Developing feeding skills can be tricky. Check out these tips for spoon use development!
There are many areas to consider when it comes to utensil use:
- Hand strength & fine motor skills: are they able to pick up and scoop with a spoon? Would they benefit from a wide handled spoon?
- Sensory Processing: Do they accept bites from metal and/or plastic spoons? How do they react with food gets on their fingers, or falls off the spoon? Additionally, do they prefer the texture of finger foods versus mashed foods and purees?
- Time: It’s a development, so reminder sometimes it takes children a while to master spoon use!
- Motor Coordination & Body Awareness: Can they plan out what to do after scooping with a spoon? Do they get frustrated with missing their mouth frequently?
- Finally, remember that it’s ok if we aren’t using a spoon. There are dippers, forks, sporks, foods used as a binder for finger feeding, and more. Work on those smaller skills, with our hand strength and coordination, regulation during mealtimes, and sensory accommodations, and continue to look for those small (but big) achievements!
For more tips and strategies, check out and download my pdf down below!
Dr. Diamond