2.5-3 year old parents-

My sis was out with my boys and some friends last night, including another child who is the exact same age as my boys, down to the day. They ended up going out to eat, and afterwards our mutual friend with the same-age singleton said to my sister disapprovingly- I can't believe that one still uses his hands sometimes! They were at Noodles and Co and Nolan used his hand sometimes to get noodles on the spoon, and sometimes just to put noodles directly into his mouth. He does this even though he never lets go of his spoon.

I guess I never thought about this, I just figured eventually he won't use his hand so much and then later he won't use his hands at all, just silverware. But am I wrong in this? Should I be working on it harder? Or should I just shrug it off as the observation of a random parent of a singleton?

TIA!

 

Mine still use their hands a lot. Same thing too, holding on to the utensil but still using their fingers. I don't really do anything, unless it's something that really should be eaten with a spoon, like cereal or soup.

 

My kids do it, too. Sometimes it's just too hard to get and keep something on the fork or spoon. I don't see what the issue is with it.

 

Ellie is just about 2 and Joey is just about 3. The difference in their utensil habits is pretty small. Ellie will use her fingers more often than Joey. Both use spoons for cereal and yogurt, and forks for large noodles, but Ellie is much more apt to use her fingers for mac and cheese than Joey.

They each figure out utensils at their own pace, just like everything else!

 

My girls often forget they have a utensil in their hand or right next to the plate. It's like they're learning a new habit, this eating with a fork thing, and so I do stay ontop of them to try to eat with the fork/spoon. Mainly b/c I am tired of messes -- one will smear her hands on her bib/clothes/table/ me or DH-- and not use a napkin. So we're working on both utensil use and napkin use. But frankly, it's got to be confusing to them what's OK to eat with hands. We spent so much time letting them touch their food prior to now. And somethings like Sandwiches, cut fruit, etc we don't give them a utensil at all.

 

My boys are 5 1/2 and I am constantly reminding them to use utencils. At under 3, not a big deal at all!

 

Sounds like just a snotty comment to me! Don't think twice about it!

 

QUOTE(~* dfaut *~ @ Feb 17 2008, 05:10 PM) [snapback]626159[/snapback]
Sounds like just a snotty comment to me! Don't think twice about it!

Ditto! My kids are still using a combination of utensils and their hands. As time goes on, they seem to use their hands less and less to eat. Sure, they might improve if you worked with them but they will likely improve over time anyway so why waste your energy. IMO, if your boys sat and ate at a restaurant without trashing the place, then you're doing just fine!

I also want to add that if your sister's friend has a girl, then it's not fair to even compare. Girls develop fine motor skills earlier than boys (and speech, too) so it's like comparing apples and oranges at this age.

 

My DD is 3 1/2 and still uses her hands occasionally also. Most of the time it's utensils, but honestly I think she does it because she's still learning about foods - different textures plus still learning how to get some foods on the utensil and how to keep them there.

 

Mine still use their hands, especially with pasta dishes. I think it' sjust hard to get the noodles to stay on the spoon, so hand shoveling is preferred...lol! I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

Mine will still put noodles on their spoon or fork with their hands. They'll start out using only the utensils but they occasionally get frustrated with some foods. I do gently remind them that "We can Scoop and Bite," but I don't force the issue. They are trying to get it and that is all that really matters to me. Rarely, they will be in a hurry or really frustrated with it and ask for help. Apparently it's a crime to sit still for more than ten minutes to eat when there is playing to be done.

 

I personally would just take it as a random observation from another parent.

I am with you on this one. Every kids has different fine motor skills, so needing to use his fingers every now and again is not uncommon. My kids included.

 

Mine still use their hands sometimes. I try to tell them to use their spoon or fork, because clean up can be easier - depending on what you are eating. I agree, over time, they will switch to using more utensils. Although, I do recommend that they get used to using them so that later it will be easier. My MIL tells me about my niece and nephew who didn't use utensils until a lot later than my kids and it drove her nuts. To me the practice is important, whether or not they use them every time isn't.

 

QUOTE(~* dfaut *~ @ Feb 17 2008, 04:10 PM) [snapback]626159[/snapback]
Sounds like just a snotty comment to me! Don't think twice about it!


I agree! I think at this age it's still difficult for them to coordinate keeping certain foods on a fork/spoon. Noodles are a hard food to keep on forks, so I think it's totally normal and you should not be concerned.

 

Mine always ask for a spoon or fork, but they do end up using their hands a lot. I wouldn't obsess over it, kids will be kids.