I have been sharing quite a number of recipes for little ones, this time let's talk about the feeding utensils to use for little ones, from 6 months old to toddler year. The principles that I subscribed to are simple:
- Buy only items that are reusable, good quality and that are safe for toddler - non toxic, BPA free, no sharp edges.
- Go for practical design with reasonable price, buying the most expensive of the range or branded imported products may not make one a good parent automatically; instead, invest in getting quality food or ingredients.
It is a mixer of fun and painful experience for new parents when it comes to introducing food to the little ones, especially if you have a picky one. Hopefully this articles helps to give some pointers on what are the essential tools to spend on for this journey so at least it would not be a pricey one. :)
The Beginner
6 Months - 18 months old
At this stage, the little ones are exposed to solid food for the first time and in the first few months, they spend more time exploring their taste buds and rely mostly on the parent or caretaker to spoon feed them. Nothing fancy required, just practical tools that make feeding a mess-less chore.
Essentials:
• Feeding spoons
• Bowls & Container
• High Chair
• Bib
• Food blender
• Feeding Spoons
I like Take & Toss for the no-frill, practical design, and the length & width are just nice fore the little mouth. While there are a lot more fancy choices such as spoon that changes color according to temperature but I find it, errrr... a bit of an overkill. You can easily check the food temperature by touching the bowl or test a drop on the back of your palm, the most basic method will do. When the the little ones moved into next step where they are ready to self feed, the length of these spoons and forks are just ideal. You can even retire them as the cooking toy (masak-masak) when the little ones grew out of them.
• Bowls & Containers
I like these reusable Snack cups that are BPA free, microwave safe, dishwasher safe, freezer safe and can double as storage box for rice cereals, porridge or cut fruits. I used these a lot and each one is just perfect for single feeding.
When traveling short distance, you can put the frozen purée in these storage containers and place in a cooler box. When feeding, thaw over a bowl of hot water and you can feed directly from the storage container. Really convenient and mess free.
• Bibs
You may opt for cute little cloth bibs that are absorbent and made little ones looking so adorable, but they can be quite difficult to clean to have all the food stains removed. While these are simply too cute to resist, I would recommend to use them for teething purpose (the nonstop saliva and drool!) and to spoon feed little ones, not when they started self feeding (unless you don't mind all the washing...)
When little ones started to self feed, I would recommend these soft plastic bib that comes with pocket at the bottom (ideal for catching dropping liquid). You may choose the thick plastic or the soft foldable type which I find is more practice - can easily rolled up and pack in the nappy bag.
Notice the deep pocket?
You may even opt for a cover-all wear on bib, personally I find it not so practice for our tropical weather that is super hot and humid. So never venture into that...
Conclusion? The choices are aplenty in all the baby stores, just choose wisely. After all only need the bib for first year of feeding.
• Baby High Chair
For high chair, we went with something practical - IKEA high chair that almost 1 in every 5 young family would have one at home.
We had one for 5 years and still look new as the first day we bought it. It's easy to clean, practical, and we personalized it by using different stickers - with one of our little ones' favorite Disney characters, Jack & the Neverland pirates.
We got another portable high chair for traveling purpose - Fisher Price Portable High Chair. It is light weight, easy to clean and can be folded into a box size with a handle so is truly portable. I like that the tray comes with a cover and can be removed for washing. The seat is adjustable to suit different heights so we can actually use this unit for our little ones from 6m+ up to 2 years old.
• Food Blender
Between 6 to 8 months, the little ones still require intake of mushy food such as purée or soupy food, so you may need a blender to prepare the purée or cereal. While there are many baby food processors available in the market nowadays, I would recommend for a conventional hand mixer. My favorite thus far is the Moulinex Hand Mixer with multiple foots that allows it to blend, mince, crush ice and emulsify. It is easy to clean and only requires minimal storage space.
While a special designed baby food processor may help to reduce the preparation time. You only need it for few months, subsequently the little ones may prefer semi-solid or solid food such as noodles, rice, congee etc, which doesn't require a blender anymore. While the conventional hand blender will remain an useful addition in your kitchen, a baby food processor on the other hand, may be redundant. (I stand corrected on this, but I really like my hand mixer which I am still using till to date).
The Wobbly Years
18 months - 3 years old
18 months - 3 years old
This is the stage to start introducing self feeding (I started my girl at 13 months, it really depends on the little one's readiness), so it is important to provide cutlery sets that are easily manageable by the little ones and are attractive in design to capture their interest.
Essentials at this stage:
• water proof bib with pocket
• spoon & fork
• food scissor
• snack box & storage box
• plate & soup bowl
You may check out recipes suitable for 2-3 years here.
• Toddler Food Scissors
Get a pair of round tip scissors with cover, can use it at home or when visiting restaurant, it can be handy with noodles, pasta, meats or vegetables. You can easily find a pair of such scissors from stationary stores, we got ours for only RM5.
• Toddler Cutlery Set
Opt for plastic cutlery set that are BPA free, one with wide bottom so less chance of spillage. We have been using these IKEA Smaka bowls and they serve the purpose well.
Suggest to opt for plain color that are vibrant and captivating.
• Placemat
Get some cute looking placemats. Besides looking cute and keeping the little ones interested, a placemat also helps in "damage control" - don't underestimate the level of messiness when you decide to let little ones self-feed. ;)
We have been using the IKEA Trova placemats until we made out own custom-made placemats with our little one's artwork. You may read up more about it here.
The Confident Toddler
3 Years Onward
3 Years Onward
By now, little ones shall be well trained to self feeding and can confidently dine with little assistant from the adults.
The essentials at this stage:
• Solid spoon, fork & knife
• Plate & soup bowl
• chopsticks & chopsticks trainer
• Foldable Cutlery Set
Our favorite choice when going out with the kiddos has got to be these FUEL foldable cutlery sets. Trendy, easy to store (just fold it!), and very practice design. The handle offers good grip for the small hands and the size of the cutlery are just nice for the little mouths.
We got ours when traveling in Australia few years back, nowadays we often see Fuel cutlery sets available in major departmental stores such as Parkson.
Different colors for easy differentiation. I made a cutlery pouch for storing the sets for the siblings.
We usually dine using chopsticks when serving Chinese dishes or noodles. Little ones are curious to try out the chopsticks so this trainer set comes handy, this bunny chopstick holders which can easily cap onto any chopsticks. It helps the little fingers to learn holding and grip onto the food, which is a good form of fine motor training for the little fingers. Our little boy is able to use his chopsticks well after few meals with the help of this bunny trainer. :)
You can easily find these chopsticks trainer in home improvement or departmental stores.
There are many other items and appliances that baby stores may offer and one may be enticed to purchased, I am just listing what are the essential based on my personal experience. So just be a wise consumer and spend wisely. ;)
Do note that the suggested stages above may differ for your little one as not every child has the same development path. There is no need to compare your little one with others (unless there is a real reason to concern on the progress), just need to have some patient to guide them and enjoy the journey which contributes to the overall parenthood experience.
Have a question? Feel free to post below. :)
Cheers!
Have a question? Feel free to post below. :)
Cheers!
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