utensils

lisamoe · September 2012

When did you start using forks and spoons with your LO?

I've tried giving DS a spoon and all he does is chew on it or fling food.

Any suggestions?

anneimal98 · September 2012

We started giving them around 13mos but its only in the last couple months that's he's actually gotten any good at using them as intended. If he's showing interest, no harm in letting him try but no need to push it at this point either.

sarabara13 · September 2012

We've started giving our daughter a fork and spoon on occasion and she is just over 1 year. I have seen her actually use the fork correctly a few times. I've seen her trying to poke peas and corn without much success as well, which I think is so cute. Those have to be two of the hardest foods to eat with a fork

She usually does a lot of chewing on them both, but when she does show signs of actually using it as a utensil I try to be sure to provide encouragement. Throughout a meal I will show her how she is supposed to use them and then just let her do what she wants. I don't expect her to really get the hang of it for at least a few more months, but figure it can't hurt to get her used to the idea. She will drop them on the floor sometimes, and I can usually tell when she is doing it on purpose and then I just take them away.

BeebopandBuddy · September 2012

We started giving it with her plate after a year but didn't push it at all, just set it there. She didn't really show too much interest in it until about 15 months. I would do it with her hand over hand with the fork and spoon to show her how to do it. Now she is a pro with the fork, although she still abandons it mid-meal if it is slowing her down. She is not too good with the spoon as she does not attempt to scoop anything. I figure it will all come with time.

SusieBW · September 2012

DD turns 1 on Monday, and we started teaching her with a fork about a week or so ago. She is really good at feeding herself with forks and spoons if you load them up for her, and once she eats what's on it, she's pretty good about handing it back to you to refill for her. With a fork, sometimes she tries stabbing at whatever is on her high chair tray, and whenever she does, we help her stab something, and then she'll eat it off the fork. We don't push it, but when she seems interested, we help her learn to do it.

jtkayla · September 2012

I would say don't push it on him until he's ready for the utensils. We started practicing with a spoon around 9 months of age. And just recently, my DS started using a fork on his own, but we mainly introduced it to him at 14 months. Now, at 17 months, he won't eat if he doesn't have utensils LOL... which can be quite an experience at times!

memali26 · September 2012

We started giving each of the girls a spoon when they were around 7-8 months or so - at the point where they wanted to "help" feed themselves purees

I think DD1 started using it fairly well for thick things like oatmeal and yogurt around 15-16 months, and was a pro shortly after. I don't remember when she started using a fork, probably after she mastered the spoon. DD2 still just plays/chews/throws them, but my theory is if you give them the opportunity to use them while you model them, they'll eventually figure it out.

RayRay007 · September 2012

Some time before 1 yr DD started grabbing the spoon and helping me put it in her mouth. I started letting her feed herself yogurt with a spoon probably at around 1 yr. She used her fingers for anything that wasn't mush. I started her with a fork shorlty after 1yr, helping her stab the food. She's been doing that herself now for several months.

loganlac · September 2012

We give them to DD at every meal and sometimes she figures it out but if it slows her down at all she puts them aside until she is done and it is time for the comedy portion of dinner - where she chews on it, tries to talk while its in her mouth, bang it against the highchair, etc.

cyprissa · September 2012

He basically demanded a spoon starting around 7 months and would "help" us feed him purees. We just gave it to him but never pushed. He's pretty good with it now, although sometimes if he is starving he'll still scoop food with his hand or let me help feed him with the spoon. We gave him a fork around 11 months and he sporadically uses it. He's decent with it but we do have to help him stab food or dinner becomes arduous.

pitterpatter129 · September 2012

We started at about a year too. Just offer them and model how to use. You can put the food on them and then hand the utensil to the child to make it easier. They pick it up very quickly. By 15 months, he was proficient with the spoon and by 18 months could do okay with the fork. Now, at 21 months, he just eats with utensils like a normal person. It's really nice to have less food on his hands to clean up, especially since he really hates having dirty hands (can use a napkin too since he's Mr. Picky about his hands! Score!) Make sure you are using toddler spoons and forks though that are easier to handle. DS did best with the metal kind with plastic handles. The spoons with a rubber covering were too difficult to scoop up food with for him. Big people utensils or plastic utensils are just too long for them.

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