When did your toddler start feeding themselves with a fork or spoon

[bbface]

DS is 17 months. Happy to shovel food into his mouth with his hands and, until very recently, only wanted me to spoon feed him and couldn't give two hoots about feeding himself with a utensil. The important thing from his perspective was to get the food in, and pronto!

I can't say I have been too bothered, as it has meant no mess!

However he is now begining to show an interest in feeding himself with a utensil, and I am encouraging it enthusiastically.

I have no idea when most children are able to feed themselves with a spoon or fork, and also any tips pls??

Thanks

Glad to hear mine's not the only 2 year old who's not got the hange of it

My 18 month old can feed herself with a spoon, she gets a bit of a mess but she manages to get the majority of it in her mouth. My two year can use a fork and a knife although she needs help cutting things if they need a bit of effort (meat etc). My 4 year old? he seems to really struggle with a knife at all he can use a spoon well, a fork he can use as a spoon but he doesnt seem to be able to poke things with it like my 2 year old can. No idea why because i havent done anythign different with him that the others.

Ds was 12 months when he learnt to use a spoon and about four years old when he could use a knife and fork properly. He could sort of use a fork and knife at two years old, but it was very messy. When a child is in reception you don't need to ask what they had for dinner. I despair that he often uses his fingers at ten years old!

Dd used a spoon from ten months. At two she is very enthustic about using a knife and fork, but her coordination isn't there yet.

Its one of those things that comes with maturity.

DS was BLW fed and just found it easier using his hands. He could use a spoon at about 1 but more food got everywhere else than in his mouth! It was about 18m that it clicked. But tbh he still prefers his hands - its quicker and easier! Athough he does insist on a spoon and fork at every meal! I think he found a fork easier too - but you need a decent one - not those crappy forks you get in sets that have flat tipped prongs . I can't use those!

I found introducing more sloppy food e.g. soup, sauces etc encouraged him. But you do have the mess to contend with! Strip them off!

7mo. I have proof of this in the shape of a photo of DS in his high-chair, enthusiastically shovelling in food with a spoon at his first Christmas dinner. Late walker, talker and most other crow-able milestones but talented and gifted when it comes to spoon skills

At 17 months mine's decided he's expert enough that he no-longer needs any help feeding himself. He's been having a good go for the past 6 months, and just in the past week something's clicked and he can suddenly get enormous spoons of porridge in with very little spillage, ditto with the fork (to the accompaniment of 'eydge,eydge' because I tell him to 'Spike' with the fork)

He loves knives, but is more of a hammerer and stabber than a cutter, so we tend to keep them away.

I found that holding the very end of it rather than helping by holding further down the handle worked best - more as a steadying guide than actually doing it for him because then he could still see what was going on.

@ G&T spoon skills.

Baby Goo likes having a go with a spoon since 12MO, and gets some in her mouth occasionally. I have also started giving her a fork, but nothing much happens with that.

I think DS just learned as a gradual process... I think I only started to 'nag' him about it and 'make' him use cutlery from about 2.5 though. He still can't get everything, but trying is enough.

About, 14, 15 months.

Posted too soon, she always held a utensil and attempted to deed herself from about 7 months, but only recently managed the complicated twist/stay the rigth way up manoeuvre without help!

ConstantCraving, my DS is 2.8, and sounds like your DD - He's just not interested in eating at all. He can use cutlery, but would rather sit there and play with his food. I just leave him to it generally, it'll come in time. If we're in a hurry though I do spoon it in for him, otherwise we'd never leave the house!

Hi Ponyclubmum mine could live off thin air! Not only does she not use cutlery but she's becoming increasingly fussy which is a bit depressing as she used to eat anything - but at least what she does eat is healthy! Am failing trying to be chilled about it!

My DS suddenly took against spoon feeding at 9 months so we had a few weeks of mess and eating spag bol with hands. Now at 16 months he is fairly ok with a spoon and fork.

To my shame I have made up a little song "You put the scoopy end in, take the scoopy end out, then put the scoopy end in your open wide mouth" as his primary problem seemed to be expecting yogurt to somehow sit on the pointy end of a spoon.....

I'm sure DS could go without food for a long time quite happily if I didn't spoon it in sometimes. I once refused to help him for 3 days, and he must have eaten 2 spoonfuls of each meal. I got worried (he's on the skinny side anyway) and gave up. I'm just assuming when he goes to school he'll want to eat like the other children. I know he's capable - he can hold and use a knife and fork properly when he wants to, it's just that he's not interested in food. The thin air here must have calories!

He's not fussy, he'll try anything, and if I 'help' he'll eat anything I put in front of him. Cucumber is his favourite, and he likes to spear it on a fork. I buy a lot of cucumber! He's fiercely independent in every other way, it's only mealtimes when he consents to my assistance.

I love your song Ozzie!

Cutlery wise OP, I found that a lot of forks in the sets you can buy aren't really sharp enough to spear food on, and this frustrated my DS. I haven't seen a set where I like the shape of all the pieces, so I mix and match. I bought a set from Boots that had just a fork and a spoon in - the spoon is quite shallow so only useful for thicker consistency food, but the fork is really good. I got a couple of those sets just for the forks, then a few sets of knife, fork and spoon (think they're from Tommee Tippee) for the spoons and knives. I'll keep an eye on this thread for any recommendations for sets where all three are good!

I have another song for teeth cleaning.

"With a brushy brushy brushy and a brushy brushy hey, we brushy brush we brushy brush, we brushy every day. With a brushy brushy brushy and a brushy brushy hey, we brushy brush we brushy brush, so we don't get decay".

It's to the song that the employees sang at the cigarette factory in South Park.

I never thought I would be "song mum".

Hi
sorry for this post but has your son improved since ? ☺️ I know it was a long time ago