Silver spoons for the first tooth - who should give it to a child and why?

An ancient tradition that has survived to our time is a silver spoon for the first tooth. Everyone has heard about it, but few have thought about the essence of the tradition. Nowadays, parents prefer to buy rational gifts for their children that will be useful in the future. Therefore, such a gift as a silver spoon for a tooth is considered an outdated tradition and simply a whim. The tradition, of course, is outdated, but they still give a silver spoon to a baby. It is with a spoon that parents check the teeth that have erupted to make sure of the cause of the night torment. The child is then fed porridge or fruit purees. It is worth noting that a silver spoon given as a gift for the first tooth will bring health and a rich life. It is also believed that cutlery should be given as a gift for baptism. A baptismal spoon is a universal and original gift that will be useful to a child in later life. You can make a silver spoon with a personalized engraving.

Why are silver spoons given as gifts for the first tooth?

The baby’s body develops from the first minutes of birth and by the 4-7th month of birth the first tooth appears. Typically these are the lower central incisors. Some people get teeth at three months, others at one year. It is during this time period that the baby is given a silver spoon for his tooth. Why does this precious metal item deserve special attention?

There are many objective and subjective reasons for this: from purely everyday to magical.

The stage of baby development associated with the eruption of the first teeth coincides with the beginning of feeding the baby. In addition to mother's milk, the baby receives the necessary beneficial compounds from special mixtures, cereals, etc. Therefore, the baby simply cannot do without a small individual spoon.

On the other hand, it is believed that silver acts as a metal that repels all kinds of evil spirits and evil forces, and protects the owner from damage and the evil eye. Therefore, a silver spoon in this case is a kind of talisman-amulet that protects the child from negative energy.

Silver baby spoon with puppy

The disinfecting properties of silver are also known. It is not without reason that objects made of high-grade silver are used to purify water. It is believed that ions of the silvery-white metal neutralize pathogenic microflora.

Therefore, a silver spoon given at this moment in life will come in handy.

When you give a silver spoon

For teething, birth and christening - on these holidays a spoon was given as a gift according to tradition.

At birth, a silver spoon is most often chosen and given by the parents themselves, wishing their child happiness and prosperity in life. At the same time, it was believed that it was necessary to say when donating “... so that this small silver spoon will serve as the beginning for a large family set of silver.”
The godparents presented the gift at the christening. In most cases, tea spoons with a religious theme were chosen, for example, with the image of Jesus, an angel or a cross. It is believed that the tradition of giving a spoon at christenings dates back to the Bible, when the wise men came to little Jesus with gifts. So our ancestors believed that a christening gift accustoms the child to accept holy gifts in the future.
Parents, godparents or close relatives gave gifts for the tooth. Thanks to its antibacterial properties, silver became a useful gift for a child. After all, as soon as the baby’s teeth erupt, the baby is fed, and for this he needs a separate, his personal spoon. A silver spoon, thanks to the bactericidal properties of the metal, helped to disinfect the baby’s oral cavity.

Who should give the spoon?

In modern impulsive and active life, strict adherence to all the rules for performing a particular ritual is often neglected. This is partly due to ignorance and lack of necessary knowledge, partly - deliberately, since this or that event is not given the appropriate significance.

Therefore, if we talk about the gift of a spoon for the first tooth, any relative can give it, including parents, godparents, friends or colleagues. It often happens that different people present the baby with several silver spoons at once. There is nothing reprehensible in this, the main thing is that the gifts are made sincerely, from the heart, with love and care for the little man.

If you strictly follow the canons and traditions, the godparents (mother or father) should present the spoon for the first tooth.

How to choose?

You can buy a silver spoon for your baby’s first tooth in a church shop or in a jewelry store. The range of such products is quite large, so many parents, godparents and relatives have difficulty purchasing. When choosing a product, you need to consider what it will be used for.

If you plan to use it in the future for the first complementary feeding, then you should choose a coffee spoon no more than 13 cm in length.

The tea cutlery is suitable for the time when the baby grows up and can eat on his own. Such a product must have a length of up to 16 cm. If you plan to use a silver spoon for its intended purpose (for eating food), then you need to ask for a quality certificate for the product.

It is important to make sure that the device is suitable for feeding. You also need to pay attention to the coating material of the product. It happens that the device is treated with a composition that is harmful to children and adults. It is not recommended to buy a spoon coated with varnish, gold or rhodium. The varnish is harmful, it is more suitable for souvenirs and rare items.

Gold reduces the beneficial qualities of silver. Rhodium blocks the metal's ability to destroy pathogenic bacteria. It is necessary to choose the correct shape of the spoon handle. It should be comfortable for the baby to hold the product. A handle that is too wide and curly is not suitable. It is better to choose a rectangular shape.

Silver spoon with angel and date of birth

If a silver spoon will be used as a talisman or a family heirloom, then you should pay attention to its appearance. It is better to choose products with decor. You can order the name and date of birth of the baby, wishes of happiness and health, to be engraved on the cutlery.

You should choose a product from trusted manufacturers. The high quality of the product is confirmed by the 999 sample and documented. Baby spoons should not have sharp edges or strongly protruding decorative elements. It is important that the surface is well polished.

When choosing a gift, it is necessary to take into account the gender of the baby. For example, boys should buy cutlery with an image of an angel, stars or a bear. If you plan to present the product for a christening, it is better to put a drawing of a chapel or saints on it.

Spoons for girls are usually decorated with hearts, butterflies, and flowers. If this is a church attribute, then it may contain a cross, an image of the Virgin Mary.

The designs are applied with enamel and decorated with small stones (artificial or precious). The cost of silver spoons in jewelry stores and church shops varies between 3170-9220 rubles. The price depends on the size and decor of the product.

What are the traditions and signs associated with gifts?

A silver spoon can be given not only at the time of the appearance of the first tooth, but also at the birth or baptism of a baby.

According to existing traditions, parents themselves can make a gift for the birth of a baby. Moreover, this is identified not only with the good health of the little man, but also with his future well-being and prosperity. The saying “I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth” has survived. The child was born into a family with good income, since in past times silver was a sign of financial stability and prosperity. Family silver was the lot of fairly rich, wealthy people.

After the baby was baptized, the godparents presented him with a silver spoon. This ritual was identified with the future happy and successful life of the ward. A baptized baby fell under “God’s wing,” which protected him from all kinds of sins and temptations, and the gift of a spoon further strengthened his protection from negative energy.

Baptism set with spoon for a boy

Baptism set with spoon for girls

And for the “first tooth” in the modern version of existing traditions, everyone can give a valuable gift: parents, relatives, godparents, friends.

Regardless of what stage of life a child receives a gift, it is important to present it, sincerely wishing the child health, success, well-being, and prosperity.

If the spoon is placed on the first tooth, you need to knock on it with the spoon several times. There is a belief that in this case the teeth will be strong and healthy.

We must not forget that the spoon should be kept by the owner throughout his life. It does not have to be used for its intended purpose, since the item is a personal talisman-amulet.

Saying about silver

Almost everyone has heard the expression “born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” but not everyone can interpret its meaning. Those who hear this expression for the first time immediately have many questions. And the answer is simple.

As they believe in Russia, a spoon is given to the first tooth when it erupts, and by tapping it lightly, one should wish for healthy and strong teeth. But this tradition originated and was borrowed from the British back in the 15th century. In England, the custom had nothing to do with the appearance of teeth in an infant.

In those ancient times, a modest cutlery in itself was evidence of the wealth of its owner, because ordinary people ate with their hands. And those who owned a spoon, and even one made of precious metal, sought to demonstrate their “wealth” in every possible way and were not shy about it. For example, in the Middle Ages, wealthy farmers and artisans wore silver spoons on their belts along with their keys. This strange custom proved that the bearer of the spoon, despite his dirty hands and nails, was not a serf and was wealthy. This is where the English expression “being born with a silver spoon in your mouth” was born. This means that the child was born into a wealthy family.

Silver tablespoons became widespread in England at the beginning of the 15th century. And already in the 16th century, the tradition of giving a newborn a silver spoon for the first tooth became popular among godparents. Even in ancient times, people noticed that silver was capable of partially disinfecting food and liquid, so magical properties were attributed to it.

How to choose a spoon depending on the gender of the child

Jewelry retail chains and private workshops offer a wide range of silver spoons of different sizes and designs. You just need to choose a product to your liking. However, an individual gift looks more interesting and significant. Children's silver spoons and personalized engraving, patterns or symbols will not only decorate the gift, but will also transform it into an address one.

You can individually design a product intended for a boy or a girl. For future men, this is a strict pattern with the image of a bear, a car, and other things, and for the baby, the future lady, preference is given to ornate monograms, floral patterns, butterflies, and dolls. Some design the engraving in the form of a portrait of a baby.

It is important to note that if the child is baptized, it is desirable to have Christian attributes on the product (cross, face of Jesus, angel). The main thing is that the small spoon is not overloaded with an abundance of patterns, symbols, etc. Conciseness should be observed.

Product selection rules

As for children, gifts should be approached with special care and attention. When you are about to buy a spoon for a christening, and even a silver one, you should pay attention to some nuances. The most important criterion in choosing will be the quality of the silver, because we are talking about the baby’s health. You need to remember that you are not purchasing an item as an old tradition, but are making a useful gift that should be of high quality. Therefore, purchase spoons only with a state standard and in a specialized store.

It is worth asking the seller for a quality certificate for the item you are purchasing. Pay attention to the size of the product. You should not buy a regular tablespoon; remember that you buy a spoon for the first tooth. Therefore, the product should be small, like the baby’s mouth.

The product should be moderately deep, like a teaspoon. Choose a gift so that in the future the grown-up child can easily hold it in his hand. To do this, the handle of the spoon should not be smooth. Inspect the edges of the product: do not take it with sharp edges, otherwise the baby will get hurt.

A children's silver spoon is a wonderful gift that will be useful at any age and will be appropriate.

The benefits of silver for a baby

In addition to the ritual purpose of a valuable item, this is the first personal cutlery that serves its intended purpose. The spoon should not contain sharp edges or protrusions, and should be small in size so that it is convenient for the baby to use without injury. Subsequently, he will eat on his own, and a comfortable spoon will become an indispensable assistant during meals.

As mentioned earlier, silver is a metal with high bactericidal properties. Therefore, using this item, the mother maintains the baby’s health.

Is it good for a child to eat with a silver spoon?

But scientists have not yet answered this question definitively. It is believed that silver has special antifungal and antibacterial properties, however, how much metal must enter the body for the effect to be noticeable is not known. And even if this is so, a modern mother in any case tries to feed the baby from clean dishes and safe food, especially during the first feedings.

But silver also has a reverse, “dark” side, which is also confirmed by research. Silver belongs to the group of heavy metals; it tends to accumulate in the body. It is not known exactly what consequences this can lead to if utensils made from this metal are often used, but is it worth experimenting on your own child?

Source: instagram @nadezhda_parhun

Baby's first dishes: how to choose and how to care for them

Storage and proper care of a children's silver spoon

Caring for a baby spoon is no different from caring for items made of silver and cupronickel. To keep a valuable gift in good condition, you must:

Wash the product in warm, soft water, without using abrasives or steel wool.
When silver darkens (oxide forms on its surface), it is recommended to periodically wipe the spoon with a soft cloth with a few drops of ammonia solution (ammonia). Then rinse thoroughly.
You should wipe the product dry with a soft towel to give it shine and eliminate water stains.
It is not advisable to store a spoon together with other cutlery made of steel and other materials in order to avoid scratches and damage to the surface.
It is recommended to store the spoon in a special case with velvet or other fine-lint covering.

A silver spoon for a tooth is a kind and useful tradition that reminds the owner throughout his life of the wonderful and carefree time of infancy and the loved ones who love him.

04.08.21

Recommendations for choosing a silver spoon for children

Nowadays it’s not difficult to choose a silver spoon for your baby. Jewelry stores and online stores are replete with various silver cutlery. And we’re not even talking about the workshops where they will make you a spoon of any shape and size to order.

But this is precisely what makes the choice so difficult. Those who have never chosen silverware for a baby often have no idea where to start or which spoon to choose.

Here are a few things to pay attention to:

When choosing, make sure that the device does not have sharp edges or small elements. It will be safe for the child.
Choose a silver coffee spoon or exclusively a souvenir item. Their size is small - 10-13 cm. You can feed your baby with a coffee spoon.
Choose only high-quality metal, silver of the highest standard, since the health of the child depends on your gift.
Buy only from trusted stores that are ready to provide the necessary certificates for the product.
Traditionally, it is customary to choose silver spoons of different designs for boys and girls.

Silver spoon for a girl

For a girl, you can choose interesting and original spoons. Usually these are products with a lace pattern, images of a butterfly, bows or a portrait of a girl. If a spoon is given as a gift for a christening, then an Orthodox theme is chosen - angels or images of the cross or the Mother of God.

Silver spoon for a boy

Boys also have their own designs on silver spoons. As a rule, these are classic images of bears and stars. For baptismal gifts, spoons with the ornament of a cross, chapel or image of Jesus are chosen.

Spoons for both boys and girls can be made of pure silver, gilded or decorated with precious stones.

Traditions and signs

The life of our ancestors was full of various traditions and peculiar signs. So, in ancient times, it was believed that if the first tooth “came out” too early, then there would be another baby in the family, but if, on the contrary, it was too late, the child would be talented. Well, when the process of teething was long and painful, they expected the baby to have a capricious character.

And, of course, according to tradition, they always tapped the first tooth with a donated silver spoon so that the rest would grow healthy.

Types of spoons for godchildren

You can now find a huge number of silver spoons for baptism or for the first tooth. The variety makes your eyes wide open and it is very difficult to choose something specific right away. To make your choice easier, we will tell you what types there are and their differences.

So, firstly, the product differs in weight and size - you can roughly find:

small spoons (they play the role of a souvenir and do not exceed 6-8 cm in length; you won’t be able to eat with such a spoon);
medium, coffee spoons (their weight ranges from 11 to 19 g, this type is also more decorative than practical);
standard teaspoon size (weight more than 23-25 cm, ideal for starting complementary feeding);
large spoons corresponding to a dessert spoon (weight more than 35 g, suitable for older people, can be considered as an option, but keep in mind that they will be heavy for a child; this can be given to an adult who has decided to be baptized).

Perhaps the most important thing is to decide on this criterion, which directly depends on the purpose of your gift - decorative or practical. After that, you can think about other characteristics.

Images of the faces of saints and other religious subjects

If you are a respectable Christian, then, of course, you will be attracted to silver spoons, the handles of which depict various Christian subjects. As a matter of fact, it is precisely the presence of symbolism that distinguishes ordinary silver spoons from those that are customary as gifts for baptism. As a rule, any subjects are depicted either by skillful embossing on silver, or by using enamel (enamel is allowed, provided that it is on the handle of a spoon - parents simply will not give it to the baby until they are sure that he understands where to bite it is forbidden).

On the spoon there can be the faces of patron saints (it’s usually not difficult to choose by name, but you need to use not the worldly, but what is given at Baptism), the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, scenes from the Bible, Angels, Apostles. From the simpler, but no less significant and beautiful - angels, Christian crosses, Christianity, bells, cathedrals and churches.

Decorations and engravings

The Church does not prohibit decorating silver spoons with any Christian designs. He even welcomes you, because the child will look at beautiful drawings and faces with his own eyes and cultivate respect for faith.

To prevent the spoons from seeming too serious, you can decorate them with skillful carvings, all sorts of decorations (flowers, birds of paradise, butterflies) and simply beautiful monograms. But you should give up inlaying with stones - no matter how hard the craftsmen strengthen the stone, children run the risk of simply picking it out.

You can also purchase a spoon without any decorations, or with minimal inclusions. But this spoon is more suitable for adults than for children.

Engraving is not prohibited. It is recommended to include the child's name and/or a simple prayer. Let the first words that the baby consciously sees be words of appeal to God.

For boys

Boys are dynamic and active; they cannot sit still. You should not give them spoons with complex, intricate patterns. It is better to choose something simple, without pretentiousness. A simple coinage in the form of an icon, a patron saint or a cross is the best option that is suitable for boys. Another interesting point: boys are more picky than girls. Therefore, you should not choose options for them in which the design is located on the concave part of the spoon - they may simply refuse to eat with it!

For girls

Girls love more detailed drawings; they can spend hours looking at a story from the Bible, or a delicate, skillful engraving. More monograms, birds, butterflies, hearts - this is what a grown-up baby will like. An option with a beautifully engraved name is a win-win for children of both sexes. Writing a name makes the item more personal and special, which kids love.

Important! If you are timing your gift to coincide with the Sacrament of Baptism, then it is still better to choose more traditional, canonical subjects and Orthodox saints. For the first tooth, you can move away from the topic and choose a more frivolous gift.

Is it possible to give a spoon with engraving, gold elements, and colored inserts for a christening?

Gilding is allowed only on those parts of the spoon that will not come into contact with the child’s mouth. If the top of the handle is decorated with gold, that’s great, but if the entire surface of the device is covered with a layer of gold, it’s better to choose another model.
Engraving is permitted. The spoon is marked with the child's name, date and time of birth. Upon request, good wishes from relatives and parting words from godparents can be engraved. Traditionally, Christian symbols and apostles are depicted on spoons.
Colored inserts on handles are acceptable. They will not harm the baby, but will attract his attention and add elements of play to the eating process. Silver spoons are usually decorated with colored enamel.

A silver spoon given as a christening gift is usually kept in the family for many years. Sometimes the spoon is passed on to children and grandchildren, so it becomes a family heirloom. This tradition has been observed for several centuries and will probably remain important for many more centuries - the spiritual component of the people is reflected in good customs.

Give children silver spoons for christening! Let this gift symbolize the beginning of his healthy, prosperous and long life!