S/O - HC, using plates, silverware, etc??

MrsPreK

I'll admit it. I haven't been great about giving DS silverware to *practice* with =/ He just tosses it and it's a pain. I'm trying to get better at it though and suck it up and get through it, lol. 

How about plates - when did you give LO one all the time?

DS has a few of the suction bowls but they are useless - they don't stick and he tosses those too. We also have a wood table so they don't stick after a minute or two.

Same with plates. No suction base but he thinks it's funny to toss it, lol.

Because he eats with his hands it's just so easy to put the food right in front of him. 

 

Laroogirl

I am afraid I am putting DS a little behind by not giving him silverware at every meal.  It is just so much easier to let him use his hands and feed himself.  He can use a spoon and fork, but will still use his hands and make a big mess.  Plates always end up on the floor too. 

clayswife

DS (12.5 months) throws all of his plates/silverware etc. and suction bottoms (which we've tried) were just a challenge (and not a very good challenge).  I give him a spoon towards the end of every meal at this point.  If I give it to him at the beginning of the meal, he just plays and doesn't eat a thing.  I've been giving him plates at just about every meal.  It's often a mess, but I think seeing it there at every meal is starting to help with him not tossing it- food and all- at every meal/snack- at least it's a bit longer from the time he starts to the time he throws everything.

JoyousJulia

DS is pretty good about leaving his plate on the table, but that's because we started giving him his own plate really early (around 10 months). We've been waiting for him to be ready to use a fork and spoon (we give him things in bite size pieces and he uses his fingers) and I think he's ready now. There were a could of days last week that he demanded to have his own cutlery. I'm going to pick up some fork/spoon sets for him this week.

MrsPreK

Laroogirl:

I am afraid I am putting DS a little behind by not giving him silverware at every meal.  It is just so much easier to let him use his hands and feed himself.  He can use a spoon and fork, but will still use his hands and make a big mess.  Plates always end up on the floor too. 

This is exactly where I'm at!!

I'm afraid he's getting *behind* by not doing it but if he's tosses it, what's the point? I can't get mad at him for it.

I guess I need to go pick up some more plastic plates for him....and silverware too. 

ShanJosh777

I usually let DS have a bowl for snacks like Cheerios or crackers.  But he always dumps it out then eats the food off of his tray, the floor, where ever.  I haven't given him silverware too much yet, other than just to play with.  I would love to start giving him a plate at each meal, but my problem with him is that if I cut up all of his food into pieces and put it all on the plate at the same time, he will cram every.single.piece into his mouth at once.  So I have to give him stuff just a few at a time or I am afraid he will choke.

Cyrbia

Well, DS is a little older than the rest of the posters so far.

He eats with a spoon or fork, but not ever time. I didn't really let him do it himself until he asked for a "poon". He didn't use the word before, he'd just point and mine.

IMO staring at 1 year is a little young. They risk shoving it down their throat and choking. DS still does this from time to time. I wouldn't expect my child be able to spoon feed himself until he was closer to two. They catch on so quickly that starting at 1 1/2 seems reasonable. Even 21 months...

anna7602

We still use the tray that comes with the Fisher Price booster, so I've been using the Boon sticky bowl with that and it pretty much stays in place while she is eating. She doesn't try to pick it up and throw it off the tray until she's not hungry anymore.

I was trying to give DD a spoon for a while, then gave up, but I've had some more success recently with baby forks. She can't spear the food onto it herself, but if I do it for her and rest it in the bowl, she picks it up and brings the fork to her mouth.

Temp174496125006552

Ben eats all of his meals in his highchair.  I tried that suction bowl on his tray and that thing is crap.  Plates usually last a few minutes and then wind up on the floor. 

He was behind in eating table food (only really started in the last 6-8 weeks) because of his horrible gag reflex, but once he did start eating it, I offered him a fork/spoon right away.  He does pretty well with them, especially the fork.  I let him feed himself with the spoon things like oatmeal, cream of wheat or fruit.  If I let him feed himself yogurt, it's a disaster...so I do it most of the time.

juietbride

DS has been using silverware for four months or so now, and he has insisted on doing it himself since then.  He is also getting to the point where he is no longer interested in using his silverware, he is desperate to use his own.  We have always given him his own bowl or plate and generally he lets us know when he is done before he starts dropping things on the floor.  It is usually us not responding to his cues that he is done that the meal ends with things on the floor.  HTH

Agrippa

We have been giving DS plates for a few months now.  We always sit with him when he's eating, and take the plate away when he starts playing with it.  If he's actually hungry, he'll beg for it back, and we just remind him that he can't play with the plate.

I've also sometimes resorted to just putting the food on the table (DS has been in a booster seat since he was 9 months old).  The table cleans easily, so it's not a big deal.

trapani2be

ds uses a plate at daycare but throws it at home. he uses his spoon but he puts the food on it with his finger then sometimes gets it in his nouth...lol.  We are working on it.

funchicken

We've been practicing using silverware for a while, but I just started using a plate.  DD seems to like the plate.  She likes her food to be separate, and the plate has 3 sections.

byrne15

i give ds a plastic (toddler??) fork that i got for him at target.  it is light weight so when it hits the floor it doesn't do damage.  also, he is in his highchair so that is where i put the food (tray).  when we go out to eat i have to hold his plate still or else he will use it as a frisbee...

Paigeo

We just started giving DD a spoon and fork about a month ago and it isn't every meal.  She can use them but it is super messy and hit or miss whether the food makes it into her mouth.  She still maily just plays with them.  I also think a year old is really early for utensils.  As far as plates DD eats in her highchair so we just put the food directly on the tray.  When we are out I usually just put one of those disposable placemats that sticks to the table down.  I did find this plate at BRU that because of the design it is hard for them to pick up  We only have tried it one and it seemed to work pretty well.