Why and who gives a silver spoon for the first tooth?

The custom of bringing a silver spoon as a gift to a newborn has long roots. There are several reasons for this choice.

Even in ancient times, our ancestors learned about the unique properties of metal, its ability to disinfect, disinfect, and help get rid of bacteria and viruses. The healing capabilities of silver were used to produce “silver” water, which effectively removes everything harmful and unnecessary from the body.

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In addition, the precious metal is able to heal wounds, fight tumors, remove toxins from the body, and accelerate the recovery of organs damaged by disease. Since ancient times, it was customary in Rus' to treat the two most expensive metals - gold and silver - differently: gold symbolized wealth and power, silver - health and well-being.

How to use

In many descriptions of the tradition of giving a child his first spoon, there is advice: tap the spoon on the first “hatched” baby tooth. The action is not entirely clear - why knock on the first tooth with a spoon, what is the meaning of such manipulation.

The belief says that if you touch the baby’s first tooth that appears with a silver spoon, all the teeth will grow strong and healthy, and the child will be accompanied throughout life not only by good health, but also by success and prosperity. Dentists do not approve of such “acquaintance” between the soft enamel of a baby tooth and a precious metal, but no direct harm from such a procedure has been recorded.

Choosing a spoon - rules and recommendations

A silver spoon is a valuable and expensive gift. Some people prefer to present golden spoons, but the baby, of course, will not eat them like that. The giver wants the surprise to bring joy and be actively used, and not gather dust on distant shelves.

For this reason, it is important to carefully consider the choice of a silver spoon that you plan to give as a “first tooth” gift; the following recommendations will be useful in this matter.

A gift is a symbol of growing up

Another important reason for giving is a new stage in the life of a little person. The appearance of the first tooth is considered a signal to start complementary feeding and add solid food to the diet. To feed baby purees and porridge, you will need a spoon, and the gift will become an indispensable item for the child.

An important factor why a silver spoon is given as a gift for the first tooth is its ability to kill germs. The baby's first cutlery will constantly disinfect the oral cavity, where the child constantly sends various surrounding objects, which are not always clean.

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.

“The right of the first spoon”: who gives

According to established tradition, the godparents should bring a spoon for the first tooth as a gift. However, modern parents more often decide for themselves who gives the silver spoon for the first tooth, or immediately entrust the honorary mission to grandmothers.

The rite of baptism itself has changed in many ways, the role of godparents has been significantly deformed, so many previously accepted customs are considered “church” and optional. Whether to adhere to folk traditions or not is something everyone decides for themselves.

For a long time, bringing a silver spoon to a godson for the appearance of the first tooth was considered the direct duty of the godparents. At the same time, the donors were divided: for the girl the gift was carried by the godmother, the boy was given a silver spoon by the godfather. The little princess's spoon was decorated with a beautiful pink bow, and a small crown was engraved on the handle. A gift in blue shades was prepared for the young gentleman.

This had a symbolic meaning: the first parents give life, the second ones bring him health and all the benefits for a happy life in the future. There is an old and well-known saying about this: “I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.”

Who gives a silver spoon for a baby's first tooth?

Now anyone can give a silver spoon to a baby. And earlier, when the tradition was strictly observed, only godparents could present such a gift. In rare cases, this could be the mother, since she is the first to notice the erupted tooth.

Nowadays, the custom of choosing godparents and the rite of baptism itself is often neglected, considering it unnecessary. Therefore, anyone can give the child the first spoon at the parents’ choice - themselves, grandparents, close relatives and even family friends. Today this is not so important, the main thing is that the gift is given with love and from the heart.

Modern traditions

Over time, the tradition has changed somewhat. Nowadays, it is more common to give a silver spoon to a baby when his first tooth appears. Basically, the event occurs at 4-6 months, so not only parents and grandmothers, but also other people close to the family join the donor-godparents.

You can have different attitudes towards the signs and customs of your ancestors, adhere to traditions or not - everyone makes their own decision. But a nice cutlery, medicinal, precious, perhaps with a name engraved. In any case, it will remain a memory for a lifetime.

Historical excursion

We owe the very tradition of giving gifts to babies to the Bible. It, as we remember, describes the birth of Jesus Christ. At that moment, a star flashed in the sky, which was perceived by the sages as a sign indicating the birth of the son of God. Three astrologers decided to go to worship the baby, who was destined to become the king of Judea. The names of the Magi were:

• Kaspar (his homeland, according to legend, was Asia);
• Cupronickel (this one came from Europe);
• Balthazar (most likely African).

The star mentioned above led the Magi to Bethlehem. In the tradition of that time, the rite of worship was always accompanied by the presentation of gifts.

The wise men brought to Jesus:

• gold coins as a symbol of prosperity;
• incense - precious incense;
• myrrh - a special composition used for body care.

After Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe, giving a gold coin to a newborn became common practice. However, this precious metal was not mined in Rus' - and in general, all money was made exclusively from silver. This led to a qualitative change in gifts. Later, money became a thing of the past, and instead they brought jewelry, which, in turn, became the material embodiment of the wish for well-being.

It is quite logical that later the gift was transformed into a silver spoon, because, in addition to its value, this accessory also had a completely utilitarian purpose.

How to choose a silver spoon

First of all, a spoon is not only a gift, but also a cutlery. To ensure that a valuable item does not spoil the impression of the gift and serves for many years in excellent condition, it is important to follow several purchasing rules:

1. The child will eat with a spoon. Therefore, the first spoon should be a teaspoon, light, with a comfortable handle.

2. The spoon should not be dangerous. Everyone knows the craving of a little person to study the world around him, so the spoon should not contain sharp edges, holes, or easily breakable decorations.

3. The spoon must be exactly silver and have a price tag indicating the purity. To do this, you need to choose a gift only in jewelry stores that are responsible for the quality of the product. It is very simple to check the presence of the sample - it is applied to the cutting from the back side. Another confirmation of the quality of the goods is the presence of documents for the goods being sold.

4. Cost. A quality item made of precious metal cannot be cheap. Purchasing at a price “below market” may indicate low quality of the product.

Benefits of a silver spoon for a newborn

Silver is not only a noble and precious metal, but also useful. Its properties to destroy germs and bacteria and disinfect water have attracted people since ancient times. For this, the metal was credited with healing powers and a magical effect on the human body and soul.

Therefore, for a newborn, a gift in the form of a spoon became not just the first expensive product, but also the first necessary and useful thing. During the teething process, parents begin to feed the baby, and it is much safer to do this with a silver spoon. Silver destroys most harmful bacteria and has an antiseptic effect.

How to find a quality spoon

Buying from dubious retail outlets or on street counters can result in more than just a waste of money on a counterfeit. A low-grade product can easily harm a child’s health—the so-called “silver” may contain completely unsafe “meltings.”

If the numbers “925” are clearly visible, you can safely purchase the product; a fake or dubious quality can be ruled out. Products from foreign companies must be marked in the accompanying documents: “Zinc free”. The inscription confirms the absence of impurities in the product.

About the benefits of silver

A donated silver item is considered a powerful amulet. Among other things, the metal itself has strong antiseptic properties. Moreover, its ions can quickly destroy a number of dangerous pathogenic microorganisms. We are talking about streptococci, salmonellosis, staphylococci.

Silver was used when it was necessary to disinfect water during epidemics:

• typhus;
• cholera;
• dysentery.

During the teething period, babies usually begin to put into their mouths everything that comes to hand. It is at this moment that the risk of infection increases significantly, because things are often picked up from the floor.

The children's silver spoon has multiple effects here. In particular, it allows:

• disinfect the oral cavity;
• cool sore gums;
• reduce itching.

Children fed artificial formula are especially vulnerable to microbes, because the food they receive is exclusively sterile, which means their immunity is not able to resist. In this situation, boiling water with silver will improve the child’s digestion and prepare him for more adult foods.

How to store

A silver spoon requires care, otherwise over time it will lose its shine and become unpresentable.

Silver tends to darken over time, so the device will need to be cleaned periodically. In order for the pristine beauty to be preserved for many years, you need to know what to do with the spoon, how to clean and store it.

1. Modern cleaning products are made from aggressive substances to quickly clean dishes. You will need a special liquid that does not interact with silver - only under this condition will the surface remain undamaged.
2. Dishwashing is completely excluded. You need to wash the spoon with a sponge with a non-abrasive surface - it will prevent scratches and small cracks. The washed device is dried with a soft cloth or a non-hard towel.
3. If the spoon has turned a little yellow, it is polished to its original color immediately, without waiting for it to darken. It is easier and faster to remove a light coating right away than to spend a lot of effort polishing thick yellowness.
4. If possible, it is advisable to store the baby silver spoon separately from other utensils - this will help avoid damage and prevent yellowing from appearing.

Silver requires careful treatment and care. If items made of precious metal are cleaned with soft substances and stored correctly, their unique properties will remain for many years.

A gift for the first tooth is often kept in the family along with the largest jewelry, passed on to subsequent generations as a family heirloom. It is not always clear to young parents why they should give a silver spoon for their first tooth, but with age and the appearance of grandchildren, they will understand the secret meaning of the gift. For family history, the first baby spoons forever remain especially valuable objects, long-term guardian angels of several generations of the family, a symbol of the continuity of generations.

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.

How much does a spoon cost now?

Silver spoons intended for children are generally quite expensive. But since this gift is presented only once in a lifetime, it is better to come to terms with the need to incur significant expenses.

The price is largely influenced not so much by the weight of the precious metal, but by the work of the craftsman. The thinner the product is, the more they ask for it. Those interested can easily find budget options for 1,500 rubles, but they usually have a very ordinary design and look trivial. For 2.5-3 thousand rubles. you will receive a high-quality device of rather fine workmanship.