18 month+ moms: Does your LO use fork/spoon?

mrsolsenk12 · August 2010

We have just in the last few weeks started giving Hayden a fork and spoon with each meal. He began to express an interest in feeding himself. At his 15 month visit his pedi said he would like him to be completely self feeding with a fork/spoon by 18 months. Does your LO use a fork/spoon 100% of the time to self feed? At what age did they begin to do that? Right now Hayden will take 1 or 2 bites with the spoon/fork and then go back to using his fingers. Thanks ladies!!!

ssbeke · August 2010

Lily has been using a fork and spoon for about 4-5 months now- she hates dirty hands- so I am sure that has a lot to do with it!

She uses them really well

laura&dan05 · August 2010

Hannah can use a spoon on her own but she won't use it through an entire meal. Sometimes she sticks the wrong end in the food and in her mouth and it's usually a huge mess but we try with at least one meal a day. A fork is a bit more tricky and I usually put the food on it for her and then she feeds herself. She's much more efficient using her hands so that's what she prefers to do.

dejavu · August 2010

DS has just started using a spoon, he loves it, but is just learning, so not always coordinated. We have not even attempted a fork yet as he still prefers to use his hands to self feed. Any yogurt, ice cream, etc, he will use a spoon.

LisaandBryan · August 2010

I had to cause they want to do it by themself and really won't let me feed them anymore. THey want to do it badly but are still working on getting the hang of it. I hate it. It's such a mess!!!!

LIAngel · August 2010

Embarrassed . I haven't even attempted it yet. We were told to work on it at our 15 month appt. I guess maybe I need to get started. The only utensils we have are the Munchkin Spoons. I'm going to have to look into getting the toddler metal fork/spoons- which I heard were better (at least the forks were easier to stab the food with).

Hopefully by 18 months he'll be somewhat efficient with a spoon and/or fork.

LIAngel · August 2010

LisaandBryan:
I had to cause they want to do it by themself and really won't let me feed them anymore. THey want to do it badly but are still working on getting the hang of it. I hate it. It's such a mess!!!!

I think the mess part is the reason I haven't even attempted yet, but I need to get over that.

mrsolsenk12 · August 2010

LIAngel:

LisaandBryan:
I had to cause they want to do it by themself and really won't let me feed them anymore. THey want to do it badly but are still working on getting the hang of it. I hate it. It's such a mess!!!!

I think the mess part is the reason I haven't even attempted yet, but I need to get over that.

We have a huge mess when he eats now. He had spagetti o's for lunch just now and he had them all over the place but I guess this is how he is going to learn right?

MayDayGirl · August 2010

I think Bright was using them full time around 16 months. I was surprise how well he did for so young.

keg · August 2010

It depends on the day and their mood. Sometimes they want to put everything on their forks (like corn on the cob) and sometimes it's more an object to be tossed on the floor. I think they probably use utensils with more regularity at daycare, although seeing their shirts after yestereday's beef-a-roni makes me think they still aren't that skilled with them. :-)

choco_lab · August 2010

DS will use a spoon for yogurt, applesause and cheerios/milk but he doesn't get the hang of using a fork. I have to remind him many times (even with the spoon).. use your spoon, not your hands.

SeaSoul · August 2010

At Hayden's age he was just starting to use them a bit, but was not well-coordinated. For the last couple of months he has gotten really good with utensils and can eat with them, no problem. He doesn't always choose to eat with them, though. And I'm fine with that.

futrkingsley · August 2010

My son, who is now 2, has been using a fork for a year, and only using a spoon for about 4 months. He hates dirty hands so primarily self feeds with utensils. He's more likely to use his hands for something that is spoon fed as he's still mastering that.

crystalgirl · August 2010

DS used a spoon long before we gave him a fork. He was a little too wild with the spoon to be trusted with a fork... He would have poked himself in the face for sure.

Anyway, he started the spoon very early...probably around a year? But he didn't master it for a few months. We started letting him have a fork somewhere between 18 and 20 months, I think. He's pretty good with the fork but still gets frustrated sometimes.

manda429 · August 2010

I assuming that those who are using utensils have their food cut up?

I don't know anyone in the 1 year old room full time utensils, but also, often the food isn't cut up either (like bread or waffles or stuff like that)

LisaMarisa · August 2010

Hayden uses a fork almost all the time but if the food is too difficult to pick up or he gets impatient he'll go back to using his fingers. I think it just takes time and practice. They are too impatient and hungry to waste much time with something that isnt working for them!

RoxBride · August 2010

Yup. She exclusively used a fork and spoon to feed herself from about 13 months.

LucyPevensie · August 2010

If your pedi truly meant that LO should be eating pretty much every bite with a fork or spoon by 18 months ... that's ridiculous. I sometimes eat salad with my fingers. I like it better that way. I do not think I need an evaluation. Well, not for that at least..

Anyhoo .. if your LO is semi-skillfully using a fork/spoon AROUND 18 months (ish!) ... to eat SOME of his/her food - I think that's great. They're babies. Big babies - toddlers ... but still babies. They don't care what your pedi thinks. They're still going to put down the fork sometimes, and pick up pieces of pasta (or chicken, or veggies) and stuff it in their mouths.

nicolita14w · August 2010

Not really. He can use the spoon if we put stuff on it for him and hand it to him. The only thing he eats that goes on a spoon, though, is cottage cheese. We haven't really even tried the fork. There are so many issues with his eating and trying to get him to eat a variety of foods that the whole utensils thing hasn't really been a priority for us.

LIAngel · August 2010

LucyPevensie:

If your pedi truly meant that LO should be eating pretty much every bite with a fork or spoon by 18 months ... that's ridiculous. I sometimes eat salad with my fingers. I like it better that way. I do not think I need an evaluation. Well, not for that at least..

Anyhoo .. if your LO is semi-skillfully using a fork/spoon AROUND 18 months (ish!) ... to eat SOME of his/her food - I think that's great. They're babies. Big babies - toddlers ... but still babies. They don't care what your pedi thinks. They're still going to put down the fork sometimes, and pick up pieces of pasta (or chicken, or veggies) and stuff it in their mouths.

This is exactly what I was thinking. When my pedi said to start him using utensils I was like "really?!" It wasn't even on my radar. I figured if he were eating with them by age 2, that would be fine by me. Why rush it. Like you said "They're babies"

dundasgirl · August 2010

My neighbour suggested that I give Reed yoghurt and cheerios mixed together for him to feed himself with a spoon b/c it kind of sticks to the spoon and is less messy.

We started with applesauce and he did really well right away.

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18 month+ moms: Does your LO use fork/spoon?

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