Cutlery - 16mo he just bats it away.

[Pascha]

I know its still early. I know kids don't get the coordination til gone 18m. I know this in my head.

But how do I begin to start attempting to persuade my son to consider that cutlery isn't the devil and he might quite like to start playing with it? He's had pre-loaded spoons before but since about a year old has just plain refused to open his mouth for them, or hold them, or put them to his mouth himself.

Please just tell me to stop worrying and it will come by itself if I leave a spoon on his tray and he see's me using one myself?

Please?

Well ok now he is allowing the spoon if it contains jelly. Nothing else, mind...

Is this the beginning of toddler contrariness?

Yep, afraid so! But it will pass. Toddlers soon love to copy others and suddenly everything will have to be on a fork or spoon with no help from mummy or daddy - that's my wee one at the moment anyway!

So I would just put out the cutlery, and one day his curiosity will get the better of him. What about getting some toddler themed cutlery, like 'Gruffalo' for example?

He does actually have Gruffalo cutlery . Everything is Gruffalo in this house currently.

But now the contrary little bugger is accepting peas on a spoon if he thinks it going to be jelly. Heehee...

Still won't hold it himself though ...

My 7 yo still isn't very keen on cutlery......

Yes, our house resembles a Gruffalo Shop. Can't get enough of the stuff.

And if I have to watch 'Gruffalo's Child' one more time..........

With my kids (3 and almost 2) what works best is not making a fuss of it. So i just leave the fork or spoon on their tray and dont say anything about it. One day they will just pick it up and use it.

Also try normal spoons or smaller but normal looking forks iykwim. So it looks more similar to mummys and daddy's. Even a normal fork. I know it looks scary in the hand of a little one but it is ok really.

Eat together, at the same time, same food. Put the cutlery next to the plate and smile happily as he eats with his hands. He'll get it, by watching an copying you, evenutually.