Introducing the Itsy™ Collection

The latest evolution in the Self-Feeding Revolution!

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Self-feeding is an essential milestone in human development. Children learning to feed themselves are learning to master independence, fine motor skills, sensory regulation and food exploration skills. Having appropriate utensils and tools can help with the transition from caregiver-led feeding to self-feeding.

TalkTools® is known across the globe for tools, training and techniques developed and tested by speech and feeding professionals that provide evidence-based, next-day solutions for therapists and the families they serve.

The Itsy™ Collection is no different. It is an inclusive feeding set inspired by TalkTools® founder, Sara Rosenfeld Johnson, and designed and tested by speech-language pathologist-occupational therapist teams and their clients.

It is the most comprehensive feeding platform for promoting self-feeding, including babies who may have challenges with transitioning to self-feeding (i.e., sensory processing, neurological, physical or developmental differences).

Why Baby-Led Weaning?

Natural follow-up to breast-feeding

More exploratory opportunities with food textures and varieties, expanding nutritional benefits, less likely to develop food aversions

Participation in the family mealtime as an equal

Why Adapted Baby-Led Weaning?

Bridge devices facilitate self-feeding

Responsive feeding applications create a positive, safe feeding environment

Participation in the family mealtime as an equal

GOAL:
To safely and independently eat and drink and to participate in mealtimes

Need Individual Itsy™ Utensils?

Cup

  • All-in-one cup allows easy transition from caregiver-led drinking to self-directed straw drinking to independent open-cup drinking

  • 4-piece set includes: Cup, Lid, Straw, and Flange. Assembly can be customized to meet child's drinking skills and needs

  • Sloped lid facilitates easy drinking with minimal neck extension
  • Dual straw ends for straw drinking progress
  • Flange acts a lip blocked if needed
  • Squeezable but sturdy
Shop Cup

Spoons

  • 2 spoons to meet different stages and skill levels for beginning eaters

    • Textured Spoon

      • grooved bowl provides additional sensory input holds foods in place

      • symmetrical, bulb-shaped handle is ergonomically design for beginning eaters

    • Smooth Spoon
      • shallow bowl limits portions, encourages safe feeding
      • curved bulb-shaped handle promotes arm and wrist rotation
Shop Spoon Set

Plate

  • Symmetrical, circular shape resembles a regular plate, allows for consistent food portions and can be rotated for sequential eating
  • 4 sections with open triangular design accommodates selective eaters (who need food separated), as well as those eaters who want to explore foods and like to "mix and match"

  • Curved walls facilitate food scooping

  • Sized to fit all standard high chair trays

  • Strong suctioned base keeps plate in place

Shop Plate

Our Top Itsy™ Color . . . Tangerine!

Shop Tangerine Bundle

What is Baby-Led Weaning?

This is how parents (especially mothers) were feeding their babies for centuries before the industrialized food industry took over!

Baby-Led Weaning (BLW)

The term “baby-led” weaning was first coined by Gill Rapley in 2005 (1). BLW is an alternative method of infant feeding which promotes infant self-feeding from six months of age, instead of conventional caregiver-led spoon-feeding.

BLW means the baby eats with the rest of the family, sharing the same nutritious and varied food. They feed themselves and choose what to eat, how much and how fast.

To start with, the food is offered in a way that's easy to handle, i.e. sticks or strips of food that are firm enough to hold but soft enough to munch, with the baby gradually managing different textures and shapes with practice.

There's no specially made purees, no spoon feeding (by someone else), and no persuasion or pressure. (2)

(1) Rapley G. Baby-Led weaning. In: Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture: Controversies and Challenges (V Hall Moran, F Dykes eds). London: Quay Books. 2005;275–98.

(2) Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett July 2018.,

BLW Benefits:

  • Child-directed
  • BLW babies tend to be exploratory with foods
  • Encourages hand-to-mouth skill building
  • Improved eye-hand coordination
  • Provide oral proprioceptive input

Adapted Baby-Led Weaning (ABLW)

Jill Rabin, MS, CCC-SLP/L, IBCLC developed ABLW in 2010 to address challenges she observed in pediatric clients with Down syndrome when she applied traditional BLW. She soon found that children with other diagnoses and challenges could greatly benefit from this adapted approach to self-feeding.

"While ABLW was initially developed for babies with Down syndrome and other neurodevelopmental needs it can also be used successfully with babies with history of sensory processing issues, structural differences and oral-motor development and planning delays.

The goal of ABLW is for babies with feeding challenges to develop strong foundational feedings skills using responsive feeding measures eventually transitioning to BLW like their peers after the facilitation and transitional phase." The Adapted Baby-Led Weaning Approach™ © 2021 Jill Rabin

ABLW differentiators (from BLW):

  • ABLW uses "bridge devices" -- i.e., straws, silicone feeders, preloaded utensils -- to help transition to self-feeding (BLW focuses on hand-to-mouth feeding)
  • Bridge devices can help babies with tactile aversion or sensory processing issues and may not want to touch or hold food in their hands
  • Responsive feeding measures are applied when transitioning from bridge devices to hand-to-mouth feeding
  • More gradual introduction to food shapes, sizes, textures and types
  • Solids may need to be introduced later than the BLW starting age of 6 months

GOAL: to graduate from ABLW to BLW 

Product Specifications

  • No BPA, BPS, PVC, Phthalates, or other potentially harmful toxins

  • Dishwasher and microwave safe

  • Helps prevent food odors or flavors from sticking

  • Durable for long-lasting use

  • Performs best between 32° - 212° F (0° - 100° C)

  • Made entirely out of LFGB Platinum grade silicone, exceeding FDA standard2 spoons to meet different stages and skill levels for beginning eaters