Assistance Please

Charlie has, as you can imagine, a difficult time with the fine motor skills involved with feeding himself.  Most 13 month old babies can sit up strait in a high chair, pick up their food with thumb and forefinger, put food into their mouth, chew and swallow without assistance from an adult.  But Charlie isn't really there yet.  What to do, what to do?

Lori, Charlie's physical therapist, recommended a handy dandy contraption that allows Charlie to hold and eat solid food without frustration.  Check it out... he holds a plastic ring, which is attached to a mesh bag.  I fill the mesh bag with food (bananas, blueberries, sweet potatoes, apple slices, grapes, ice, etc.) and Charlie chews on the mesh bag to extract the food.  He can hold it easily, chew it easily and consume food without choking.  The best part is that prior to using this food ring, Charlie was not chewing at all.  But the bag requires that he gnaw and chew for food to come out.  Already, we've seen improvement in his hand to mouth aim.  Pretty cool, right?