Hi Theresa,
Don't worry, i think the average age to be able to use a spoon carefully is around 14months but some children don't get the idea until they're around 2 years old.
We started giving our son a spoon around 12months but he didn't stop doing the bashing thing and start using it properly till he was closer to 16months.
Just keep giving her the opportunity to try and praise her when she gets it in her mouth. It's messy but its all part of learning!! :roll:
HTH