Baby Chopstick Training

Today we were out shopping Japan. We first hit the 100 yen store, which is equivalent to our dollar stores in the States but everything you buy is only 100 yen each! So once I loaded up on silly & cute gifts for the girls in my family, we headed on over to the "real" stores.

We were in the Dai Mall just outside the Dai gate browsing the various "department" stores. In one on the 4th floor we ran into a small baby & pregnancy section. Here we found these: Combi Chopstick Training Set.

There are many Combi items you can get here that you don't see on the shelves in the US. (However, I believe you can get these in the States now.)

At first I thought this was the silliest thing I had ever seen. It was obvious to me that it would be easier to teach the child to use a spoon & fork, then later on when their motor skills were up to par you would start this chopstick training. However, since they usually only use chopsticks (which comes in a pack of 20-100 for 100 yen!), I suppose their culture would just start out with the chopsticks.

These are awesome! I want some! This so would have helped me learn as an adult when I first got here back in 2003! They were about $10, & our child will so have a pair. Don't be surprised if this is my signature "Japanese" baby gift to you in the future!