When did your kids use plates and . . .

My girlfriend has triplets and I looked at some of her pics today and her kiddos are using plates and a fork! They are about a month ahead of us in age. I about fell over. My girls fling their spoons and throw their stuff on the floor. Her kids were eating at the table- no trays and using silverware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When did yours or are yours yet using plates, etc.. We're just trying to get to the spoon part of feeding! And even at that- it's a mess!

 

My girlfriend has triplets and I looked at some of her pics today and her kiddos are using plates and a fork! They are about a month ahead of us in age. I about fell over. My girls fling their spoons and throw their stuff on the floor. Her kids were eating at the table- no trays and using silverware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When did yours or are yours yet using plates, etc.. We're just trying to get to the spoon part of feeding! And even at that- it's a mess!

 

I think by 18 months that mine were using a spoon really well and starting to use a fork well. I've been giving them plates since I stopped using the high chair trays at about 20 - 22 months maybe??? I can't remember... I just use the plastic kids plates but at restaurants, etc. they get real plates.

 

We started "dining" at the table, complete with forks, spoons, plates, placemats, and bowls at 18 months. We started at 15 mos, slowly introducing one piece at a time. Three months later (three L...O...N...G months), we had it down!

 

Are you kidding me?! I'm working on getting them to not pull off the snap in trays! When they stop that, then we'll try a plate. I've given them small bowls with cottage cheese and they ate a few bites then turned the bowls over and used them for drums. I think it will be a while, yet.

What I find most interesting, though, is that they will go an entire meal at a restaurant without dropping anything on the floor (people approach us and congratulate us on our well-behaved babies) but at home, all bets are off. They sometimes do very well and then there are those other times when they throw more than they eat.

 

My girls were using plates, forks, spoons by about 18 months. Now, they sit at the table with a placemat and their own plates, etc. We even gave them regular cups instead of sippy cups yesterday for the first time. They were so proud of themselves when they drank out of the cup without spilling.

We started at around 14 months giving them food on plates rather than on the tray of the high chairs and giving spoons or forks with every meal. We had some messes, but they gradually adjusted and have learned how to eat with the utensils from the plate/bowl. I am glad we did it because they refuse to sit in highchairs now, so we would have been in trouble if they were not eating off of plates.

 

We were probably at around 18 mos when the girls started using plates, spoons, and forks pretty good. They are still in their high chairs though and will continue to be until they don't fit anymore!! It's much easier and they don't fuss about it at all. They are the first ones to remind me if I forget to hand them a spoon/fork when I give them their plate. Now, having said that, that doesn't at all mean that they don't have times when they throw stuff around. Most of time, they stay neat though.

 

I gave forks first about 2 months ago. Chloe picked it up really fast, 2 days I think, and Cole took about a week. They love eating with forks. (I have some cute baby forks that are small). I tried plates next, but those are still getting dumped once they take about 10 bites. For snack, I've been giving small cups of applesuace with spoons and they are doing really good at that now. If they spill it, I take it away, so that is the incentive. I would like to get rid of our highchair trays and start pulling them up to the table, so plates are coming soon.

 

I think we started around 19 months. They are both pretty good at it now, but it was a long learning curve.

 

Just keep trying with the plates, eventually they will be more interested in the food.

I can't give you advice on forks/spoons though. Mine are 21 months and when it comes to utensils you would think I'd just started them. We are no where near using them exclusively or even for 1/2 the meal. And I have been working on utensils for 6 months now.

 

We have booster seats that I raised in height so they can sit at the table. They have been eating off of plates for probably a few months now. They use their forks and spoons most of the time, but some foods still give them trouble. I LOVE not having to worry about the high chairs or trays to clean!

 

Our kiddos get plates, bowls and silverware and do pretty well with them. If something gets dropped these days, it's usually an accident. However, it's taken us awhile to get to this point. I started with spoons at about 15 months, forks shortly thereafter and bowls/plates (the plastic, kids kind) in the last few months. They love to eat out of a bowl. For a few days they put up a fuss about eating until DH realized they wanted their food in a bowl, not on their tray!! I'm so impressed with all of you that use placemats. They've used the paper ones out at restaurants, but I'm not sure I'm ready to be washing fabric ones at home just yet.

 

I haven't even given the boys plates yet. On the days that I'm home during their meals I will fill the spoon with food and hand them that. DH is the SAHP and he's too chicken to give them their own food. They do finger feed themselves off the tray and that's as far as we've gotten.

 

We are still using bowls with suction cups on the bottom and the high chair trays. They do pretty good with the fork and spoon, but I'm not ready for plates on a regular basis. They do okay when we go out and use a small plate, but it's too easy for them to decide to play frisbee with the plate. The suction cup bottom gives me a moment to get there before they toss the bowl while singing "All done."

 

I've not brought mine right up to the table. Rachel isn't tall enough to comfortably maneuver food from the plate or surface of the table without standing and I don't want to start that whole standing at the table thing. I do have the First years 4 way feeding seat and I use the trays and sometimes I use divided plastic plates and sometimes just put food on the tray. Depending on if I have enough clean plates for the day and what we are eating. Their chairs are situated so they are right next to the table and we all sit down together for meals etc. as far as utensils, I had the girls start using spoons/forks at 12 months. If they fling stuff to the floor, I gently flick their hand and say NO very firmly. then return the utensil to their hand and show very exaggeratedly how to use it -- by modelling with my own fork/spoon. The problem we have now is that they are into transferring food from one compartment to another and dumping the contents of the spoon onto the tray or another part of the plate. oh what fun!

 

We introduced forks and spoons around 12 months. Bowls and plates came around 15-18 months. It is defintiely a process that does not happen overnight... and sometimes they still miss their mouths!

 

I tried the other day and Kyle ended up with a bowl full of pasta on his head and the noodles were stuck/glued in his hair.

I can't remember when we started with my other two. We'll wait another month or two and try again.

 

My girls are 16 months and have been using a spoon and their plates since about 11 months. We havent progressed to forks yet. When we go out to eat they sit at the table in a booster seat, but at home their highchairs dont allow for that. I started with the plates around 9 months and if they threw it even once it was gone, then I waited some time before introducing it again. Also, they have learned that if they throw anything on the floor they get one chance to get it back then its gone (even if it is their milk). I wouldnt worry too much, they will get the hang of soon enough.

 

My girls started using plates and bowls at about a year. Throwing food or plates was never an issue here not to say food didn't still get all over their highchair trays. Forks, I think, came into play at about fifteen months. We used the little gerber ones. They took a while to learn but they had them there to experiment with if they wanted.

 

At yours' age, mine wouldn't use plates or spoons... they played with them and threw them, or flinged them at one another. At 18 months, I started introducing them... and showing them, and they watched me and DH and learned that way. We got the booster chairs, and put them in the other two chairs at the kitchen table, so we all eat together at dinner as a family, and they usually do pretty well.

 

We have been mostly eating off the trays, but last week I did give them forks. They took their bowl of spaghetti and dumped it. Everything was sliding off of the forks. They were intrigued but didn't get much in their mouths. It was also VERY messy...but serves me right for starting them with forks and SPAGHETTI!

Bridget

 

matthew can do a spoon OK but William really can't that well and we've had spoons for a while. Forks? Forget about it. They can't stab it. If I stab it they can put it in their mouths. I do give them plates and bowls but they will usually be thrown inthe midst of a temper tantrum.

 

My girls are 13 months and last night, for trial purposes, I gave them their dinner on a plate. They were hungry so they ate their food and were happy to see the little doggies on their plates when they ate most of it. As soon as they grew full/tired of those foods, they started to try and pick up the plates so I took them away immediately. I don't want it to be viewed as a toy. We are still experimenting with forks. Both can feed themselves with it, but can't pick up the food, yet. They haven't had much time to work with spoons. I'm happy to get them going with the fork first. I actually think that one of my girls will be a better eater when she doesn't have to mess her hands up so much.