When did your LO learn to use a spoon/fork?

[yasinsmama]

DS is lmost 21 months. He can use a fork and spoon, but it's still very messy. I'm s limited in what food I can send to school with him, because it has to be finger foods. If I send yogurt, he will be wearing it instead of eating it. I am running out of snack ideas for him. It would be great if he could use the spoon neatly (I don't mean spotless, I just mean more in his mouth than on his clothes).
So how old were your LO's when they could use a spoon or fork and get most of the food into their mouths?

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by yasinsmama

DS is lmost 21 months. He can use a fork and spoon, but it's still very messy. I'm s limited in what food I can send to school with him, because it has to be finger foods. If I send yogurt, he will be wearing it instead of eating it. I am running out of snack ideas for him. It would be great if he could use the spoon neatly (I don't mean spotless, I just mean more in his mouth than on his clothes).
So how old were your LO's when they could use a spoon or fork and get most of the food into their mouths?

Although Dd is 19 months old we are having the same issues. But I'm sure it will come eventually. they just need practice. I HAVE to feed DD the yogurt lol!!!

[ShyDaisi]

I agree with practice. It is the only way to learn!

[lifeguard]

I've been giving ds a spoon/fork since about 10 months. He is almost 15 months now & gets 90% of the food in his mouth, but things that are soupier like yogurt are the most difficult.

Ds also loves to practice with the spoon/fork with all sorts of finger foods. Yesterday he kept busy for 15 minutes eating blueberries with a spoon.

Does your daycare provider have a problem with messy?

[springfever]

A bit after he turned 1, he was pretty good at getting it all in his mouth. Then in the last month or 2 he's decided he's too cool for that and will feed himself everything with his hands, including yogurt, cereal, applesauce... so I have to feed him those foods myself again, lol.

[Baby_Cakes]

DD is pretty accurate at 15 mo, but something like yogurt is still tricky for her. She tends to flip the spoon upside down and lick it instead of actually using it the right way. But she is great with a fork.

I say just let him keep practicing, and maybe offer less runny things so he can work on his accuracy w/o making a mess. Oatmeal (steel cut oats) can be good b/c they stick to the spoon a little better.

[laughymama]

Cain will be 20 months soon. I'd say it depends on the food and the day. It's still pretty messy though. I figure practice makes perfect.

[SparklingGemini]

DD became proficient around 16-18 months. But she had also been exposed to tableware usage before her first birthday.

[calpurnia]

DD is also handy with her spoon/fork at 19 months, but since she always refused spoon feeding she started handling her own cutlery really early on. She can't figure out knives though!

We have this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finger-Babie.../dp/0091889510 which has good suggestions in it...

[rightkindofme]

At this point it varies based on the day and food. My 19 month old can do really well, but she can also become a total mess. I don't mind though. I just change her clothes.

[tumblebeee]

I've given my DS a fork and spoon with his meal for as long as I can remember. Around 18 months, I introduced him to some Montessori style scooping activities. Basically, I put two bowls on a tray with beans, lentils, rice, etc in the left bowl and showed him how to scoop it up and transfer it to the right bowl with a variety of spoons. Later he started doing this with water. I noticed that his table skills improved when he started doing those activities.

[Latte Mama]

My DS is 16 months and uses fork/spoon pretty well. But the runnier foods are an issue of course. We still feed him yogurt and saucy stuff for now but probably should let him practice more.

[mbm]

DD is pretty good with a spoon at almost 15 months. We usually stick with sticky foods, like oatmeal, applesauce or thick yogurt, because she tends to turn it upside down on the way to her mouth. But last night she balanced two peas on it and slowly took a bite without dropping them!

Forks are more trouble -- she can get a fork to her mouth just fine, but it's tough for her to spear the food, so I have to put each bite on the fork and hand it to her.

[lifeguard]

mbm - do you use a real fork or a baby fork? We give ds a dessert fork (so it's a bit shorter) & he can spear things fine - one of his favourite things to do. But when at a friend's house they gave him a baby fork & it was useless - the tips were too blunt to be able to spear anything.

[limabean]

Hi MG!

DD has been using a fork for a few months, but has just in the last month or so started putting a spoon in her mouth without turning it upside down. With really liquidy stuff like applesauce, a lot of it still ends up on her, but she does manage to get a fair amount in her mouth.

With stuff like yogurt, I buy the extra thick stuff so that it holds its shape on the spoon better instead of running off, and that helps some. Or you could drain regular yogurt for a little while to get some of the moisture out and then it'd be thicker and easier too.

[calebsmommy25]

My DS is 21 months and does pretty well with a spoon and fork. He still prefers finger foods, but still demands to have a poon and fork with his meals! He loves soup and does alright with a bit of help, but we end up usually sharing a bowl of soup or yogurt so it doesn't end up all over. I make his oatmeal (old fashioned rolled oats) thick so it is easier for him.

[claddaghmom]

DD has been using silverware since she started experimenting with solids. She will not eat unless she is seated w/ a plate and silverware, and her little barney cup too.

But that being said, I wonder if he is being left unsupervised with the food past the time he is hungry? When DD is done eating, if we don't remove the food, she will just start to play with it and make a huge mess.

[mbm]

mbm - do you use a real fork or a baby fork?

Either or both, depending on what's clean!

I did have trouble using the dull baby fork to feed her pasta today. Maybe I'll try a regular fork the next couple of times, and see if she does better. Good idea!