To ask how old your child was when they could eat using fork and spoon?

[Anxiousally]

DS is 17 months and still struggles with a fork and spoon and I'm worried I'm doing something wrong.
Friends his age can mostly manage pasta with a fork and a yoghurt with a spoon and while ds does try he really struggles then gets frustrated and gives up or uses his hands.
Are there any particular brands or shaped cutlery you found helped? We are fine with mess so it's not an issue of us helping him because it's easier we encourage him every meal. His coordination is good and he does well with his wooden blocks etc.
Will it just come am I worrying for no reason or is there something I need to be doing?

My son is 3 in feb and is still a bit clumsy with a fork. He can do it but is messy and cant swirl pasta although he loves to try.

About 18 months I think so I wouldn’t worry too much! She’s 3 now and even uses chopsticks

I wouldn't worry, he's still very young! As long as he tries it every now and again he'll get the hang of it eventually. Make sure he sees you using cutlery, or siblings/friends at nursery and such. My 2 and a half year old still isn't great with cutlery. He can manage porridge/yogurt etc with a spoon but he's rubbish with a fork. He uses it for a few minutes then tucks in with his hands. He can get the food in quicker with his hands so I think that's why he prefers it

I'm 27 and my mum says watching me use cutlery is like watching early man discover tools

Thankyou I worry far too much

Nearly two here and DS is fine using a fork to scoop but pretty rubbish at anything else. His favourite thing is picking chips up, holding them while he carefully spears them with his fork (repeatedly missing) and then uses the fork to put them in his mouth. Dinner times here can take a while...

amused

Dd was the same at that age op. In fact she is 3 very soon and still hasn't completely mastered the art. She still occasionally used hands and had milk all down her chest when eating cereal at around 2 and a half. She doesn't get quite as messy now, but watching her eat spaghetti is always a fun time! If I gave her chopsticks she would probably just start playing the air drums with them.

My ds at 13 months could use a fork and spoon. It was very messy at first but hes 15m now and eats completely independently. If he can't then he uses his hands. But dont worry your dc will get the hang of it. I started with a fork first as I thought it would be easier to grip and get used to eating on his own. He moved on to a spoon easily after that.

Used hands in general for food I meant, not used hands for cereal....things weren't that bad at 2.5

Queen I remember that move well! Dd did that with all sorts, she even used to poke her peas onto her fork before putting them in her mouth! What a lot of effort her meal times were 😆

2 and she still decorates herself with whatever she's eating. I did blw though because she always refused to be spoon fed by anyone so she's messy!

Mine is 2 and only just really getting it. To be fair that's mostly our fault because it's so frustrating watching them drop everything you've just cooked and smear it everywhere

17 months seems really young to me, it sounds as if you're already doing really well with him!

I'll make you all feel better now.

My DD is 13 and sometimes she tries to use cutlery so awkwardly you would think she had never used it before. (Motor skills issues, but still...)

You could try giving him metal tipped toddler cutlery rather than plastic?
DS 20m is fine with a spoon but sometimes struggles to stab at things with a plastic fork. With a normal metal fork he finds it much easier.

Now he wants knives because everyone else has got one

Thanks all! Some good advice and replies made me

My kids are 4 and 8 and would still rather use their fingers although they are perfectly capable of using cutlery. You can get some chunkier plastic cutlery with metal prongs on it which can be easier for wee chubby hands to grip.

That is still so young! I wouldnt worry. My 4 yr old couldnt be arsed about using cutlery, yet my (only just) 2 yr old loves it! I think my 4 yr old would rather it if i fed him too, where as my 2 yr old will only let me feed him if he is really struggling and desperate lol. Strange how they can be so different!

My son was able to hold a fork or spoon from 8 months old, we'd put the food on it for him and he would put it in his mouth himself.
From around a year and a half he was able to pick up food himself.
But remember every child is different.