Make Baby-Led Weaning Easy With These 5 Best Utensils

Do you want to switch from traditional spoon-feeding to baby-led weaning (BLW)? And do you want your child to take control of themselves and their feeding?

Being able to feed themselves is an excellent accomplishment for a baby, and baby-led weaning helps them to achieve it. 

With baby-led weaning, your kids are able to feed themselves without your help before you switch to a traditional spoon. It helps them build confidence and creates a sense of autonomy. 

They can either eat with their fingers or utensils (like feeding spoons). The condition is – no mom is helping, and this will help them refine their motor skills. 

Most babies start with finger foods but might want to switch to utensils sometimes because eating with their fingers can get boring. 

Since babies are great imitators, they might get intimidated by their entire family eating in utensils. They also want to try it out (like a starter spoon, bowl, etc.). 

You might wonder if a baby feeding themselves will make your house a messy place because then they’ll throw their food everywhere. Not with the right kind of utensils!

Some utensils are designed especially for baby-led weaning. They help to make BLW much more manageable and convenient. 

Also, they help your child coordinate their eye-hand movements, so they create less mess around and learn some excellent skills for feeding themselves.

So, in this article, we’ve picked 5 best baby led weaning utensils. Keep reading on to learn about them.

It can be hard to figure out which baby monitor is the best for your needs.

When choosing baby-led weaning utensils, many factors need to be noted. There are a lot of BLW utensils in the market, but only some are safe to use. 

Some are made up of harmful plastic material that can disrupt brain development and affect the child’s behavior. Some have rough, rigid edges that can hurt sensitive gums.

Many utensils are focused on cute designs and less focused on safety, convenience, and durability. 

Self-feeding for a baby is already challenging. Safe utensils made of the best materials and features can make it convenient.

Yes, but why is all of this important? Learning to feed themselves is a significant milestone in a baby’s life, and it will shape their future eating habits. 

A good experience will encourage them to explore more, resulting in positive eating behavior. 

In contrast, frustrating and painful experiences with BLW will discourage them from taking this initiative and make self-feeding even more challenging. They might grow up picky eaters because of their negative self-feeding experiences. 

After thorough research and multiple reviews, we’ve gathered the 5 best utensils that can make baby-led weaning easier for your baby and less messy. We have chosen the best spoon, bowl, forks, and other utensils based on these parameters:

Why We Love It

A smiley-faced utensil? Your kids will instantly get in a great mood while eating!

Ezpz’s Mini Mat is a placement mat with a plate on top, that too having 3 compartments!

It is a perfect tool to introduce your baby to baby-led weaning. It helps your baby to develop confidence in feeding themselves.

You can lay it on a table or high chair, add food, and then pick it up after mealtime is completed. The 3 compartments ensure that you add variety to your baby’s food, while keeping it balanced.

It is designed to help you place the baby’s food in an organized way so that your child can coordinate their movements conveniently. 

Since most baby utensils are less focused on the safety factor, Ezpz’s mini mat is plastic-free and made up of the best quality material. It gives your baby a safe and healthy experience.

This mini mat is baby-friendly, and its segments allow you to place food separately, which will not bore your child. 

What You Should Know

This mini mat is made of silicone material and is the best-recommended material for a baby. Further, silicone materials make your baby’s experience safer. 

This high-quality silicone is BPA, BPS, PVC, latex, and phthalate-free.

The silicone material not just makes it safe but also durable. Silicone is bendable, doesn’t rust, and can easily be placed on the high chair.

It is easy to clean after use because you can easily wash it in the dishwasher and heat the food in the microwave. 

The silicone mat suctions to any flat surface reducing the chance of plate tipping and creating a huge mess. It is safe to say that this mat is BLW-friendly and won’t make a mishmash of baby food on your floor. 

It is compact, lightweight, and portable; you can easily carry it in your diaper bag for the go meals.

Why We Love It

When you’re starting purees and some light BLW with your child, some of the problems you would encounter will include your child wanting to grab the spoon and feed himself but they were often too long for him to maneuver.

And the food will end up everywhere but his mouth. But not anymore!

With the NumNum baby-led weaning spoon, your kid can easily hold the utensil and actually is able to feed himself. These self-feeding spoons are the best utensils to introduce your babies to self-feeding.

These spoons are not limited to specific types of food; your baby can use this spoon set for all kinds of food, purees, or solid food.

They are built of rigid material. Many spoons are either over-flexible or floppy, and are challenging to use for babies with limited skills. They have sensory bumps that won’t let the spoon easily slip from your baby’s tiny hands.

But you don’t have to worry about this with the NumNum spoon! Doctors recommend it for all the right reasons. 

This spoon set will enhance your baby’s hand-eye movement and make the transition to actual spoons easy and convenient for them.

They are easy to grip. And they’re a perfect fit for your kid’s little hands and cleaning them is a breeze. 

Also, you can use these for your teething baby!

What You Should Know

NumNum baby spoon is the best baby two-spoon set with a soft tip for your baby to self-feed healthy foods. 

First, there is the first-stage spoon, which has dimples and grabs just enough food and works excellently with purees. 

Second-stage spoon has channels that capture and hold thicker foods. This way, the baby learns hand-eye coordination and new feeding skills.

These innovative flat pre-spoons require no scooping, balancing, or the right way to use them. It is perfect for tiny hands that have never held regular spoons before. 

The spoons have a thick handle for a comfortable and secure fit in tiny hands. They can fit perfectly in your little one’s hands, and this baby spoon has sensory bumps that allow a tighter grip.

The best feature of these spoons is that they are ergonomic and baby-friendly. The stage-one spoon is an excellent mealtime teether to soothe sore gums, and it won’t hurt the baby’s gums at all.

It is easy to clean; place it in the dishwasher for hassle-free clean-up. However, they are not suitable for microwave or steam sterilizing. 

They are BPA, PVC, and phthalates-free. The product is made up of the highest quality FDA-grade silicone and is ideal for ages 6-18 months. 

Doctors recommend it, and it is a leading choice of pediatric feeding therapists for the best silicone spoon.

Why We Love It

Previously, we showed you a kids’ feeding plate with sections. Now, behold! As we’re presenting you with a bowl having compartments.

Grabease-divided silicone bowls are one of the best feeding accessories you can use for your baby to self-feed.

They are the best to teach your little one about healthy portion sizes. You can have fruits on one side and rice on the other one.

They are divided in the middle to make self-feeding convenient for your baby.

No one likes to mess on the floor, especially if it’s food. 

With Grabease divided silicone bowls, you don’t have to worry about the bowl tipping over or getting thrown away every time your baby throws a tantrum. Its material will keep the bowl stuck to the table.

It’s a perfect tool to be gifted to a teensy eater or a parent-to-be. The product contains no harmful material, making it safe and secure to use.

What You Should Know

This bowl is divided into two sections. It has straight walls for easier scooping and strong suctions that prevent your bowl from tipping. 

The bowl is made up of food-grade, soft silicone, the safest material used for baby utensils, providing a safe and healthy experience for your baby. It is free of PVC, BPA, or phthalates. 

The strong and sturdy bowl will stick to a place and prevent your baby from creating a mess so that your little one can snack and smack without care.

This bowl can be used for babies and toddlers both.

It is easy to clean and is dishwasher and sterilizer safe. So have a hassle-free dishwashing day with a Grabease-divided silicone suction bowl.

Why We Love It

Having a Grabease bowl isn’t enough, your baby needs a spoon and fork set to enjoy his mealtime.

So, here we have the best baby pre-spoon set for you if you’re looking for a baby-led weaning spoon and forks for your baby. 

Grabease baby-led weaning spoons and forks are the must-have supplies for babies who have just started self-feeding. 

These spoons are the safest way for your little ones to learn to hold the silicone spoon independently and to feed themselves to develop fine motor skills. They have soft tips and won’t hurt your baby’s sensitive gums.

The short rounded handles make it easy for an older infant or toddler to grab them.

Grabease is a recommended brand for the best spoon and fork set for baby-led weaning by occupational and feeding therapists. This makes it a more credible and trustworthy source. 

This brand supports self-feeding and will help your child develop motor skills and strengthen their fingers with their ergonomically designed set.

These silicone baby spoons are the best spoons, and they are easy to use and grab and wash, making them convenient for both the baby and the mama. 

The best part is that the cloud-shaped stopper keeps the babies from sticking the spoon or fork too far into their mouths.

What You Should Know

Grabease is the best starter spoon and fork set for your baby. 

This baby-led weaning spoon and fork set is made up of 100% safe plastic. Moreover, it is free from BPA, lead, phthalates, and other harmful materials.

It has a cloud-shaped collar on the silverware that acts as a choke guard to prevent choking. This is an essential feature that makes sure your child doesn’t gag during self-feeding. 

The spoon has a soft silicone tip that you can use to wipe extra food from your baby’s mouth.

They are easy to use and easy to clean. You can toss them in your dishes or boil them for 2 minutes to clean. It is also top-rack dishwasher safe.

They are baby-friendly and are ergonomically designed to suit the natural movement of the baby and the grip of their hands, which help them develop confidence. They can perfectly hold thicker foods.

Why We Love It

If you are ready to ditch the sippy cups but don’t want something big for your children, then these cups are perfect for you!

These ECR4Kids drinking cups are the best baby feeding accessory and are perfect for everyday use. It is an excellent product to introduce your baby to baby-led weaning. 

Many people use disposable cups or glasses for their babies, but ECR4Kids Cups are the perfect sustainable alternative for you to use. 

They are made up of good quality material, so it is safe for your baby to use. They’re free from harmful materials or chemicals and are made of safe plastic. 

Your little one can use these cups anytime at meal or snack time. These cups will refine their motor and sensory skills through food exploration and repeated touching and grasping.

What You Should Know

ECR4Kids drinking cups are free of BPA, phthalate, and lead. Further, it is compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

They are effortless to use. The cups have a soft texture on the interior that controls the soap residue while washing. Or you can place it in the dishwasher for a hassle-free clean-up.

The set comes with three toddler cups, and it is recommended for ages 6 months or above. 

ECR4Kids drinking cups can act as the best and most sustainable alternative to disposable cups, making them environmentally friendly. 

These reusable cups are compact and do not take up much space in your drawers, cabinets, or pantries. You can easily stack them when not in use.

They are certified, easy to clean, and safe to use so the water doesn’t spill out as easily before it gets in your baby’s mouth.

Choosing the best baby-led weaning utensils for your little one is an important decision, and you would want to select the best option for your baby. 

Some utensils are hard, while some break easily. They might end up as a waste of money.

If you are still confused about which BLW utensil is best for your baby, these questions might help you clear your confusion.

We have gathered a list of questions parents ask while purchasing baby-led weaning utensils for their baby. 

These FAQs will clear out your confusion.

Which utensils are best for babies?

The best utensils for baby-led weaning are made of safe and high-quality material. They are made up of BPA-free plastic and free of lead, phthalates, and PVC material. 

They provide a choke protection barrier. Moreover, buying ergonomic and baby-friendly utensils is essential so that your little one is interested in using them more often. 

Utensils like tiny starter spoons should be easy to grab and have soft tips. A shallow spoon also helps your baby to have easy scooping. Suction cups and bowls that won’t tip over and make a mess of baby’s food are good for babies.

They should be durable and convenient to use/clean, like food-grade, soft silicone. 

What are the best baby spoons for self-feeding?

It is crucial to choose the correct spoon for your baby. The tiny spoons are easily held by the baby’s hands and help babies feed themselves. The best baby-weaning spoons provide a choke protection barrier and are easy to grip and hold for tiny hands. 

Most baby spoons contain harmful elements, so they should be made of food-grade silicone or safe plastic. It should also be BPA, PVC, lead, or phthalates free. 

We have mentioned the best baby-led weaning spoons for your baby above, but you could also try out Munchkin spoons for their soft tips, and they are the best baby spoons. Munchkin spoons are shallow spoons made of good material, gentle on baby’s gums. They can perfectly hold solid foods, allowing easy scooping.

When should I introduce baby-led weaning cutlery?

It depends on the baby. Some babies might get interested in using utensils as soon as 6 months, but experts believe that most babies start showing interest between 10 to 12 months. 

Introducing feeding spoons first for thicker and thinner foods is better. When your baby refines their motor skills, you can teach them baby forks.

Is silicone baby spoon safe for BLW?

Yes. Silicone BLW spoons are safe for babies because they do not leach toxic chemicals when heated, unlike plastic. Silicone spoons are also shatterproof and soft, which is baby-friendly. 

Which material is best for a baby feed plate?

There are three safest materials for baby utensils: food-grade silicone, stainless steel, and bamboo. 

Should babies use divided plates?

Divided plates help babies to understand different types of foods. They also help babies to scoop food into their mouths easily and make less mess on the floor.

When should a baby start using a plate?

Experts suggest that your baby’s age should be around 6 months to start using a plate.

When should I give my baby a sippy cup?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you can introduce sippy cups to your baby around 6-9 months.

Do divided plates cause picky eating?

There are so many factors involved when it comes to picky eating. Using divided plates alone is not enough of a reason.

 Is a sippy cup or straw better?

Straw cups are better than sippy cups because they help strengthen the oral muscles.

By now, you might have gathered a lot of information about BLW utensils and which ones are the best for your baby.

We have gathered the best BLW utensils that are convenient for any pocket and baby. 

If you’re starting baby-led weaning and still want to explore other options, you can click on the YouTube video below