From around 6 months, your child begins learning about food and how to eat and drink. At first you may be helping; after about 12 months, children get better quickly at using spoons, forks and cups.
Fingers
Picking up food with their fingers helps babies develop fine motor skills. Offer finger foods small enough to pick up and soft enough to chew, such as:
- small cooked noodles;
- small pieces of bread;
- small pieces of soft, ripe, peeled fruit, or soft-cooked vegetables;
- small slices of mild cheese, or crackers.
By 12 months, children should be able to feed themselves easily with their fingers.
Spoons and forks
Babies first learn to swallow solid food — pureed or mashed — from a spoon you hold. Feed cereals and pureed or mashed foods with a spoon, and never give cereal or other food in a bottle.
| Age | What to expect |
|---|---|
| around 6 months | most babies can swallow a spoonful of pureed food without choking |
| around 10 to 12 months | babies can start using a spoon themselves |
Children keep getting better with spoons and forks. Give them the chance to use them, even if meals get messy.
Cups
| Age | What to expect |
|---|---|
| around 6 months, starting solid foods | you can offer a "sippy" (training) cup with a spouted lid, or a cup and straw |
| 9 months | children can start learning to use a cup without a lid |
| about 12 months | they can drink from an open cup while you hold it |
Let your child practise with a cup, and be ready for spills. If you have questions about what your baby can do at this age, ask your child's doctor or nurse; CDC also describes the developmental milestones to look for as your child grows.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Fingers, Spoons, Forks, and Cups." https://www.cdc.gov/infant-toddler-nutrition/mealtime/fingers-spoons-forks-and-cups.html
- Rewritten in hubnx's own words.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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