Do You Know the Benefits of Using Silver Utensils for Kids?

Silver utensils for kids are one of the most gifted items when you have a newborn. From pure silver to silver-plated, I remember, I got bowls of all shapes and sizes. As the price of silver now is high, most gifts are silver-plated and usually do not have the same benefits of using pure silverware. 

Not everybody is born with a silver spoon but in an Indian household, one would often find silverware being bought for a newborn. One of the first gifts that your baby gets and is considered auspicious is silverware. The practice does not necessarily show pride or status but is mainly because of the medicinal benefits of silver and is easy to maintain compared to copper.

Silver spoons, bowls, and glasses are being bought for the newborn by most of the relatives when they visit for the first time. You must have often observed silver plates being used in temples and babies being fed from silverware.

This brings us to the question if silver utensils are good for babies.

Are Silver Utensils Good for Babies?

This is one question many moms ask. If you would ask people from your older generation, the answer will be a yes. Our grandparents were healthier than us, and there are some very solid reasons for the same. Traditionally, in India, people ate in silver, until steel and other materials came in.

For some modern people, the question will have no answer. You will commonly read on the internet, that as there is no harm, kids can be fed in silver. But if the question is, are silver utensils good for babies; the answer will be there is no proof.

When I introduced solids to Little Miss A, I made it a point in feeding the baby in a silver bowl. I would say again, scientifically there might be no proof of the benefits of using silver utensils for kids, but silverware is known to be good and has many advantages. 

The post, A Comprehensive Guide on Introducing Solid Food to Your Baby will help all mothers who are starting to introduce solids.

Can I Use a Silver Spoon to Feed my Baby?

I remember, a few months back, I saw a post on Facebook, where a new mom asked, “Can I use a silver spoon to feed my baby?”

When a baby starts eating solids, a spoon is one of the most used things by them. At this stage, the baby is discovering food and is trying to eat and play. The idea is not to feed them, but it is more important for them to explore.

As mothers, we all encourage the use of spoons at this stage. I remember, our meals always had two spoons and maybe two bowls. One was given to Miss A to play around and feed herself (drop it everywhere) and the other by me to feed her. I mostly used silver utensils for her since she started eating.

Plastic for the kids is convenient, but safety is an issue. With issues of BPA, many parents like me avoid plastics for the baby. It is here, that silver spoons and utensils are considered as an option for the baby. Let us read on if it is good to use silverware for babies and if has benefits.

Silver has benefits but the question is what is the right time to introduce silverware to kids. When the kids are starting solids, a rubber or silicone spoon is good to be given to them. Parents can start using silver, but they need to be careful as they don’t try to bite hard and hurt their gums.

I will add here, while the plate, bowls, and glass used by Miss A has always been silver, the spoons and cutlery have changed as per the phase she is in. The time when she was teething, she would try and hold the spoon, and thus, we shifted to silicone ones to avoid any injury.

Benefits of Using Silver Utensils for Kids

The way silver is used and when it is used can vary from family to family. However, there are few medicinal benefits of feeding your baby from silverware.

Bacteria Free

Silver bowls and cutlery are bacteria-free and this is one of the main benefits of using silver utensils for kids. And since silver is 100% bacteria-free, there is no need to sterilize the utensils after each meal and a simple wash with baby-friendly cleaning agents and water is enough to make it healthy for use again.

Immunity Booster

Since silver has properties to fight bacteria, new moms prefer feeding their babies with a silver spoon. The silver gets infused with the warm food being served on it feeding the baby in a silver bowl and helps boost the immunity in babies. Similarly, has its benefits and is good for the overall immunity.

Non-toxic

Though pure silver is toxic, silverware go through elaborate treatment while getting converted to silverware from pure silver and is thus, is non-toxic to be fed in. Feeding the baby in a silver bowl will have no toxins and when compared to alternatives like plastic, silver is a good choice. Another point here is that silver does not get absorbed by the body and if ingested, is expelled naturally.

Retains Freshness

Kings and royalty stored food in silver vessels and ate from silver utensils since silver is believed to retain the freshness of the food stored in them. Food in silver stays fresh and thus, it is a good idea when it comes to feeding the baby in a silver bowl. It is a known fact, that babies and kids take a long time to eat, and the food in silver stays fresh.

Keeps Baby’s Body Temperature Controlled

Newborn babies are often made to wear silver anklets and rings because of silver’s properties to keep the body cool. Feeding a newborn in silverware maintains the body temperate and prevents excessive heating up.

In fact, I remember when Miss A was a year and a half old, she had a very high fever due to dengue. My grandmother told me to rub a silver spoon on her feet in an upward motion and that will bring down the temperature. And it did! Sometimes, these things sound nonsensical but if they have a scientific reason, they are not always illogical.

Easy Maintenance and Lasts Long

Silver is easy to maintain and can be used for generations together without any issue. Utensils made of other materials cannot be passed from child to other, whereas silver is known to be passed from one generation to the other.

Silver is easy to wash and sterilize and it can only get a few scratches and dents but does not break and pose a risk of injuring the baby.  If you want help cleaning silver, the video will help

How to use silverware for your baby?

Post the phase of breastfeeding when your baby starts consuming solid food, make use of the silverware gifts that you have got! You can feed juices and other liquids in silver glasses and other solid infant food in silver bowls and plates using a silver spoon.

Tips to buy silver utensils for your baby:

Silver is expensive and is a hard metal. Though there are many benefits of using silver utensils for kids, you need to keep few things in mind while you buy silverware for your little one:

• Make sure you buy from a reputed store with minimal adulteration in silver.
• Keep in mind the spoon you buy should have rounded edges to avoid hurting the baby while feeding. Also, it should not be heavy for the baby to hold
• Buy utensils that have simple designs and not too much intricate detailing. Highly carved utensils may have food particles stuck to them while simple designs are easy to clean and feed in
• The silver utensils which are used by kids should not be adult-sized. A small glass, bowl, or spoon, which is easy for them to hold should always be preferred
• Feeding baby in a silver bowl is good but the bowl should be slightly heavy so that there is less chance of it tipping over. Similarly, a plate should be heavy too
• Foods that contain Sulphur like eggs must be avoided as Sulphur can react with silver changing the color and taste

Read the post, 10 Must Have Baby Feeding Essentials When You Start Weaning

Silver Utensils for Kids

Silver has a lot of good qualities which are good for the baby. Since my daughter was six months old and we started feeding her solids, she has used silverware. Besides the medicinal benefits, it ensures she is not eating in plastic plates and spoons and also is not breaking the glass ones and hurting herself.

Though times have changed and mothers of our generation do things differently, but, there are some things which our grandmothers did and which were good for the baby; silver utensils being one of them.