Moss & Fawn's Role in Development
Everyone has witnessed first hand how babies explore just about everything in their environment through their mouth! Right? This hand to mouth exploration is such a crucial part of development. While we may be hiding every little Lego and constantly saying "don't eat that!", there is a whole lot of importance in this phase. Mouth exploration works on oral motor skills, fine motor skills and coordination and provides sensory exposure. It also helps them prepare for feeding skills for when you decide to introduce solids!
As an Occupational Therapist, I practice safe feeding when introducing solids to my own babies and I recommend the same to other parents I coach. One of the most important foundational components of feeding is good core control for sitting posture and ensuring a supported seat. The second most important skill is oral motor!
Once your baby can sit up with good posture and you've got them in the right high chair setup, the Moss & Fawn's Forage Feeder can be such an amazing tool for feeding preparation! I love how there is so much variety for what can be offered in this silicone feeder. From breast milk, soft vegetables, fruits, and even purées frozen in their molds. My personal favorite use of the forage feeder is as a tool for sensory play, allowing babies to dip their frozen fruit into yogurt. This is a great option for parents who are nervous about choking and hesitant to begin solids. It allows the parent to feel eased in to solids, while still letting their baby have sensory exploration and exposure to texture!
The handle is easy to grasp and perfect for that palmar grasp that is emerging between 4-6 months. Once your baby gets the hang of it, they will be highly motivated to continue practicing their hand to mouth and oral motor skills! The Forage Feeder is also a great transitional product prior to utensil use. Moving from the Forage Feeder to a short silicone utensil is a smooth and familiar transition for babies who have been practicing!
Moss & Fawn is a great company who backs their non-toxic product, and as an Occupational Therapist, I get behind all of the developmental perks that go along with the Forage Feeder!
Courtney Del Boccio, OT
@shaded_seedling.OT