Do your kids use utensils?

We've been practicing with spoons and I know I need to be more consistent about it. So I was wondering if any of your LO's are consistently using utensils and at what age did they "get it"? Also any tips? They both seem to understand the concept, but Hannah would rather use her hands (pretty messy when we're eating oatmeal!) and Hailey is still working on coordination. Thanks!

 

hi,
they are leading the way really on what they can do. oran really likes to feed himself, i put the food on the spoon then he takes the spoon off me and eats the food. sometimes he will put the spoon on his tray and pick out the peas!! he also likes to drink out of a proper cup. its harder because he doesnt always get it right so it makes more mess. brook isnt interested at all. i give him a spoon but if its got food on it he'll just drop it on the floor. my nephew refuses to be fed but also wont use a spoon so he does eat beans, yoghurt, porrige!!! all with his fingers. you can get those spoons that are shaped to fit a baby's hand. have fun! x

 

I give my LOs spoons when I feed them. DS has had a go of putting it in his food but waves it around and it goes everywhere! It occasionally makes it to his mouth but in general they dont spoon feed themselves yet. They prefer to throw their spoons on the floor!! :lol: Both babies drink from their own sippies independently (no handles) and they are able to drink from a cup but supervised! They can pick up food and self feed but DD isnt interested in finger food. DS does pretty well!

 

Since about 12 months the girls have liked using utensils. They mostly use plastic forks and stab everything somedays it makes more mess then anything, but they eat better for us when they have their own utensil. They seemed to get the hang of it around 14 months. We often help we put food on their fork then give the fork back to them. Other times they will happily eat with their fork on their own. Their is still lots of finger food.

 

For EVERYTHING. They won't eat w/o a fork or spoon. They even pick up toast and pizza with a fork! They are soo funny like that. They are ON POINT with them too. They even use adult utensils at restaurants! I think we started at 11 or 12 months and at this pt they're as good w/ them as I am. OMG ANd as of yesterday LOLOLOL they CUT things w/ a knife to eat it! (It's plastic but whatever I was laughing when I saw him do it!)

 

They really got the hang of using them at around 18 months. Now like ivfbound said, they use the regular utensils in the restaurants now and really don't want to eat with their plastic ones anymore.

 

I'm not as consistent with them as I should be with using utensils. They are pretty good with a fork but so-so with a spoon.

 

Yes, they do, but they are not great at it. DD is really good with a fork, and okay with a spoon. She'll eat a whole meal with utensils. DS will start with the fork and spoon and then give up and go with fingers! Kind of like Daddy.

 

My girls dont use them and I dont plan on giving them utensils anytime soon.

 

We give them utensils at every meal, and most of the time they use them properly but sometimes they just prefer to use their hands. Either way is fine by me, they will "get it" in their own time.

 

I give them untensils at every meal, but they rarely use them.

 

mine use a fork just for cut up fruit. i prefer to feed them the rest of the meal so they don't end up "playing" with it

 

It depends on what we are eating as to whether or not I give them utensils. Mainly spoons, though here. Forks scare me...especially with DS. I think it would become a weapon in his hand. DD is better with the utensils. DS still pretty much likes to use his hands.

 

My experience is very similar to Ivfbounds'...

We had to give our kids utensils almost from the 6 month mark or they wouldn't open their mouths for food (they had to "believe" they were doing the work)... so they've always had utensils... first plastic then around 12 months we switched to the rubber handles/metal... now that they're 17 months old, they are really good at both using spoons and forks, though I still have to load up the forks sometimes (and they do alternate between using utinsils and their fingers).

Alechia

 

wow...I'm so not the norm here...my son (he's 4) is just now consistently using utensils-- we told him when he turned 4 he had to or no more food for that meal...geesh. maybe I need to start earlier.

 

My boys are 13 months. I just started giving them spoons when I feed them yogurt, but I'm not pushing it.

People in my DH's culture eat with their fingers (even soup), and I don't think of finger eating as rude, so I'm not in a big hurry. I'll keep giving the spoons, and maybe they will catch on soon, and maybe not.

 

I have given mine utensils to play with when feeding them. They went through a stage where I couldn't feed them baby food without them trying to take the spoon from me. They have also played with their sister's play spoons and forks and cups from her kitchen. They love those and will fight over them. I didn't think it was time to give them spoons to actually use to eat with yet. Sippy cups with or without handles are fine either way.

 

Mine didn't get good at using utensils until the second half of the SY. It wasn't until I introduced forks (the take and toss plastic kind), that they got good at it. I think forks are easier for little ones compared to spoons. But don't stress... even at 2y4m mine still use their hands sometimes (even with oatmeal), because 1) its fun and messy and 2) its quicker for them especially if they are eating something they LOVE.

 

This morning we are having cheese grits for breakfast. I know its late but I got to sleep in a little. All the kiddos did too. So I have given the twins each a spoon and some grits and they are doing ok. A little messy but that is to be expected. Greyson is actually using the wrong end and his other hand. Beckett has kinda got it right. I am proud of my boys this morning.

 

Mine wanted to use them at 12 mo and by 18 mo they were excellend at it and used them almost all the time. I think it is preferece. If you want to encourage it talk about eating like mom and dad. Make sure they are utinsils that actually work. WE had some plastic forks that were so hard to use it was frusterating. So we got some that the points were metal and they did alot better.

 

Mine started getting interested in utensils for their functional purpose around 18 months and mastered them shortly thereafter.

I agree with the PP that metal forks are soooo much easier to use than the plastic ones. I think I would revert to my hands, too, if I had to use them. :lol:


GL!

 

We've been offering forks/spoons at every meal shortly after they started eating table food at 9 months. They mostly just played with it and used their fingers. Now they use them more but still use their fingers some. We encourage it and praise them when they use their forks but it's ok that they use their fingers too. They'll get it sometime. I do not like the plastic ones. My girls have done alot better since using these: http://www.gerber.com/products/Kiddy_Cutlery.aspx?PLineId=66253f47-8d14-4634-8638-c0cb12f49ae1&PCatId=b7533200-4df5-4295-99cd-498d36e11db5&PMilestoneId=98fef2e2-431f-4082-a5f2-0f17226b14b7

 

My twins love using forks and spoons. They are better with forks though. They could not get used to the plastic so I buy the metal forks. Sometimes I give them one of my forks (the smaller ones). They do well with them too. I guess about 18 months is when they really got the hang of it.