What age did your baby/toddler start using spoon or fork?

[Tinks15]

...curious really as my 14 month DD loves using her hands, she doesnt seem interested in spoons/forks. Wondered if i should encourage more.

[pointlessperson]

I've been wondering the same about my 16mo he would rather use his hands too.

[Bibs2014]

Around 11 months. I used to give him a spoon to play with so he'd get used to it.

[Tinks15]

Thanks both. I give DD a spoon everytime shes eating but she just isnt interested. I will just carry on giving her the fork/spoon & hope she picks it up soon.

[thenoisytimetravelstudent]

My dd1 will be 3 at Christmas & has a knife and fork at each meal time but still prefers her hands! Just keep putting it out & encouraging them to play or copy you!

[Artandco]

Around 1 year. From 6 months we would often load the spoon so they could put in, and I suppose 6+ months practice meant they were OK with some stuff.
Things like porridge they would eat with a spoon earlier as it semi stuck on so easier to not tip off

[Matchstickbox]

Mine kept pointing and squeaking for my fork last week so I brought her her own after a few days of her using mine.
She's about 14m but she does still use hands.
Not much help really sorry.

[moggle]

22m she can use a spoon and fork but usually abandons them in favour of hands. The only thing I'm strict on is yoghurt must be eaten with a spoon otherwise I do it for her.

[LuckySantangelo1]

My 15 month old is terrible with a spoon but gets on much better with a fork. He'll usually eat lunch half with hands, half with a fork.

[FreeButtonBee]

I find that giving the a spoon or fork with a proper metal head makes them much more likely to use them. Boots do brilliant little K/F/S sets with nice chunky plastic handles and small metal heads which are perfect from about 9mo. The tommee tippee ones are okay too but the fork head was a bit too big for under 18mo I found. Those ikea forks and spoons are too big and not sharp enough to allow a little one to actually get anything onto their cutlery.

My 13mo can stab with his fork quite well now and has used a spoon from 7mo - at 12mo he could scoop his own food from a bowl (thick porridge/mash and stew/greek yoghurt) with very little intervention. He still eats pasta with his hands (or should I say by the fistful!).

[RiverTam]

When she was 1, pretty much on her birthday, she firmly removed the spoon from my hand and started to feed herself.

We bought her the angled cutlery from Boots which is much easier for them to use than a 'straight' spoon. And then moved on to small metal cutlery.

[Artandco]

Just gave mine desert forks. Small, metal and last forever as used for actual deserts after

[mikado1]

14mo doing well here and thrilled with himself. 4.5yo eats with his hands

[MyBreadIsEggy]

My 17 month old usually starts a meal with a fork or spoon, then realises she can get it in her mouth quicker if she uses her hands! I then say "use your fork please", and she hands me the fork to pre-load it for her.
I'm not in too much of a hurry to get her using cutlery to be honest!

[catsofa]

17 month old waves spoons and forks around and pretends to feed me and Teddy with them, but struggles to keep anything on a spoon so finds it too inefficient for actual eating. Practices spooning water in the bath etc so I'm sure he'll get the hang soon.

[BertrandRussell]

I think the fact that I have absolutely no idea suggests that it doesn't really matter! Mine use knives and forks really nicely and have been for ages* I really wouldn't worry about it!


*mind you, they are 15 and 20!