How do I teach 16mo how to use cutlery?

[ParsleyTheLion1]

Just that. I give him a spoon or a fork, and show him what to do, but he always resorts to fingers because it's easier/faster....

Give him time. He'll get there eventually. My nearly 3yo prefers to use his fingers given the chance. I've never met an adult that does it though

Yes I think you have to just let them go on with it. Thing is that they are so much slower with cutlery that I feel like it's sometimes a blessing in disguise when they give up and go back to their hands! Especially if they were baby led weaned, they go from being praised for feeding themselves (with hands) to suddenly that being the less preferred option! Must be confusing :-)

Don't stress, he will get there by himself, just by watching you, DP and anyone around him doing it. Babies at this age are watching and absorbing absolutely everything. I am constantly amazed at what my DS(2.0) says and does that we haven't specifically 'taught' him.

DS prefers to eat with his hands but can use a spoon and fork if the meal requires it.

TBH, he eats so much more when using hands I try to give him food that's easily consumed that way.

Just model it!

I have a video I took of my 14 month old using a knife and fork (using knife to hold pasta in place then stabbing it with fork, not actually cutting with knife!) then it pans round to my 13 YEAR old using her fingers to pick up pasta (She can use cutlery btw!)

Loaded spoons are a good way to model cutlery. I do this for my 8mo so he doesn't have the trauma of having to scoop it himself but do get used to manipulating the spoon from the tray into his mouth. And preloaded forks too. Get her using metal headed baby cutlery asap as it's much easier to actually stab stuff with it. I found the boots own brand stuff the best as it has a nice small head on it. My dts had metal cutlery from 11/12 months.

As others have said just give him time, the best way he will learn is to share mealtimes with you and learn by watching and copying you.

I always gave mine cutlery at mealtimes even just to play with and get used to, if not to actually use. I also let him play with cutlery (safe plastic baby stuff) in the early weaning days to get used to the sensation.

16 mths is very young to be fully using cutlery anyway so dont worry. They ask about it in the 2.5 yr check and even then many children still struggle.

Thanks Peeps. I had no idea what age was normal to start using cutlery.

What does it mean to 'model' cutlery?

Use it correctly yourself.

Model is a fancy modern way of saying let them copy you ;)

I'm imaging parents stood on a slow spinning platform stroking their steak knives in a circa a 1950's car show sales fashion.
But as pp said loaded spoons and let them copy and try as they feel like it.

Let him copy - eat all your meals with him as far as you can! He'll pick it up that way. I can recommend the IKEA child's cutlery for tiny ones, it has nice chunky handles for ease of use.

But to be honest my 3 year old still sometimes resorts to fingers when she's tired and hungry much to my chagrin.

You wait a year

I love watching my 18 month old with cutlery. He sort of swishes his knife and fork around his dish in a mime of adult use and then having got that out the way he pops it down so he can get on eating his dinner with his hands. Sometimes he returns to it to spend 10 minutes trying to stab an individual pea.

Give him the cutlery. Then all of the family eat meals with him.
He will notice how you all eat and imitate you when he is ready.