Hi! My daughter is almost 2 years old and she will only use a spoon or fork if she is eating yogurt or pudding. I always give her a utensil with every meal but she says "no" and refuses to use them. Any tips on how I can get her to use them with every meal? I try to give her foods that are hard to pick up with your fingers (Mac & Cheese) but it doesn't seem to work.
Thanks for your help!
She'll grow out of it. Don't worry. She won't be doing this at her wedding reception! She'll copy what you do. Don't make it a power struggle. Offer utensils but don't push.
Don't worry, her freinds in college will be very understanding of her when she starts to eat her mashed potatos with her hands LOL, just kidding she will grow out of it.
Maybe let her pick out a cute pair of utensils at Target, they have them on the end caps alot of times. We have some with lady bugs on them. I got them over by the seasonal plates, not by the regular dishes.
You know it just depends on the kid. My daughter is almost 26 months, and has been capable of using utensils for awhile now, yet she STILL eats with her hands. She usually eats 1-2 bites with the fork and then the rest with her hands. I constantly encourage her to use the utensils, and sometimes she will use them again, but other days she gets very frustrated & mad if I make her use them again. I follow her lead...I don't push her on the days she gets frustrated like that. Definately praise her when she does do it, that's works a little with my daughter.
Don't worry about it my Daughter is 11 and still eats with her fingers. At first it drove me around the corner, try and add some humor to her, enjoy her adorable personality joke with her and eat with your fingers. Using reverse sociology works wonders for kids and (adults too.) Trust me. You will remember these days they are precious, she will not do it for the rest of her life. I bet she's really smart too.
Take care,
K.
By the way! Deep down I can say it maybe it still bugs me that she eats with her fingers, but I can say it makes me smile and I love the fact she doesn’t care.
Hi E.
I think your daughter is simply too young to be expected to eat with utensils - my five year old isn't even that great and to be honest, I still help him with his food. Your daughter is still a baby and to make sure she's getting enough to eat - and doesn't get frustrated - I think you should be feeding her. Let her eat finger foods but get back to helping her at meal times - I can assure you she will eventually be fine. My other two children are 10 and 14 and I promise you that they use a knife and fork just fine!
E., At 2 it is a control issue, put the utensils on her tray, when you eat, make a game of using your utensils, play airplane (with yourself!) Be dramatic, stab those beans, say "I got it when you stab your food, be a "dump truck" with your spoon, use this rhyme, "like ships that sail across the sea, I spoon my soup away from me"! Have fun with it, don't make her, just have fun with it yourself, she will want to join in the fun! Be patient, play for a week or 2! Good luck!
Mom of 5 grown, Childcare provider for 30 years! K.
try a cool new spoon or fork
my daughter got a light up spoon out of a cereal box and she loves using that
she also has a monkey spoon
don't push it too much because then it's a power struggle
just have the utensils available
and make brief comments about how much you like your own spoon and how great daddy is with his fork
then it may be her idea to start using her own utensils
she'll use them eventually
My daughter very seldom used utensils, but my son seemed like he came out of the womb with a fork in his hand lol. Every child is different and eventually she will use them. Keep putting them there at the meals and eventually she'll pick them up. She's still little:-)
My son will be two in 10 days and still does not use a fork and spoon at every meal. Some days he wants it, others he doesn't. I just go with the flow.
I am sure one day she will decide to use it full time, no worries.
Hi E.,
Every child is different so I wouldn't worry about it much. 20 months is still hard to use a fork. It takes more coordination to use a fork so I would continue to give her one and encourage her but don't get mad if she doesn't use it. She will in time. I have a son that's almost 2 and a half and most of the time he'll use his utensils but if he's really hungry he won't.
Chris
She will eventually...I promise!
I have twin boys that are almost 2, and they do not use their fork very often either. Spoon is used for yogurt, but that's about it. I also give them both (or at least the fork) at every meal.
I just try positive reinforecment. When they use it, I get all excited and make a big deal out of it. They they tend to use it for the rest of the meal. I think that eventually they'll want to be like the "big kids" or adults and use them. Until then, I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal.
Although I certainly understand your fustration, as a mom we need to pick our battles lol.. I would simply not worry about her not using a spoon or fork for now... Always encourage her during meal time, but dont turn the issue into a point of contention with her, eventually she will come around. Question tho, does she still use her fingers when with other children eating with her? Perhaps eating with a older child that does use utinsels might also encourage her to be "grown up"....
