Best Overall Spoon
BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set
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Design 7.0
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Ease of Use 8.0
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Ease of Cleaning 9.0
Material: Silicone | Age: 4+ months
Comfortable handle
Material eco-health
May collect lint
May stain
We think the BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set (4-pack) is a winner for dishing up your baby's first foods. The silicone handle is comfortable for parents to hold, and the spoon tip is soft for a baby's gums and teeth. We appreciate that the one-piece spoon is seamless, and everything that touches the baby's mouth is silicone (free of BPA, Phthalate, and lead). The set is dishwasher safe, too.
The silicone feels tacky and can collect fiber particles and lint, a typical issue for this material. We think this flaw is mild and can be manageable by checking over the spoon before use and quickly handwashing. Keep in mind the utensils may stain after dishing up some purees; however, we suggest rinsing soon after use to reduce potential discoloring. We think the BEABA is an all-around winner for parents and babies despite some flaws.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Budget-Friendly Option
Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons
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Design 5.0
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Ease of Use 5.0
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Ease of Cleaning 10.0
Material: Plastic | Age: 4+ months
Price per spoon
"Lift" feature
Lacks qualities of comfort
The Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons (6-pack) offers practicality at an affordable price. The spoons are slim and long, like something you'd get with your Dairy Queen Blizzard, making the task of reaching inside baby food jars a cinch. The spoons' tips are squared off, plus flexible and gentle when wiping a baby's face. We appreciate the "lift" feature, keeping the spoon's head off the table and away from germs. This product is all plastic (BPA-free) and top-rack dishwasher safe.
In our opinion, these spoons are not as comfortable in parents' hands, but they do get the job done. We highly encourage handwashing with any plastic product to decrease the potential of chemicals leaching. Nevertheless, if you need enough utensils for mealtimes at home, plus extras for the diaper bag and daycare, this budget-friendly product is worth consideration.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Best Silicone Training Spoon
Olababy Training Spoon
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Design 6.0
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Ease of Use 7.0
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Ease of Cleaning 7.0
Material: Silicone |
Age: 6+ months
Soft, flexible spoon
Can stand upright
Expensive
Attracts fibers and lint
The sprout-like Olababy Training Spoon is minimal in appearance, adds a pop of green to mealtime, and could be your child's best training spoon. This ultra-soft and flexible silicone spoon is the perfect size for little hands and allows your little one to explore and practice hand/eye coordination. The base features a suction to enable it to stand upright; however, the suction strength is not always trustworthy. It is made of 100% food-grade (BPA-free) silicone, and it is dishwasher and sterilizer safe. If you appreciate this spoon but prefer a longer spoon for spoon-feeding, check out the Olababy Feeding Spoon.
Olababy's price point may be a factor to consider, as it is one of the more expensive options in the review. Also, the silicone material attracts fibers, and we suggest washing it before each use to avoid lint in your baby's food. If you're looking to feed your child and move on with your day, this option may not be a match. We still needed to spoon-feed younger babies to ensure they receive enough food at mealtime. Keep in mind, this is somewhat situational, but it is a factor to consider as you may need additional spoons in your baby's dishware arsenal. Nonetheless, we recommend this product to families who seek training spoons to help their baby practice self-feeding skills.
It is essential to find a spoon that fits comfortably in parents' hands and the baby's mouth.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Tip: To encourage self-feeding skills, use multiple spoons at mealtime. Dip one spoon in food and allow your baby to grab it and bring it to their mouth while loading up a second or third.
Compare Products
Each product in our review was purchased, and hands-on tested to assess performance.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Why You Should Trust Us
BabyGearLab has hands-on tested many products over the past decade, developing comprehensive testing methods to rate and rank baby gear. Leading our review is Molly Bradac, Senior Review Editor and professional nanny with over 14 years of experience. Leaning on her vast expertise and skills, Molly can provide expert recommendations to help families find the perfect product for their needs. Little testers also contribute to our review and play an essential role by providing feedback from a child's perspective. Each product in our review was purchased and experienced hands-on testing to evaluate performance.
Analysis and Test Results
With help from some hungry little testers, we tested each baby spoon with various foods and completed side-by-side comparisons. While testing, we focused on key metrics like design, ease of use, and cleaning.
Value
You'll likely consider cost alongside performance, and when scoring products, we solely focus on performance. But, like anyone else, we appreciate a good deal. Since plastic tends to be a cheaper material, you may not be surprised that the all-plastic options, like the Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons, offer the best bang for your buck. Available in a set of spoons, this option provides the best price per spoon cost, and it performs above average compared to the competition. However, for a little more money, we believe a silicone option like the BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set proves its value over time, plus offers a material that we consider healthier than plastic and includes qualities of comfort for both baby and parent.
The Munchkin Lift Infant Spoon offers practicality at an affordable price, plus a unique feature that makes it stand out among the competition.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Design
Baby spoons come in various shapes, sizes, and materials, such as bamboo, silicone, plastic, or a combination of these materials. We believe a top-notch baby spoon uses an eco-healthy material that provides durability, and bonus points are given to those that include any special features that increase its functionality. While evaluating the lineup, we kept these factors in mind.
Among the contenders, the BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set is a top dog in this metric, scoring 7 of 10. We value its silicone exterior, which we consider eco-healthy and decent durability. Although the BEABA does not offer any special features, it still scores well.
The seamless design of the BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set is easy to clean.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Munchkin Soft Tip Spoons is low-ranking, scoring 4 of 10. Although the spoon's durability will likely last, this contender doesn't offer any unique features, and it is entirely plastic. We are not big fans of plastic, mainly due to the potential of leaching chemicals.
The Avanchy First Stage Bamboo Feeding Spoons combines silicone and bamboo material.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Olababy Training Spoon and Avanchy First Stage Bamboo Feeding Spoons are silver-medalists in this metric, bringing some rivalry. However, both contenders fall short due to durability reasons. The Olabbay is super flexible and soft, and logically speaking, softer silicone has a greater likelihood of damage over time. Compared to other contenders in our review, we believe this spoon will likely not last as long, and this factor did lower the product's score. The Avanchy is durable for daily use, and under ideal circumstances where you follow its care instructions, it could last. However, we still consider bamboo to lack long-term durability when competing against some hard plastic and silicone options.
The Olababy Training Spoon is a one-piece, 100% silicone product that perfect size for babies to practice self-feeding skills.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
A baby spoon should not lack comfort for babies or parents, and it should fit your feedings goals. Therefore, when scoring this metric, we considered various factors, such as the spoon's level of softness for gummy mouths, if it holds qualities of being a training spoon, and if the spoon's head shape and depth work well for scooping purees.
The BEABA is high-ranking, scoring 8 of 10. Although this option is not ultra-soft, like some contenders, it still offers decent softness for sensitive gums. It has a broader handle that makes it easier for babies to hold, and it has an ergonomic handle that feels comfortable in the parents' hand. The spoon's length is somewhat of a Goldilocks size - not too big, yet not too small. It can reach inside baby jars yet still work for babies to hold.
If you are on a tight budget, consider the Munchkin Soft Tip Spoons, which sports rounded tips and an ergonomically-designed handle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons, Munchkin Soft Tip Spoons, and Avanchy First Stage Bamboo Feeding Spoons rank the lowest, scoring 5 of 10, mainly due to issues surrounding size. Although the Avanchy has a wider handle (great for little hands) and a soft silicone head, the spoon's head is a bit oversized compared to the competition, and it doesn't comfortably fit little mouths. The Munchkin options are long and slim, like a toothbrush, and have handles that are not significantly ergonomic like the BEABA, plus the hard plastic lacks softness compared to silicone for gummy mouths.
Each product varies in material, and some of them use a combination of materials, like the NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils, which contains plastic and silicone.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Cleaning
We tested each product to determine how involved the cleaning process is and evaluated factors that influence the product's cleanliness, such as nooks and crannies that may harbor mold, if the material attracts fibers, and if it easily stains.
Among the competition, the Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons and Munchkin Soft Tip Spoons rank the highest, scoring 10 of 10. These options are dishwasher safe, have minimal nooks and crannies, and the plastic material does not attract fiber particles, like some silicone options in our review. Keep in mind, we do believe handwashing can extend a product's longevity, and given our belief regarding plastic intentionally leaching chemicals, this is something we highly suggest.
The Avanchy First Stage Bamboo Feeding Spoons combines silicone and bamboo material.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Avanchy First Stage Bamboo Feeding Spoons ranks low in this metric, scoring 3 of 10, mainly due to a few factors that require a high level of effort to keep this option clean. This eco-friendly option is not dishwasher safe and will require handwashing, plus the bamboo handle must fully dry; otherwise, it will be prone to mold growth. The silicone head detaches from the handle to ease the cleaning task, but this opening is a nook for food that requires additional attention to check for trapped food and clean. We suggest using a small bottle brush to reach inside and effectively clean.
Tip: With teething babies, who tend to gnaw and chew for comfort, you'll want to check for spoon damage. If present, discard and replace the product.
The Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons are long, slim, and feature a base that keeps spoon tip off the table.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
Introducing solids into your baby's diet is an exciting milestone, and a great baby spoon is necessary. Whether you plan to spoon-feed or find a training spoon to help your little one practice self-feeding skills, we are confident there is a product in our lineup that will work for your goals.
