Plates, bowls, spoons, forks

HZ2012

Hi ladies... Hope everyone is doing well!

Just curious, are your LO's using plates and utensils regularly? My guy does not, and I was wondering if I should keep trying each day. Whenever I put a plate down on his high chair tray he goes to fling it. And if he has a spoon or fork it's no longer meal time, but rather play, or gag ourselves time.

He's a great eater, so I'm not concerned about it, just curious if he's at an age where he can/should be using plates and spoons.

TIA!

jesselayne8

We have used plates and utensils since 6 months. When DS is feeling lazy or starving he wants us to load the spoon or fork but otherwise he does great by himself.

tee18

We use plates and a spoon at every meal, and it seems like it clicked just a few weeks ago on how to use them. As he gets full though, things go flying and he doesn't get it back. Sippy cups always get tossed too.

fancefpp

DS2 has been using a spoon and fork for a few months now and I put everything in a bowl or plate. He watches his big brother though and wants to do everything he does. DS1 was much slower to using these things.

john5111

We ve used spoons and forks.. hes starting to get good with the fork..lately wed have to put the food on the fork and then he wants to put it in his mouth..this past week hes gotten better at stabbing the food himself.  I havent tried bowls or plates really..I have once in a rest and then he wanted to dump it all on the table lol

HZ2012

Thanks ladies. I'm going to try offering them again since its been a few weeks. I appreciate your feedback!

flyliceandcoffee

nope. they "practice" at daycare sometimes, but only for snacktimes when it's not as big of a deal if they actually eat much. During meal times we just dump her food onto a napkin and let her go to town with her hands.

CNJ4EVA

It seems it depends on how hungry she is in our case. If she's really hungry, she doesn't want to waste time with utensils and uses her hands. Otherwise, she loves using a fork and does well. It has to be a stab-able food though. Rice, yogurt, or anything else that has to be scooped, she just make a mess with.

Kashy

We give him either his fork or spoon (depends on what he is eating) at each meal.  He has almost got the spoon down and can eat a yogurt with minimal mess lol  but with a fork he will stab the food onto the end but then pull it off and put the food in his mouth. 

As for a plate, well I give it to him most of the time.  It depends on his mood really.  I can tell if it is gonna be a night where he will just throw his food and it is safer to just not give him a plate.  But on the good days he seems ok with it. 

MamaMD

We use bowls though I still put some stuff directly on the highchair tray. We haven't used plates but only because I haven't gotten around to buying any toddler-appropriate ones. LO loves forks but mostly tries to scoop food rather than stab it. She will sometimes accept a spoon, like with yogurt, but mostly demands forks. I still load the spoons and forks for her a lot but she is trying to do it on her own too.

Oohgurl

We use plates. We have tried bowls but he tends to pick them up. All the suction cup ones i have don't work for crap. 

telicious2

DS either eats food out of a bowl or off my plate. He LOVES using a spoon or a fork. He will start to cry if I do not give him a spoon fast enough. And his love of using spoons happened over the course of a week.

When he is done eating then he will scoop food out onto his tray or start to tip his bowl.

Don't worry I am sure it will happen soon enough. I would also give a spoon or fork at every meal and maybe feed him with it (if he lets you).

bumpuser8130818

We use plates and bowls and utensils. He does fine with the plates and bowls and he usually carries a little bowl around with him for snack as well. Sometimes he will want us to load his spoon or fork if it's a tricky food, but he demands to feed himself with it.

HZ2012

Thanks all for your responses! Appreciate it!

ordinary1

We have some plates and bowls for at least nine months. Forks and spoons were introduced at about a year. Sometimes she wants them, others not. We always offer though.

bishbecraycray

We use plates, bowls, and utensils. He's actually really good with a spoon and fork (tends to use his hands LESS than my 3 year old). He's been using them since a year, maybe a little before that. If I forget to give him a fork or spoon he just sits there whining until I figure it out haha. We like the Gerber Graduates utensils... they look like real utensils, but have a nice grippy handle. He'll also use our regular utensils now too though

HZ2012

I have to say I'm impressed with how many LO's are using utensils!

I have DS a spoon with his yogurt yesterday - did pretty good! But holy meltdown when it was time to put the spoon in the sink when the yogurt was done. He cried on and off for about 40 minutes because I would t let him run around with it. Hopefully he will catch on sooner than later, that spoons are for meal time only.

c-elizabethf

Dd uses plates and bowls. She's been using a spoon for a long time and she knows how to use the fork to an extent.

MAdams728

I've always used plates for her food, since she started eating finger food. I never put it directly on the tray, unless it was a handful of cheerios, or something like that.

I give her a utensil at every meal, but it's hit or miss if she uses it. She knows what to do, but she has a hard time getting enough on a spoon. She does better with a fork.

I had to buy several kinds to find a set that works for her. Forks with plastic tines were a waste of time, but she does well with a metal set. Lots of the spoons were too wide and shallow for her mouth.