Feeding themselves.... help!

Hi,

At what age did your toddlers start feeding themselves with a spoon? My twins are 16 months old and they can feed themselves using their hands. We want to start them with a spoon but don’t know how to approach it. Help!

Carolina

 

I know I was feeling a little frustrated around this age too. Ours are 22 months and I'd say only in the last month or so have been really relying on their spoon/fork to feed themselves.
I'd read alot of things about other kids not having problems and I just figured eventually my two would get it. I wasn't going to stress over it. I knew I wouldn't send them off to college without know how to use untensils!
So I'd give them a spoon with their meals and try to help them use it or still put the food on the spoon for them and help it to their mouths. But at that age they were still feeding themselves with their hands primarily. At 22 months they're still not tremendously meticulious with their untensils but have better dexderity managing them. Don't stress it. They'll get it.

 

I'd start always offering a spoon and fork, and they will eventually get it. Mine were not very good at it at that point, but now they do really great. They learn by watching you and trying it themselves.

 

Mine have been feeding themselves from about 16 months 2. It is messy to begin with but has started to get better!! Jack sometimes find it easier to use his hands but i give them a fork/ spoon everytime they eat dinner abnd sometimes breakfast. x

 

At about 14-15 months I got tired of feeding them. I said heres a spoon, showed them how to use it. And watch there big sister. Took a bit but they caught on. Some aiming issues but thats to be expected.

 

Mine are 21 months old and still struggle with the whole spoon thing! They get the concept, but they have not perfected it by any means! I try not to stress them out about it, but I always offer them a utensil at mealtimes...and if they decide halfway through that they want to use their hands, that's okay (for me).
Good luck!

 

Mine kind of did it on their own.....they started refusing to eat if I held the spoon! I think it was somewhere around 12-14 mos. I would just put an extra spoon on their tray & they could try along while you feed them. It's messy, but they'll get the hang of it eventually.

 

QUOTE(naomi02 @ Mar 2 2008, 06:07 PM) [snapback]649212[/snapback]
Mine kind of did it on their own.....they started refusing to eat if I held the spoon! I think it was somewhere around 12-14 mos. I would just put an extra spoon on their tray & they could try along while you feed them. It's messy, but they'll get the hang of it eventually.

This was us too. I just let them hold the spoon and eventually they started to scoop and feed themselves. It can be messy, but they get the hang of it eventually.

 

I bought them their own toddler silverware (Gerber) at 14 months and then gave a demonstration with a fork. I did the fork first because my niece & nephew started with forks and it seemed easier for them than the spoon. T&T were thrilled with stabbing their food and caught on immediately. The scoop technique was second and that took much longer to master. I think it helps that neither of them like having dirty hands so they'd much rather use utensils than fingers and so they were very motivated to learn. Trevor ate his toast with a fork today