Using a Spoon or Fork

I started giving my little girl a spoon and fork when she was about a year old. Give him one when you feed him and before you know it he'll be picking it up and using it like the big people.

As soon as you begin to teach them. Start with a spoon. You can first make it a game that you can play on the floor with a big serving spoon show him how to pick up blocks and put them into a container. Once he has figured it out move the container around so it forces him to learn control his fingers, wrist, and arm As he gets better use smaller spoons then, after he has the coordination you can move onto food.

We gave ours utensils around 1 yr - he's been using them since. He loves that he can feed himself. He's now 21 months and does awesome with his fork and spoon (but still uses fingers when the moment arises!)

I can't remember when we started letting our daughter try to use a spoon, but I have pictures of her at 14 months feeding herself oatmeal. She was doing good at that age. I remember her grabbing the spoon from me when I was feeding her the 2nd foods from a jar. She wanted so bad to do it herself! So, I think I started letting her try when she showed interest in taking the spoon herself.

One thing you could try is to let him hold a spoon while you also have a spoon. Let him try using the spoon himself, then you could also feed him bites to make sure he's eating. Plus he'll get to see you do it, then try it himself.

V., give him a spoon and see what he does with it. If he sees others eating with untensils maybe he'll pick it up. But i wouldn't worry too much as 15 monts. he's still a little guy. have fun. R.

V.,

Our three children were expected to use utensils as best they could as soon as they could sit in a high chair. For all of them that was around 10-12 months. Obviously, the younger ones just played with the spoons or threw them on the floor but with patience and practice, they were proficient soon. Now, in our family we have a nephew who at nine year old is still eating like an animal because no one makes him do otherwise. He's not retarted...just "different" so maybe that's why no one, including the grandmother he lives near, has put their foot down and insisted he eat like a civilized human being.

K.

I started letting my son have toddler silverware at 14 months. He did very well, and now feeds himself with fork, spoon, and still sometimes his hands. He will be 16 months old April 4.

Hand him a fork/spoon- you will be surprised how well he does!

They will start using it as soon as you start letting them practice with it.YES!!! it's going to be a messy couple of months! I started giving my daughter one at around 10-11 months i guess. and she's 18 months now and pretty much has it mastered. she has trouble with adult forks because the handle is so long. but if you get kids one with short handles she nails it. Try starting forks first. i found those easier for gracie. then when i started letting her use a spoon i started with thick stuff that stuck like grits until she learned how to hold the spoon. Good luck! have fun!

They start about 15 months. My daughter will be 15 months tomorrow and hasn't used utensils yet at all except as entertainment during dinner. About 18 months they will really start having more control & be much better at it.

start now...if you wait much longer he will be WAY MORE resistant to it later. At first he will alternate between his hands and the utensils, and you will have to be there to help when things slide off the spoon, but he will eventually get it.

My daughter was using an adult spoon and fork from very early on, can't remember when, we would just let her try and by 18-20 months could eat with a fork about as good as an adult :)

I remember at my son's 18 month checkup, they asked if he was eating with utensils yet. I'm guessing this is the normal age for that. He was just beginning to, but really preferred using his fingers most of the time. But it was right after that that he started getting better at it.