mouth using a specific adult-sized teaspoon that came with an airline meal; subsequent children had other preferences.

[MrsDinero]

It depends on the kid.  We tired using the smaller teaspoons and it was just not happening.  We ended up buying these: 

http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Soft-Tip-Infant-Spoon-Count/dp/B000LSL5ZK?ie=UTF8&keywords=baby%20spoon&qid=1463596922&ref_=sr_1_4_s_it&s=baby-products&sr=1-4

and have not had a problem since.  In fact when she sees us pulling out her spoons she starts doing her "about get fed" dance.

I say try a regular spoon and if it works then great if not then look at alternatives.

[I'm a red panda]

We use the big wooden ones to avoid raising picky eaters.

LOL, I imagine you are joking all around. But in all seriousness, I believe it's illegal to use anything but your hand for spanking.

So off topic, and I don't know where the OP is from, but I see you are in Canada. I don't think this is true in the US, unless laws have changed recently. And then I imagine it would vary state to state, as I cannot imagine this being a federal jurisdiction.

Not too long ago I did some observation in a school that still paddled children (which thankfully I didn't have to see!) and I know there is a religious subculture that recommends using glue sticks (I assume the kind you put in a hot glue gun, but I really don't know...) because they are flexible causing a whip that stings, but doesn't leave a mark. Spoons and belts used to be pretty common too.

[KCM5]

I was trying to figure out why this was a question and then I realized - have you heard of baby led weaning?

We didn't use infant spoons, we gave our child soft food that he could gum. Once he was interested in using a spoon himself we bought some toddler sized spoons (and my mom gave us a few she still had from when I was a kid).

The baby led weaning is interested if you want to give it a shot.

[lakemom]

You could just breastfeed/bottle feed until they are ready for finger foods and avoid "special" baby spoons altogether.  That's what we did for all 6 of ours, from breast to table foods skipping all the pureed hassels in between.  They could sit up well and manipulate finger foods (peas, pieces of fruit, cheerios, cheese, etc.) by around 8 months.

[Cranky]

We ended up with about 15 of those baby spoons, and I don't think we actually paid for any of them. If you don't get at least one as part of a baby present or in the junk they give out at the doctor's office, I'd be surprised.

I eventually tossed the padded ones because they were pretty chewed up, but we still use the others for olives, jelly, stuff like that (and I'm a grandma at this point.)

I've seen recent studies showing that it's better to introduce potential allergens sooner rather than later, so I won't be surprised if the feeding recommendations move back before 6 months.

[QueenV]

I started with silicone covered metal spoons but didn't really like them.  I then bought ones that were all silicone with a big handle:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuddle-Baby®-Gum-Friendly-Silicone-Spoons/dp/B0160G1BAA?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

These were great and if i could do it again, I would purchase these the first time and skip the metal/silicone ones.  Now that my baby is a toddler he can use these to feed himself and the bigger handle helps him grip it.  He is more successful at getting the food in his mouth with these than when he tries it with a regular metal spoon (like the adults use).  Also, I recommend having more than one unless you are planning to wash dishes after every meal. 

[Ceridwen]

Another vote for baby led weaning! http://www.babyledweaning.com/

[Frugal Lizard]

My guys used my baby spoon - a metal one with a short looped handle.  It has a fairly big bowl so they get a lot of food on it - top or bottom and lick it off mostly at the beginning. I didn't spoon feed me guys anything.  Their job was to put the food in their mouths.  The purpose of the spoon was for them to get hand-eye coordination and develop fine motor skills.  Mostly they ate finger foods with their hands.  We didn't do ground up food either.

[Tawcan]

Another vote for baby led weaning! http://www.babyledweaning.com/

Another vote here for baby led weaning, so happy that we did. Started our son around 6 months and now he eats the same thing as us. Makes life a lot easier in the beginning too because we didn't have to prepare special baby food for him.

We did get a baby spoon for him when he was a bit older so he could eat oatmeal and soup by himself. He's now 2.5. :)

[zolotiyeruki]

We've used the baby spoons, but I find them really frustrating because of the *tiny* quantity of food that they hold.  After the first couple weeks, the kid can handle much bigger "bites" (what do you call it when it's soft food?).  I like to use regular dessert spoons, and scoop a smaller amount (at first) with the tip.  We've used baby food for a few months, starting at 6mo and gradually migrating to whatever the rest of the family is eating.