Teaching baby to feed themselves

Your baby will start feeding themselves not earlier than around 8 months old. 

Initially, you will notice that they grasp for their food with their whole hand in a raking motion. 

They often get a bunch in there at once and will try to shove their whole hand into their mouth. 

This is a fairly ineffective method, but they manage. 

Slowly, they will begin to use multiple fingers to pick up more foods, which should evolve into a pincer grasp around 10 months old.

When children are learning to feed themselves, it can be messy and sometimes frustrating – but it’s an important stage. 

Here are some practical tips to help you and your child.

• Start with finger foods Give your baby soft, bite-sized pieces of food that are easy for baby to pick up and mash between his gums or teeth. If your child is showing interest in feeding himself, you can start with finger foods that you can put in your child’s hand, like a small piece of soft fruit or soft, cooked vegetables like potato or pumpkin.
• Use a spoon Most babies won’t get the hang of using a spoon until they’re about 18 months old. But it’s a good idea to let your child use a spoon from a much earlier age. Usually babies will let you know when they want to start, by constantly reaching for the spoon.
• Feed your baby with one spoon while he holds another one.
• Stay calm! Remember that messy eating and playing with food are normal parts of your baby’s development when he’s learning to eat independently.

Make photos of your baby attempts to feed himself, upload to the App. Write briefly about the process and his achievements.