Why give a spoon and fork to a baby?

BabyCool has received concerns from parents whose children, heading to daycare, only eat with their fingers and refuse to use a fork or spoon. This prompted us to write the following article, 'Why give a spoon and fork to a baby?' We hope that the information we share will be helpful to you, making dealing with eating habits a bit easier.

By the time children go to school, most of them have learned to eat with a fork and spoon. So, for those parents, it's reassuring to know that sooner or later, all children will start using cutlery. Of course, every parent would like their child to have mastered all the necessary skills before going to daycare – using the potty, dressing themselves, eating politely, and so on. The reality, however, is that many little ones haven't acquired all these skills yet. Often, the influence of other children in daycare motivates a child to try things on their own.

Estonian developmental therapist Reet Post explains that when a child eats with a spoon or fork, they actively practice long-range coordination, which is essential for the child's movement and safety later on. One crucial stage of a child's development is learning to make different senses work together. Post clarifies that if babies use only one sense at a time – see, hear, taste – after the sixth month, their sensory work should speed up, and by the age of one, their senses should work together, indicating sensory integration. Eating different things in different ways is very beneficial for this, according to Post.

What's the connection between eating with a spoon and speaking?

Estonaian speech therapist Valli Vilu, who works with young children, says that when, how, and what a toddler starts eating affects not only the formation of proper biting but also the development of the muscles in the tongue, lips, and cheeks. Orofacial development directly influences the formation of sounds and later contributes to the clarity and precision of a child's speech.

According to Valli Vilu, a one-year-old should take food from a spoon with upper lip support, activating the lips, tongue, and jaw muscles. A one-and-a-half-year-old should be able to take food onto a spoon and put it in their mouth. It might not go smoothly right away, and food will definitely end up elsewhere than in the mouth, but this helps develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which, in turn, lays the groundwork for better speech development and improved object manipulation. All of this supports a child's perception and speech development, emphasizes Vilu.

For proper nutrient absorption, it's important that the food is adequately mashed. Since babies don't have molars yet, they can't chew the food finely enough, resulting in less nutrient absorption. Nutrients are better absorbed from purees. Finger foods, on the other hand, help babies deal with solid pieces and give them the freedom to explore food on their own. Finger food doesn't necessarily mean that a child must grab food only with their hands. Give them a fork early on, and they can choose whether to use their hand, fork, or both at the same time. Lead by example when eating together, showing how to use a fork or spoon, as children learn by imitation.