My baby wants to feed themselves with a spoon, should I allow it?

This is exactly the developmental milestone you should encourage. For babies 8-12 months, grabbing the spoon from a parent is the first sign of self-care skills and hand-eye coordination.

You can be comfortable allowing this. Your baby exploring self-feeding supports both independence and lays the foundation for "eating on their own" skills months down the road. Mess is not a problem; it's the nature of this stage — motor control isn't refined yet.

A few small adjustments can make things easier:

• Use thicker-consistency foods (yogurt texture, sticking to the spoon rather than runny soup) — liquid soups scatter more.
• Use a suction plate or flat dish and put small amounts (feeding a little at a time rather than a lot).
• Give your baby their own spoon while you help with another.

The two-spoon method works great. One in the baby's hand, one in yours — while they try to get it to their mouth, you can sneak in another bite with your spoon.

For messiness, a bib, an underlay, and an easy-to-wipe high chair are enough. In weeks, hit rate will improve.

If your baby refuses to eat and only wants to play with the spoon, or if weight gain plateaus, I'd recommend consulting your pediatrician. But in typical cases, self-feeding actually increases appetite, not decreases it.