cutlery

[NotSureImDoingThisRight]

My 13 month old DD is usually a pretty good eater, she's happy to self feed with her fingers and is spoon fed her breakfast and things that are hard to eat with her hands like mashed potato or fish pie.

I'm told I should be encouraging her to use a spoon and a fork to feed herself now. I have offered her a spoon while I feed her, but she either throws it straight on the floor, or waves it around flinging food everywhere, or looks at me like I am a raging nutcase.

Wondering if anyone has any advice on how I can encourage her to use cutlery a little bit?

If the food is going in, I'd just leave her for a bit. Who told you she needs cutlery?

Well I took her for a slightly late 1 year check on Friday, and the HV said I should be encouraging use of cutlery now she is 1. Is it later that they become more interested in using cutlery?

i used to give mine a fork from about a year or maybe a bit earlier, simply because it's the easiest thing to use to start with... stab stuff! rather than scooping (and subsequently tipping it off)

they prob didn't start actually using it with any regularity or reliability until closer to 18 months mind you

HV are very big on targets like this that can wind you up. I know they mean well but it's easy to get focused on what is just a rather random, ball-park target - I had the same with weaning from bottles at 1, I still haven't managed it at 2! But it took me a while to stop focusing on this odd little target.

I think DD was nearer 18m than 12 when she started properly using cutlery, and she started by grabbing the spoon from us. Eventually she started trying to copy how we used a spoon or fork for other food. I'd just offer her cutlery, especially if you are all eating a meal together so she can see what you are doing, and eventually she will start to try and use them. Absolutely no rush on this one at all, and no point stressing if it might upset her at meal times.

Ikea do a box of plastic spoons, forks and knives for something ridiculous like £1 which are great, chunky to hold but still a proper spoon (we actually started using tea spoons as I found weaning/baby spoons too flat and DD could never get anything on them). Though oddly the Ikea ones say not for under threes

Thanks for the advice, I'll just keep offering it to her and I'm sure eventually she will have a go when she's ready! Good idea to try it when we eat with her.

I was a bit taken aback by the HV to be honest, I've been so pleased with my DDs eating; she eats a variety of food, sometimes feeds herself with her hands, and drinks milk and water from a little cup. Then at the check I felt like I was being told off because she's not yet proficient with cutlery...!