Ergonomic cutlery: tools for growth, autonomy, and language.
The first ergonomic silicone cutlery: much more than just simple feeding utensils
This article was created with the contribution of our pediatric ENT consultant , an expert in chewing, swallowing, and orofacial development in children.
Your support allows us to offer information based on specialized medical knowledge, to guide parents in making safe and informed choices about oral feeding during weaning.
First cutlery isn't just for eating. It's a small educational tool that supports a child's motor, sensory, and even language development. Ergonomically shaped cutlery is designed to stimulate fine motor skills, encourage chewing, and prepare the mouth for future sounds and words.
Ergonomics and Development: How Cutlery Stimulates Children's Motor Skills
Thanks to their contoured shape, the ergonomic cutlery:
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they adapt to small hands, promoting a stable grip,
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guide movements, reducing frustration,
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strengthen hand-eye coordination.
Every attempt to pick up food is an exercise that strengthens fine motor skills and oral-motor control, which are essential not only for eating but also for future school skills such as writing or coloring.
The shaped tip of spoons: a speech therapy aid beyond weaning
Unlike round-tipped cutlery, ergonomically shaped ones are designed to actively stimulate the mouth:
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Chewing → the tip encourages the child to push food between the dental arches, strengthening the orofacial muscles.
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Lingual motor skills → contact with the tip promotes tongue movements, such as lingual lateralization, which are essential for correctly articulating speech sounds.
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Lip closure → the grip and shape stimulate correct lip closure, useful both for holding food and for pronouncing phonemes such as p, b, m .
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Nasal breathing → good swallowing stimulated by the right tools helps support correct breathing, linked to better sleep and harmonious growth.
An educational game at the table with ergonomic cutlery
Every spoonful becomes a little challenge: picking it up, putting it in their mouth, tasting it. Children experiment, have fun, and learn, without realizing they're practicing valuable skills for their growth. Ergonomic cutlery transforms mealtime into a true training ground for independence and language development .
Safety and well-being: BPA-free silicone cutlery that is gentle on the gums.
Made of BPA-free food-grade silicone, soft and gentle on gums, these cutlery pieces are perfect even for teething. Durable and washable, they combine practicality, safety, and Italian design.
With the ergonomically shaped cutlery , the spoon and fork become more than an accessory: they are allies in weaning , tools that nourish the body, motor skills and language.
Further Scientific Insights:
A study by Engel-Hoek et al. (2014) shows that in the first months of weaning, children consolidate the ability to use a spoon in about 6 weeks, which is also fundamental for lingual movements… Development of oral motor behavior related to the skill assisted spoon feeding - PubMed
Babik et al. (2019) highlight that self-weaning synergistically stimulates motor skills and cognition, and that well-designed tools can facilitate this process… Development of self-feeding behavior in children with typical development and those with arm movement impairments - PubMed
💡 Medical insights
The contents of this blog have been supervised by our pediatric ENT consultant , who specializes in oral feeding, chewing, and swallowing.
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How Food Helps Speech: The Link Between Chewing and Language in Children