BLW - when did you introduce a spoon/fork?

[Bellared]

DS is 18m and was mostly BLW (apart from stuff like Weetabix) when the HV kind of told me off for not weaning him this way! I was only going off the sheets they gave me months before and had never heard of BLW! I've started giving him a spoon or a fork at meal times. Even though he prefers to stab and flick his food everywhere! He'll get some on the cutlery but gets quite frustrated then throws it on the floor.

What age did you make the transition from hand to implement? How did you do it?

Thanks. X

I have done BLW with both mine and they had a fork and spoon from about 10 months. They both started to use the cutlery gradually. DD2 is 13 months and will use her hands to start with to fill her tummy and then 'play' with the fork and spoon. Forks with proper tines (rather than fat safety todder ones) are often easier for them to use than a spoon as the food doesn't slide off in the same way! Over time this changed until dd1 used cutlery more and more and now uses it most of the time ( she is now 2.9years). I would let him take the lead as that is the best way with BLW. Be prepared to ignore what HV say about weaning or just smile and agree with them on the outside. Mine have never heard of BLW and think I am very strange!

Thanks. I wont push it with him , I'll leave it to him and I suppose it'll make him feel more important! I don't think we're due for a HV visit soon anyway and I've stopped asking their advice since I discovered MN!

Thanks for replying!