should i let 11 month old try to feed herself?

[lyssie28]

Hi my DD has 3 solid meals a day but i spoon feed her if its not finger foods.  Should I give her the spoon and let her try to feed herself or is she still too young? She's 10.5 month. I bought a plastic messy mat ready for it but just don't know what age to try her.  She fed herself once wih my aid.  I was guiding her.  Should i keep doing this? She feeds herself just fine with finger foods apart from stuffing it all in her mouth at once 

[anna*]

You can try loading the spoon for her, or just give more finger foods and drop the mash/puree! My little one never let me feed her, and at 11 months couldn't really manage a spoon herself, but she still ate yoghurt, lasagne etc with her hands. Messy but effective!

[zeri]

I encouraged mine to feed themselves as soon as they showed an interest. It does require at lot of bathing them though!

[creations]

I never fed mine, he self fed using fingers or a pre-loaded fork from 6 months. I just kept a stack of wash cloths in the kitchen and used one at each meal to wipe his messy hands and face at the end of the meal and another cloth to just wipe the hard floors.  By 11 months there was nothing going on the floor tbh.  I did use a soft plastic bib on him at every meal (and a muslin square over his legs) which helped although I'm aware not all LOs will accept a bib when they are a bit older. If not just be prepared for a quick change after the meal.
I think with cutlery it is a process of learning, at 3yo mine can use a fork and spoon really well, a knife when he chooses, but he will often still choose to use his fingers and that's fine too.

[anna*]

... meanwhile at 27 months Audrey still gets food EVERYWHERE. But *shrug* she eats with gusto, I don't mind too much. A Dustbuster is a marvellous invention.

[Haribo2012]

Totally agree with all pp have said so good getting them to eat by themselves makes life so much easier! Mine at 21 months is good with a fork and spoon but gets bored quick and rams good old handfuls in....spag Bol gets everywhere on his face, clothes and chair but not much escapes his mouth to the floor lol x

[lyssie28]

Thx i'll start to give her the spoon i think :-) i have a messy mat for the floor and i'll keep spare clothes on stand by  i have plastic bibs with a pouch to catch the food but she absolutely hates wearing bibs.  We have wooden floors so if any goes on the floor its no big deal.  I have a feeling she'll just try to eat it with her hands anyway and throw the spoon away!