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MRS. NIPPLE

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UTENSILS

We have all asked ourselves, “Will he eat with his hands forever?” Teaching our kids to use utensils is no tiny feat. It comes with practice and, of course, having the right gear on hand makes it just a little easier. Like it seems to be with all baby gear these days, the market is saturated! Team NIP did the legwork for you and found out which forks and spoons moms like you cannot live without. We interviewed dozens of moms, spoke to product designers, and of course, put products to the test with our very own kiddos.

As always, all of the products we recommend here have undergone safety testing that meet and often exceed the standards required in the U.S. Another important consideration is that there seem to be two distinct categories of utensils. First, the products for those kids that already know how to self-feed, we call these standard utensils. Second, the utensils designed to help little ones learn how to eat on their own, we call these teaching utensils. While very valuable, we found the products designed to teach babies how to self-feed are not necessarily the utensils kids use into toddlerhood and beyond. 

Here’s the deal: Similar to their line of plates and bowls, Re-play utensils are made from recycled plastic milk jugs, and both forks and spoons come in a variety of colors, bright and muted. They are affordable, durable, and sustainable. Both easy to find in stores and super low in price makes them very accessible. They are the perfect fit for those kiddos that can effectively self-feed.

Material: All products are made from FDA approved sustainable HDPE recycled plastic or recycled polypropylene.

Price: A pair of utensils will run you a mere $1.50, a set of 12 utensils retails at $9

Category: Standard utensils

Love it: Super affordable. Positive impact on the environment. Highly rated durability. Dishwasher safe. Kids won’t outgrow them.

Not so much: Not for our littlest ones who are still learning how to use utensils. Tines made of plastic can make it tricky for some to stab a piece of food.

What are moms saying?: “They are easy to hold. I had trouble finding spoons specifically that worked for soup, these are great” - Nathalie L.

Bottomline: These are our pick for those kiddos that are successfully using utensils (1.5 - years +).

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Re-play Recycled
Family Utensils 

Here’s the deal: Much like their plates and bowls, Avanchy utensils were designed to be both safe to eat with and make a positive impact on the environment. Avanchy offers forks and spoons with silicone mouth pieces while the handles are either bamboo or stainless steel in a variety of colors.

Material: Combination of silicone with either bamboo or stainless steel

Price: Set of 4 start at $21.99

Category: Standard utensils

Love it: Eco-friendly and safe to eat with. Clean lines. Variety of materials and sizes available. Perfect for babies into toddlerhood and beyond.

Not so much: Silicone fork tines are not always effective at spearing pieces of food. Bamboo utensils are hand-wash only.

What are moms saying?: “The spoons are great for soup, rice, and yogurt. Though silicone tines on the fork make picking up food a little tricky for my toddler.” - Emily K.

Bottomline: Much like their plates and bowls, Avanchy is a great all around brand that meets the needs of babies and kids of all sizes. Though for many, the hand-wash only aspect is a dealbreaker.

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avanchy

Here’s the deal: EZPZ team member Dawn, Speech-Language Pathologist and Feeding Specialist with over 20 years of experience treating children with swallowing and feeding disorders, designed the Tiny Spoon to help babies learn how to self-feed. Like it’s siblings, the EZPZ mats, the tiny spoon is dishwasher safe and comes in a variety of colors. Claims to be the most functional,
developmentally appropriate infant spoon on the market.

Material: 100% toxin-free silicone.

Price: $14.99 for a pair of spoons

Category: Teaching utensils

Love it: Mom-run small business. Dishwasher safe. Designed by a specialist to support baby to self feed from the very first bites. Perfect for both purees and the baby-led weaning.

Not so much: More of a tool to teach babies to self feed. Too small for a toddler.

What are moms saying?: “I loved watching Bobby explore with the tiny spoon. He dipped it in his yogurt and brought it to his mouth, as best as he could. The bonus was after he was finished eating, he happily gummed the easy spoon while I tidied the kitchen!” - Emily K.

Bottomline: These are our pick for supporting baby as they learn to self feed. The easy spoon really is easy. It’s part spoon part teether and for the littlest eaters, that is perfect.

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Love Mae Eco Dinnerware

Here’s the deal: Grabease products are relatively new to the market, you may have seen their targeted ads on Instagram. These utensils were designed to give babies the opportunity to eat independently with a proportional tool for their natural hand grasp and motion with a choke protection shield. 

Material: BPA and Phthalate free, non-toxic plastic.

Price: $14.50 for a pair

Category: Teaching utensils

Love it: Handle is easily grasped by chubby baby fingers. The choke barrier relieves anxiety for mom. Recommended by occupational therapists.

Not so much: More of a tool to teach babies to use utensils. Short handles becomes kind of problematic as kids become more independent. For example, as my toddler tried to scoop the last of her yogurt out of a container, she got it all over her hands. Found for a baby, it needed to be pre-loaded.

What are moms saying?: “At 7 months old, Bobby was able to grab a fork or spoon that I had preloaded with food into his mouth...and actually get some food off the utensil!” - Emily K.

Bottomline: This is a fab option for supporting your baby as she is learning to independently eat food. They seem to help the baby really understand how to use utensils.

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Grabease

Here’s the deal: Conor tried every spoon on the market but still struggled to self-feed. In 2013, his parents, Doug and Jessica, developed a prototype for the Goo-tensil. Conor picked up this odd looking utensil and used it effortlessly from that very first time. The goo-tensil starts with Stage One pre-spoon, its dimples grab just enough food, then children move onto Stage Two pre-spoon which has channels to capture and hold foods. Flat head design is easier to use than a spoon because there’s no wrong way to hold it.

Material: FDA-grade TPE & polypropylene

Price: $10 for a pair of spoons

Category: Teaching utensils

What sets it apart: The head is flat, so there is no need to worry about scooping, balancing or holding it the “right” way.

Love it: Flat head encourages exploration as it removes the concern around using it properly. Most inexpensive teaching spoons we found. Comes in a pair making it easy for the grown up to pre-load one while baby can explore with the other. Fun design. Dishwasher safe. Can double as a teether.

Not so much: Cannot be used with soup or any kind of liquidy food. Use is limited to the early months.

What are moms saying?: “I really love the flat head feature. I realized how much the scooping, balancing, “hold it right,” aspect of learning to self-feed stressed me out. I felt like I could really let my little guy do his own thing with the goo-tensil. He dipped it in his food and I also pre-loaded the second one from the set. He did really well with it.” - Emily K.

Bottomline: These are our teaching utensil pick, perfect for babies learning to self feed, eating purees and soft table food (5 months until approximately 1 year).

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The NumNum Goo-tensil