Encouraging baby to use a spoon

[Queazy]

Hi
My dd is 16mo - at her childminders she'll eat practically anything but vegetables need to be mixed in with meat/fish and puréed. At home she won't let me near her with a spoon and will eat from a far more limited number of finger foods! I'm hoping getting her used to using cutlery herself will help her, but she just plays and puts the food nowhere near her mouth. Does anyone have any tips at all?

Thanks so much

Don't worry about it.

Give her a spoon, but let her eat with her hands. She'll get there in time. It's just not worth worrying about.

Thank you - I know I need to just let her get there in her own time, just wish she'd eat a vegetable at home She's dairy free so keen for her to eat something good for her

Just try a few different finger foods and let her get in with it. My son must have been a little older than yours before he entertained a spoon or anything else. Try and eat with her using cutlery and she'll copy eventually.

Model it for her. Does she see you wat? Do you have meals together or do you feed her separately?

We showed our DD how to dip first. Gave her bread, cucumber stocks

Oops sorry!

Gave bread, cucumber sticks etc with hummus and let her dip. This led onto using a spoon quite easily.

We started laying cutlery in her place but pretty much ignoring it. She used it when she was ready. Now 19m she is pretty competent.

Oh thank you. She only sees me eat at breakfast but I need to make sure I eat with cutlery (rather than just toast!!). I'll get going on dips too, but that's another story, as she won't eat any of them! Things change so quickly tho. Thanks for all your advice