The Importance of Spoons

Remember when I told you about Brent, or was it Brett? Anyway, he is one month older than Jimmy and they sat at the end of a table together in highchairs? Yeah that one. Well, one of the things his mom and I discussed is whether or not their age group should be using spoons yet. The school she had enrolled her son in said that everyone else in his class was already using one. I assured her that her son was not developmentally behind because my son was not using spoons either so there was no way they were behind. Right? Jimmy is a smart cookie and can say "Aqui" so yeah...those other kids have really overbearing parents that force them to eat with utensils they really aren't ready to use.

This week I was discussing the topic with some other moms in an online community I'm a member of and found to my utter shock and amazement that all of THEIR children had started using spoons properly around 12 months. !!!! Well then! I don’t want to be an overbearing parent but if he’s ready to use a spoon then by golly I at least need to offer him one every now and then. So Tuesday I dished up some dinner in a little Styrofoam bowl that was just his size and set it on his highchair tray and a small spoon right next to it. He was still napping soundly while we ate dinner so I waited patiently for him to wake up and try his spoon. When he finally opened his little eyes, I took him right over to his highchair and stuck him in it. He looked so cute sitting there fuzzy-haired and sleepy-eyed looking at this weird arrangement on his tray. Usually the food is directly on the tray and he’s expected to pick it up with his fingers. He picked up the spoon, which in his hand immediately transformed into a spoon shaped drumstick, and started beating a little ditty on the tray. I had the highchair positioned in front of the back door and he caught sight of his reflection in the glass screen door and watched himself play with his new toy.

The spoon made it to his mouth a couple of times, upside down and he hit or poked at the food with it but was never successful in using it properly. That’s okay – he knew what it was for and he’ll get it and at least now he has a chance to since his Mamma finally realized he could at least start practicing with one on occasion! Here are a couple of pictures I was able to snap.