How & when to introduce cutlery?

[fleadle]

LO has just turned 1yr old & I am not sure how to introduce spoon or fork etc....

I give her weetabix for breakfast & when I give her the spoon, she will try to feed herself (successfully) once with the spoon & then eats the rest with her fingers.....welll you can imagine the mess.

As for fork I just don't think the food I give her is firm enough to pick up with a fork (she only has 4 1/2 teeth!)

Is there any food I could try that is soft but will stick on a fork...or am I just trying to rush things?

Also on a similar topic, she still won't use her sippy cup on her own....she picks it up & brings it to me but refuses to try herself, she just screams until I give in & feed her myself. Again am I rushing things at 12 months??

 

[notenoughshelfspace]

Well mine is 16 months old and she has noooooo interest in using utensils whatever. She occasionally guides a spoon to her mouth if I am holding it or if I load it up for her. It never lasts though and she always goes back to fingers. I just keep giving her spoons and forks and hopefully one day she will take to it...

[Lana]

I always kept one available for him to use and eventually they use it.

Will she drink from it if you put her on your lap and put her hands on it?

[mari]

I don't think you are rushing things, but I do think that you should just give her a spoon and if she uses her fingers then so be it, table manners come later.  When they are learning to eat, be prepared for loads of mess.  As the weather is a little warmer I usually take Alex's top off and put one of those bibs which have sleeves and she can make as much mess as she likes.  I did the same thing with DS and he soon got better and I never have had any eating fads or picky eating with him. I think that food should be enjoyed any way they like!  As for a fork, try steamed vegetables cut small  (quite soft carrots,brocolli,cauliflower,courgettes (zucchini I think to some) I look after a 1 year old who only has his two bottom teeth but still refuses to let me feed him (he sees Alex enjoying herself so much) but that's what I give him to eat.  Be on your guard, as obvoiusly chewing is limited, so be prepared to help them in case of choking, but this gets less and less the more they try it.  He hardly ever chokes now, althouh he did pinch Alex's  biscuit the other day and that got stuck, I think it was too hard for him with so few teeth, I didn't even realise he had it, you have to have eyes in the back of your head!

As for the sippy cup, My ds would bring his to me until he was about 18 months old.  I think he was lazy.  Your dd should be able to start this now, try to get her to do it herself. Try putting her hand to it and if you can get here to grasp it, then let go.  I don't know many tips, Nathan was slow, Alex just did it, I didn't have a problem, with her.  Hope this helps, and good luck.

[Paulsmama]

Scrambled egg and pieces of soft breads (zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, banana bread) are easy fork foods.  Also well cooked macaroni and other pasta, cheese cubes.  My 17 mo is now quite good with his fork but terrible with a spoon!

[leopard_spots]

Hi,
My little guy is 11.5 months.  He recently showed interest in feeding himself with a fork so I let him.  I bought him his own little set and he loves to try to use them on his own.  He is really good at getting the food to his mouth but I have to help him get the food on the fork.

He just cut his 7th tooth yesterday but I still think he uses his gums mostly to "chew" his food.  The foods that have worked fairly well with the fork for us are: peaches and nectarines (really ripe, skinned and cubed), banana chunks, plums, and avocado.  I am trying to get away from the baby food veggies (even though he gobbles it up) so I'm sure we will do well with soft cooked carrots, sweet potatoes and other such veggies.  I hope some of these might work for you. (Note: he still loves to use his fingers too.)

I don't really have any suggestions for the sippy cup.  My son generally tries to be as independent as he can.  He tries to drink out of it himself but often just ends  up sucking up air unless it is good and full.  One thing you may want to try are the juice box style straw sippies (hopefully you know what I mean    Kevin drinks his milk from one of those and he drinks it on his own while sitting in his high chair with success as he doesn't have to tip it back to get the milk.  Maybe your daughter might like this style of sippy?

[jbepko]

My son uses a sippy cup successfully about 50% of the time....he forgets to swallow and the milk runs down his chin. I keep trying. I offer silverware at every meal. My nearly 4 yo daughter is still battling with silverware!

[Idahomom]

HI, I happened on this thread after a search and am wondering if I should let DS begin feeding himself exclusively or if I should still be spoon feeding him (this is what I do now most of the time).  He gets plenty of finger foods, but I still spoon feed his porridge and purees.  Should I let him have a bowl and just use his hands, I have tried a spoon, but he gets the first bite in if I load it and then he just tries to dip the spoon in and ends up throwing the bowl on the floor.  I'm just wondering if I'll be spoon feeding him through toddlerhood if I don't start transitioning now.  He drinks very well from a sippy cup, from day one I wouldn't hold it for him.  I told him I would hold his bottles, but he had to hold his cups.  He is 11 months old, 6 teeth, good eater (doesn't turn down any kind of food, eats most of what I spoon feed him).  Any advice is appreciated.

[mum101]

Hi,
Don't worry about the mess with weetabix... let her eat it with her hands!  She is guiding her hands to her mouth and using a spoon to eat the full meal is the next step.  I think the ability to feed themselves is something to pride, and so eating with her hands is a great independence. 
Have you got a 'splat mat' underneath her chair?   

My DD still has a preference for a spoon, and while she wants to use a fork when she sees us eating with one, she finds it's still hard to use.

[Mom to M&M]

At DD's one year visit yesterday, the Ped suggested we start each meal by giving DD a spoon and letting her have at the puree or whatever for 5 minutes before feeding her. Does this make much sense or is it too extreme? She does love to hold a spoon and chew it but doesn't really show any interest or knowledge in feeding herself with it. What do you guys think - try that or feed at the same time or what? BTW - she does great with a straw cup but only OK with self feeding in general - doesn't like to touch too many finger foods.

[*Natasha*]

Karen i asked about this at Catherine's 12month check up as well and they also suggested that i start letting her feed herself with a spoon but she also has no interest. She also holds a sppon during meal time but doesn't understand how to you use it. She eats finger food and sandwiches on her own and drinks from a cup herself. How do you teach them to use a spoon?

[mum101]

Marissa's mum - is she able to watch slightly older children eating?  I think watching peers is a big influence.  My DD came home from her first full day at creche determined to eat with a spoon.  She was in the 1-2 group, but was just on 1 so the others were mostly older. 

I've also found Rory is quite interested when we eat.  She pays attention to what we are doing.  So all eating together (even if it can only be wrangled for weekend breakfasts) is a big plus. 

I also think giving them the utensils even if they don't do anything is good.   

[Aarismom]

Yeah, I also offer utensils (not knives) and have been doing so since Aari was 12 months. She loves playing with them, and she tries to use the spoon, but mostly she's unsuccessful.

She's pretty good with a sippy cup, introduced that at 11 months. She's also trying to use a regular cup with no lid, but normally I don't let her hold it because she turns it upside down automatically

*HUGS*
Sonya =P

[Lola]

Missy M tried sippy cups for ages (we started at 7 months) and still has trouble remembering to lift it up..she's lazy too LOL
But the straw sippy is awesome...she uses it all hte time with no trouble. We are just introducing milk in a normal sippy to try and get her used to it again..we have a cool NUBY one that has just a vent in a nipple type thing. It's cool...
She isn't really interested in utensils either..she likes her hands and picks up just about anything..