To ask when your child could reliably use a knife and fork

[TheClaifeCrier]

I have two DC.

DS is 6 and I spend every meal time (we all eat together) prompting him to use his knife and fork. As soon as I'm distracted by my own food he resorts to using his hands. He is also really clumsy with them.

On the other hand DD is 3 and will only eat with her fork, and hates getting anything on her hands!

Just wondering what other people's experiences are? And any tips?

Both my DDs have struggled as both have coordination in the bottom 1%. DD2 is 14 and still not great.

My son is 2 and a half years old and always asks for a fork now. As for myself, I remember using a knife and fork when I was 4.

DS8 eats like a chimp despite repeated attempts to teach him. He still cannot chop up his food either. Totally normal child and great at sport etc. DS4 who is ASD can use them perfectly and does so. I have stopped stressing now as I figure he'll have learnt before he leaves home 😂

Both of mine aged 8 and 4 eat with a knife/fork

My 3.5 year old is a fork dodger, and is also struggling with scissors and pencil grip. She is extremely hypermobile, which I am guessing is the problem. She starts school in September, and I am concerned about this, e.g. she can't cut up her own food. Do they do this for them at school?

My DD is 8 this year and I’m still waiting.

2 BUT she was slow to potty train, fast with dressing herself, slower with speech.

Long as you're making a consistent effort with the key skills they all get there. Child development isn't linear in my experience and they'll go in fits and bursts with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

Have you tried somethinb like junior caring cutlery? It is shaped to help with holding it properly

DS is 6 and still prefers to use his fingers or just a fork. I always put a knife and fork on the table but the knife is very rarely used. He does seem to have some issues with coordination thanks to Meningitis when he was younger.
I'm assuming he uses a knife at school to cut up his lunch.

Interesting, his coordination in general is a little poor, he gets that from me I suspect.

No idea what he does at school. I really dread to think!

Sirzy I'll have a look at those, thanks!

My just 3 year old ds still struggling with this. He can if he focuses and is told but leave him to it he will use fingers etc. I figure when he's ready he will. Tbf he's coming out as a leftie so it's hard for me to teach him.

Have a look at dyspraxia just in case.
If there are motor skills issues there are exercises that can be done to help e.g. finger gym.

My DDs are 7 and 9. I’m pretty sure they could use knives and forks at age 3 but have since forgotten how to and I spend most mealtimes nagging them to stop using fingers. I think they struggle with full size cutlery but the baby size is too small and doesn’t cut.

Have a look at dyspraxia just in case

I agree with PP above - my DD has dyspraxia and cannot use a knife/ fork at the age of 10. It's one of the things which is very obvious in kids with dyspraxia. You mention that "his coordination in general is poor" - you might look into an assessment for dyspraxia .

Hard to say. Prob 3 to 4.5 y.o.

Don't worry if they're a bit behind. Kids advance/mature at different rates.

As well as coordination issues, dyspraxia has other impacts, people have different 'flavours' of it.

So there could also be issues with sensitivity to noise / taste / texture, or memory /processing.

DS1 age 10 with mild ADD prefers not to use knife and fork and often uses them terribly. Can do it but gets muddled up with hands and complains/overacts throwing food off his plate.

DS2 age 6 months refuses BLW and insists on grabbing the spoon to feed himself

A fork and spoon from 18 months, he is 2.3 now and haven’t introduced a knife yet but will do soon.

My 5 year old hasn't mastered it yet.