Using a spoon/fork on their own?

[GG]

I'll apologize in advance if this thread has been posted recently but I don't have time to search.

DS is 22 mo and won't eat by himself. He can use his hands, obviously, to put food in his mouth.  He can also sort of use a spoon, though he makes a big mess so I don't usually let him eat on his own (when I do, I let him know what a good job he's doing). I know this is bad. He'd probably be able to eat by himself if I had let him use the spoon earlier. He also has started to refuse real food and only wants to eat snack food, a little bit of fruit or oatmeal so it's hard for me to just let him eat on his own. He'd just stand up in his high chair and try to jump out. (Man, I knew I shouldn't have listened to my mother on her feeding advice!!!)

I'm curious... when did your babies start to eat on their own, including using a spoon?

[Izzy-B's mommy]

Isabella is a VERY independant little girl.  She started using a spoon on her own at 13mths.  It was very messy but once she started I always let her (and just cleaned up the mess )   
I say let him experiment with the spoon no matter how messy things get.  (coming from a neat freak..  I know how hard this is) 
As for the snacking thing. Give him his meals at the same time each day  and if he doesn't eat, make him wait until his snack time.  Eventually he'll realize that he's hungry.   (don't worry, he won't starve)  This happens in my house sometimes and once I get back to routine, she gets back to her good eating habbits.
Just my two scents HTH

[aisling]

(((HUGS)))) Georgia.  Don't you just hate it when Mum's are right?!  Well, except when we give future advice to our LO's!  Nello, started eating with a spoon at a year.  He has very good hand eye coordination.  Lately his favourite thing to do is stab food: meat, cheese, bread anything really.  I find the children's plastic forks not "stabby" enough for him.  We give him a fish fork or lately his preference is our funky fondue forks.  Here is a pic below.  I don't stress about the mess either and I let him use our dishes, although, friends just bought him a lovely plate/bowl and spoon and fork set, that he looked excited about, although I haven't opened it.  Maybe your Foti could get his own special set at the store and he could pick it out?  He could use his spoon on his very own plate and with his fork try stabbing snacks first and then on to food.  Also, we got rid of the highchair at 10 months and he sits in his Chicco chair with us at the table. (see pic)  Is he teething at all, maybe that is why he has gone off real food?

Aisling x

[Izzy-B's mommy]

that is too cute!

[Katet]

Liam started using a spoon by himself at OMG 10mo, actually he tried at 7mo & actually could get at least 50% in by 10mo... now he refuses to let me use a spoon & won't eat with his fingers... he also stabs with a fork. To be honest he is such a good eater he only wears a bib if it is something like spag bol, even with cereal he (at 19mo) is a pretty neat eater... he is also out of the high chair. I will say I think A LOT has to do with having a brother to copy, but Aiden also self fed around 12mo & really only let me feed him cereal up until 15mo or so & now at 3.5 he uses a knife & fork pretty well. I think both are just really good with their hand eye co-ordination

[Lana]

I dont remember really when Ewan started to use a spoon/fork on his own.  I always left one available once he showed and interest in hopes he would use it.  Although even now that he is quite proficient with the spoon and fork he will sometimes use his fingers

[aisling]

Thanks Tracy!

LOL! Stacy at Kaleb eating naked and then to the sink!  That is a great idea.

Kate: We are the same and as you can see from the pic, no bib.  Ok, it is only lambchops, but he did have mashed potato beforehand.  He's quite neat with himself, but drops a lot on the floor! He didn't take after me, I am a slob.  I need a bib!

Aisling x

[jayne]

gina was also around a year..but same here with bibs we actually never used bibs.. she hated anything around her neck.. heck half of the time she didnt even have clothes on

if it was really messy food i would take off her top

georgia-- can he do it is he just not wanting to? what i would do is give the the spoon or fork or even both let him choose what he wants to do .. eventually he will start to use them.. it is just quicker and easier with his hands.. if he is having a hard time with eye/hand coordination in general i would ask the doctor about it at your next visit.. but if this is the only thing.. i wouldnt worry about it

[notenoughshelfspace]

My little one is 21 month old and willnot use a spoon for anything but the occasional bit of pasta and jelly/ yogurt.  I have never minded about the mess but my little one is a sort of baby will not do naything until she can do it  perfectly; she did not start walking until she was 16 months old! SO even though I occasionally get stressed about it I try to remind myself that it will happen soon enough....

[Luisasmum]

...He'd probably be able to eat by himself if I had let him use the spoon earlier...

Not necessarily! Luisa just turned two and still hasn't quite mastered the spoon yet. I always let her try but she only lasts about three spoonfulls and then wants me to feed her. I'm not pushing it just yet. I think she just wants to get eating over and done with so she can get on with toddler life and she realises it's quicker when I feed her! She quite likes stabbing morsels with a little cake fork and will eat quite well that way.

I still can't trust her to eat on her own just yet. I really need to be there to keep her mind on the task at hand and remind her that food is for eating, not for depositing in nooks and crannies around the house.

[**Clare**]

Harvey used a spoon from about 10 months with a good sucsess!! We had a spoon each to be sure he actually got some food in his mouth!! He had a knife, fork and spoon set for his first birthday and we introduced the fork straight away, he loves it and takes great delight in 'stabbing' the food with his fork, he really loves it and is amazingly good with his cutlery!  But he likes doing things with his hands, hes into posting pennies into a money box at the mo and things like that! Hes also got an older brother to copy so this helps and he goes to nursery which has helped.

I wouldnt worry though, if you have the time to feed him then enjoy it, they're not little for long! Harvey goes mad if we try to feed him now, he wont even open his mouth!!  Your lo pick it up when hes ready!! Theres no rush!! 

[Fiona (Leah & Kians Mom)]

Think dd started with a fork around 14 months but was much later with a spoon, she just didnt want to use it though she knew how. Now for the last few weeks she insists on feeding herself breakfast with a spoon but for some strange reason has decided that whatever she gets for dinner/lunch along with pasta has to be eaten with her hands? while I feed her the pasta with a spoon. Am presuming it's just a stage

[GG]

but my little one is a sort of baby will not do naything until she can do it  perfectly;

You know, that does sound a bit like ds. He gets so frustrated if he can't get something straight away. Also, he can get food in his mouth but not as much as if I were feeding him, so he usually uses it a little bit and then waits for me to finish feeding him.

As for the snacking thing. Give him his meals at the same time each day  and if he doesn't eat, make him wait until his snack time.  Eventually he'll realize that he's hungry.   (don't worry, he won't starve)

Unfortunately, he puts off eating until he's extremely hungry and grumpy. He doesn't even realize he's hungry - I have to practically stuff something in his mouth so that he eventually starts to eat again. But it's not just this intense grumpiness that comes out of his not eating when he's supposed to. He ends up showing his hunger when I need to feed or put his baby sister down for a nap. The timing always stinks!

Thank you all for your input. Since his hand/eye coordination is fine, I won't worry about this too much. His dad is tall and very skinny and (IMO) doesn't eat a whole lot so I'm thinking he'll just be like his dad. And someday soon he will eat on his own.

[{{{Angela}}}]

I wouldn't worry about it.   I forget when we first gave DS a spoon/fork, but it was pretty early, and he would use it (to humour us, I think) for a little while.  It was much faster eating with his hands.  He would sort of use utensils up until he was 26 months, and all of a sudden, he ONLY wanted to use utensils (no hands at all).  It was so strange, this sudden change.  When we're at the table, all his food has to be bite sized, forkable food.  Seriously, there was a point where he wanted me to rip up his toast so he could eat it with a fork!  Okay, he doesn't do that anymore though.