What age did you start giving your child a utinsil with their food?

Question

when did you start introdusing forks and spoons? how did you train your child to use them?

Answer 1

I've given my son a spoon and fork (both plastic, the kind made for babies) when he was about 4 months old. If nothing else it made him feel like part of the meal because he didn't actually start eating solids till he was closer to 8 or 9 months.

They tend to figure out how to use utensils by watching us. You are their model, so use your utensils and they will too. Also, you can guide their hand and show them how (gently) and spear food on their fork so they will understand that's how a fork is used.

Answer 2

I gave my son a spoon & one of the plastic forks that have very wide tines as soon as he was able to eat finger foods on his own.  I would feed him with the utensil a few times & let him feed himself.  I've also given him a set of utensils, set his chair near me, and kept my own set of utensils for him & supplemented his feeding himself.  He can eat very well with a fork and spoon.  He's 2 & 1/2.

Answer 3

We started letting our son have at 'er with a spoon himself when he was about 14 months, right when he started to want to feed himself. We would give him one,and we'd have the other to help him eat. He's 2 now and he uses them pretty well. Alot of the time he still prefers to use his hands, unless it's messier stuff like cereal or apple sauce.

Answer 4

We really don't give our son anything that he needs to eat with a fork or a spoon, but we do usually give him one or the other with most of his meals.  Even though we didn't spoon feed him much he definitely knows what they are for by observing us.  He's 15 months old and just starting to get the hang of a fork with the stabbing motion, but he can't quite handle it yet.  I give him the opportunity to use them, let him watch me using them, and will make minor corrections sometimes to what he is doing, but it has to be up to him to get it.  I can't force him to hold a spoon correctly and use a scooping motion.  I can only show him how and help a bit when he lets me.

Answer 5

My daughter is almost a year old and she has been having a spoon with every meal she eats for a few months now, i will feed her with another spoon while allowing her to try to do it with her own spoon so that she learns. Once she refuses to let me feed her i just back off and she tries her spoon a couple of times, then chucks it off the tray, but thats ok because at least shes practicing and knows what its used for.

Answer 6

My daughter was 7 months old and I'd let her practice with veggies, fruit and yogurt.  It was a plastic spoon made for babies so I knew she wouldn't hurt herself.  She has been feeding herself with utensils (fork and/or spoon) since about 11 months.

Answer 7

Well...presumably you have been feeding your child with spoon or something up to now?  I mean how else have you fed him/her?  My daughter is 1yr, and I still feed her with a spoon.  But if its a food that can be held....piece of fruit, bread, biscuit...etc, she holds that and eats it her self from her hands.  She can hold a spoon fine.  But I know that If I put the food in front of her with a spoon in her hand she'd probably only get one spoon in her mouth...and the rest in her eye...nose, hair, shirt, all over the kitchen and the bowl would end up on the floor.  I know.  Maybe it's late for me to keep spoon feeding, but I do whats easy for me.  She started walking early and she is very bright, held her own bottle from an early age etc.  So I'm not worried.  Not all children ahve to be earlier than their peers at everything.

But good luck.

Answer 8

the bes tway to teach children anything is by modeling it. let your child sit at the table with you while you eat. so what if a mess gets made. don't put so much in their bowl, so the spill (if it happens) isn't so much. and lots and lots of talking, smiles when they have sucess and all that goodness!!! as soon as my son was eating the chunkier of the baby foods he always had his own spoon and bowl (that had a big suction cup on the bottom to prevent him from throwing it...not that he'd EVER throw his precious food lol!)