In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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We tested baby spoons from top brands, like Munchkin, BEABA, NumNum, and more to find the best.
The BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set is comfortable for parents to hold and gentle on baby's gums, thanks to the soft silicone material.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
By Molly Bradac ⋅ Senior Research Analyst ⋅ May 31, 2024
The Best Baby Spoons for 2024
Is your little one ready for a baby spoon? Our lineup of the best 6 baby spoons available today will get the job done. To determine the best, we researched the market, purchased top contenders, and performed hands-on tests to analyze performance and assess factors like material, size, ease of cleaning, and more. Whether you are just embarking on the baby spoon journey or need a utensil to help your child learn self-feeding skills, we are confident our lineup and recommendations will guide you to the perfect product for your baby's mealtime.
Editor's Note: We updated our baby spoon review on May 31, 2024. We conducted a review for availability and accurate pricing and also offer more advice in our award section on alternative products we recommend.
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, 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 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. Despite some flaws, we think the BEABA is an all-around winner for parents and babies. We also recommend the Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons, which did not gather fiber particles during testing.
The Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons (pack of 3-6) offers practicality at an affordable price. The spoons are slim and long, like something you'd get with your Dairy Queen Blizzard, making reaching inside baby food jars a cinch. The spoons' tips are squared off, 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.
These spoons are not as comfortable in parents' hands, but they do get the job done. For a more comfortable spoon, we like how the silicone handle of the BEABA First Stage Baby Spoon Set feels in our hands. We highly encourage handwashing with any plastic product to decrease the potential of chemicals leaching. Nonetheless, the Munchkin Lift is budget-friendly and worth considering if you need enough utensils for mealtimes at home, plus extras for the diaper bag and daycare.
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, allowing your little one to explore and practice hand/eye coordination. The base features a suction to stand upright; however, the suction strength is not always trustworthy. It is 100% food-grade (BPA-free) silicone and dishwasher and sterilizer safe. If you appreciate this spoon but prefer a longer spoon for spoon-feeding, check out the Olababy Feeding Spoon.
Olababy is one of the more expensive options we tested, so the price may be a factor to consider. The silicone material also attracts fibers, and we recommend washing it before each use to avoid lint in your baby's food. If you want to feed your child and move on with your day, this spoon may not be the best match. We still needed to spoon-feed younger babies to ensure they received enough food at mealtime. This occurrence is somewhat situational, but it is a factor to consider as you might need additional spoons in your baby's dishware arsenal. Nevertheless, we recommend this product to families wanting training spoons to help their baby practice self-feeding skills. If price is a factor, check out the more budget-friendly Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons, which includes a set of three to six, depending on the pack you can find.
It is essential to find a spoon that fits comfortably in parents' hands and the baby's mouth.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Self-feeding Skills
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
How We Test Baby Spoons
We researched baby spoons to find the best options that offer the features most parents want. We purchased each contender and tested them side by side with real babies and toddlers. While testing, we focused on key metrics like design, ease of use, and cleaning. We considered our own observations and the preferences of little ones when scoring and choosing award winners.
Why Trust GearLab
BabyGearLab has 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 15 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.
Some baby spoon options are more suitable as a training spoon, like the Olababy.
The NumNum Pre-Spoon GOOtensils are perfect for introducing utensils with baby and encourage self-feeding skills.
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.
What's the Best 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 (3-6), 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. It 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 an excellent spoon for babies utilizes eco-healthy materials that offer durability and include 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. We value its silicone exterior, which we consider eco-healthy and decent durability. Although the BEABA does not offer unique 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. Although the spoon's durability will likely last, this contender doesn't offer any unique features and 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; however, softer silicone is more likely to 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 if you follow its care instructions, it could last for some time. 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 should fit your feeding goals. When scoring this metric, we considered the spoon's level of softness for gummy mouths, if it has training spoon qualities, and if the spoon's head shape and depth work well for scooping purees up and into little mouths.
The BEABA is high-ranking for ease of use. Although this option is not ultra-soft, like some contenders, it still offers decent softness for sensitive gums. Its broader handle is more manageable for babies to grasp, and its ergonomic design feels comfortable in a parent's 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, mainly due to issues surrounding size. Although the Avanchy has a broader 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, and 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 nooks and crannies that may harbor bacteria and other crud if the material attracts fibers or hair, and if it easily stains.
Among the competition, the Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons and Munchkin Soft Tip Spoons rank the highest. 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. We believe handwashing can extend a product's longevity.
The Avanchy Feeding Spoons are constructed of silicone with a bamboo handle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The Avanchy First Stage Bamboo Feeding Spoons ranks low in this metric, 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 dry thoroughly; otherwise, it will be prone to mold growth. The silicone head detaches from the handle to ease cleaning, but this opening is a nook for food entrapment and requires additional attention during cleaning. We suggest using a small bottle brush to reach inside and effectively clean.
A Note on Teething Babies
Many teething babies like to gnaw and chew for comfort, and your baby's utensils could be a teething target, so you'll want to check them for damage. If present, discard and replace the product. Don't forget that a top-ranked baby teething toy can be useful during the teething phase.
The Munchkin Lift Infant Spoons are long, slim, and feature a base that keeps spoon tip off the table.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
Introducing purees into your baby's diet is an exciting milestone filled with fun, excitement, and often messes. All of this requires a suitable baby spoon for meal times and snacking. Whether you plan to spoon-feed your little one until they have better hand-eye coordination or you're looking for a training spoon your little one can use to practice feeding themselves, we feel confident there is a spoon in our review that will work for your goals and budget.
