- As an occupational therapist,
I see so many parents struggling
when they're trying to feed their baby using a spoon.
And that's generally because they've got the wrong spoon
or they're using the wrong technique.
So in this video, you're gonna learn,
which spoon is best when you're starting off solids
with your baby,
and also the do's and don'ts of spoonfeeding,
which will ensure that mealtimes
are enjoyable for your baby,
and they learn that vital skill
of being able to clear food off the spoon.
Hi, my name's Emma.
If it's your first time here,
this channel is dedicated to helping you
become a confident parent,
by sharing tips and tricks that I've learned
practicing as a pediatric occupational therapist
and being mum to two gorgeous children.
So if you want your baby to get the best start to life
make sure you start now by subscribing to my channel
and hitting that bell button
to make sure you don't miss out on anything.
So first things first,
what spoon do I recommend when you're introducing
solids to your baby for the first time.
It is the munchkin white hot safety spoon.
And that is because it is extremely narrow.
So it actually fits in your baby mouth
when you compare it to one like this
which still doesn't even fit into my two-year old's mouth.
So it's a narrow spoon.
It also has really flexible ends.
So it's not gonna cause your baby pain
when they're like munching on it,
particularly if they're teething.
And the other thing that's really good about this spoon
is it's quite a shallow bowl.
And that just ensures that when your baby
is trying to clear food off the spoon,
it's really easy
'cause they don't need a significant lip seal
in comparison to this spoon
which is another version of the munchkin one,
but it's a deeper bowl,
which is just really difficult
when they're first learning to clear food off the spoon.
So, I would recommend this one.
And the other added bonus is this one changes color.
So it changes to white when the food is too hot,
which is just great.
When you're parenting you're extremely busy
you can just quickly look at the spoon
and know that the food's a bit too hot for your baby.
So now we know what spoons to use.
Let's talk about the do's and don'ts
when you're spoonfeeding your baby.
Firstly, the first one you want to do,
is make sure that you bring the spoon in level,
when you're feeding your baby.
So you want it become in level
so that they can have that lip seal
and keep their head nice and straight,
'cause we don't want them to angle back
'cause it's not safe when they're eating.
But then if you come in level,
it's really easy for them to get that lip seal
and clear the food off the spoon.
So that means generally
that you have to sit directly opposite them.
If you're standing,
it's gonna encourage you to bring it in at an angle,
which then leads into the don't of spoonfeeding
which is that you use your baby's lips to clear the food.
So they're not actually working on a skill there
and it's actually really irritating.
So if you keep the spoon level,
that ensures that they work on that lip seal.
The next thing you want to do
is that when you're bringing in the spoon
to your baby's mouth,
you want to tell them what to do,
and that is by doing these kinds of actions.
So, initially when the food comes to their mouth
on the spoon,
you want go, "Aaaah", and they will copy that action.
So they will also open their mouth and go "Aaah".
And then when the spoons in their mouth,
you want to go "Mmm mmm mmm".
And that means they will also do that action
and clear the food off the spoon,
because when they go "Mmm mmm mmm",
you drag the spoon out.
So it's working on that lip seal
and it's also teaching them what to do with the spoon.
My next don't, is don't scrape your baby's mouth
with the spoon after every mouthfull.
That is simply because it is extremely irritating
and it actually turns babies off eating.
So, I know that's really hard,
but just get a cloth and at the end of a meal
I just use a wet face washer
and just wipe their mouth at that point.
You can put a paint smock on them
so that they're not gonna get extremely dirty.
But do resist scraping the food
off their mouth with that spoon
'cause it is really irritating.
Now, if you've got a baby who loves holding the spoon
which actually makes meal times really difficult
because it drags it out,
and it also gets extremely messy.
You can give them another spoon.
So sometimes that's just enough for them to be happy
and quite content to play with that spoon
and allow you to keep feeding them the food
with the other spoon.
But if they don't like that
and they want to actually put the food in their mouth,
then you have two spoons still,
but you load one spoon up,
give that to your baby,
and then they'd put it in their mouth
while you're loading up the other spoon.
And then you give that to them.
So you just keep switching spoons
and it means that mealtimes
is gonna be significantly quicker,
and it will be enjoyable for you both.
And my last do,
is to make sure that you respect your baby's wishes.
So when they close their mouth or turn their head away
when you're spoon feeding them,
that means they've had enough
or they don't want any more.
And you need to respect that.
Don't keep trying to force-feed them
because that will actually lead to
potentially having a really fussy baby in the future,
which will make it significantly harder.
You just need to respect your baby's wishes
and not keep forcing that.
If you're concerned about (indistinct)
take them to their pediatrician or their doctor,
and you can raise those concerns with them,
and then they'll refer you on to the appropriate individual.
Now, if you've got a baby who's throwing food,
make sure you check out my video on what to do
when your baby's doing that.
And also meal times are just a little bit confusing
or a bit difficult for you,
make sure you check out my video on how to make mealtimes
enjoyable for both you and your baby.
The added bonus in this video
is that you get access to a free PDF document
that I've created,
which is in the description box below
which covers what your babies should be achieving
in their first year of life
in regards to developmental milestones,
which will give you an invaluable piece of mind.
So make sure you click on that,
and you can print it out
and refer to it in your baby's first year.
Now, if you've enjoyed this video
make sure you hit that like button and be sure to subscribe.
And hopefully I'll see you next week
where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.
(bright music)