Self-feeding is so important to a child’s overall development, strengthening fine motor skills and leading towards independence.

Why are self-feeding skills important?

Independent feeding doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time for a child to learn how to feed themselves, and it requires a lot of different skills working together at the same time. If you think about it, eating is a lot of work!

A child needs to be able to control their oral motor and fine motor skills, as well as their gross motor, visual, cognitive, communicative, and emotional development. So many steps in the process, a cute and fun plate can only help encourage right?

Benefits from practicing and learning self-feeding:

• Strengthening back, arms, and hands
• Improving coordination in arms and hands
• Grasping patterns
• Refining sensory processing skills
• Oral motor skills
• Overall independence

What are the appropriate milestones for using utensils to self-feed?

This is just a rough guide, all kiddos develop at their own pace.

6-9 months: Wants to help feeding, starts holding and putting large baby biscuits in mouth, holds spoon to bang on objects, occasionally puts either end of spoon in mouth

9-13 months: Able to feed themselves with soft finger food (macaroni, peas etc)

12-14 months: Dips spoon in food and attempts to feed themselves, will often spill

15-18 months: Scoops food with spoon and feeds themselves

24-30 months: Stabs food with fork, able to use spoon without spilling

Help your kid learn how to self-feed with the Amusemat

The Amusemat is a single-piece, soft, molded plate made with BPA-free and phthalate-free food-grade silicone whose surface contains a textured giraffe, a castle-shaped cup, miniature stairs, rings, and a swimming pool-like centerpiece (with mini-waterslide) that easily holds liquids or solids.

Features:

• BPA/Phthalate free
• Promotes baby-led weaning practices
• Encourage kids to explore their food
• Engages fussy eaters with their meal

The Amusemat is also microwave-safe, steam sterilizer-safe, and stains can be easily removed with soapy water. It’s the perfect dish for babies and toddlers from the age of 6 months and up!

Get an Amusemat from Marcus & Marcus for free with the Ninja Housewife exclusive giveaway!

Yay, get ready for a freebie! I’ve got one Willo the Whale (purple) Amusemat from Marcus & Marcus to give away, courtesy of BabyDots. Here’s how to win it:

1. Like the Ninja Housewife Facebook page
2. Tag a friend in the comments section of this Facebook post
3. Share the post on your timeline

That’s it! Be sure to keep your post on a Public setting so I can see it and one lucky winner will be selected at random. Don’t miss the chance to get this award-winning baby product for free!