When Did You Let Your Toddler Feed Him/herself with Utensils?

I gave my kids spoons when they were about 9 months old. They both really got the hang of it around 12 months. I also started giving them forks (and watching them really closely) around 12 months. It took a bunch of messes, but within a month, both were eating really well with the utensils. My youngest is now almost 15 months and I don't have to feed her, she does it herself now. I often grab a spoon to help because it's not the fastest process, but I let her do the majority of eating by herself!

They make a mess for awhile. I think we started around 6 -8 mos. Great way to keep a baby busy in the highchair. Not sure when the skill was mastered. They are 8 and 5 and still miss their mouths at times - lol.

Here's what I would do since you are a neat freak. Let him eat with a utensil when you aren't in a hurry. Dont' sweat the mess - he is learning, even if he misses his mouth. This is fun, a huge deal and helps him to work on his fine motor skills. So - just do it when you have the time and patience, but try for at least one meal a day. Put a mat down on the floor or feed before bath, whatever makes it easier for you.

I'll be honest - now that the kids are older - I miss this stage so much. I watch my friends 1 yo every now and then and I let him go at it with the spoon (I'm a neat freak too) but again, this is something they have to go through and if you look at it as learning (we learn through play) than maybe you can not worry so much about the mess that can easily be cleaned up.

Gave our youngest toddler ware when she was 12 months, by the time she was 15 months she had it down pact. Now that she is 2 years old; she feels like too much of an expert for just toddler ware and ocassionally uses real silverware. It's so funny, because every time she uses real silverware she wants to clink forks or spoons with us, you know like toasting glasses, and she just yells, "yeah!!". Nothing like celebrating the milestones...lol

My son grabbed my spoon the first time I fed him solids. We each have utensils at all meals.

Unless you let him practice, he will never learn. And no, making a mess is necessary.

dd was a year when I let her work with a spoon, she mainly ate with her fingers. I would feed her yogurt and such but let her eat on her own till she got too fussy. Now she is 18 mo and has mastered both spoon and fork. She has no problems and is not too messy. gl let him have fun he will get the hang of it.

My son is 15 mos. The first time I gave him a utensil was when he grabbed at mine and tried to do it himself. The first time he actually succeeded getting the food in his mouth, we made such a big deal out of it... saying YEAH... which is always responded with him clapping his hands and he knows he did something right. He is still struggling with it but continues to try and try and try. I am also a neat freak, however, when it comes to teaching him I know I have to be more relaxed. If you have a pet, just let them clean it up ;)

Good luck! It's fun watching them learn.

Spoon by 6 months at first it was hit & miss,then it was successful by 9 months,the use of the fork I waited till they were a year or so with a real fork for toddlers other tha that it was a plastci toddler fork & that was successfull after they used the spoon by 11 months

I have to laugh at this--the pictures of my son's "first baby food" mouthful clearly show that he grabbed the spoon from me and did it himself! My little guy has always been seriously motivated by food. But my daughter was happy to have me feed her yogurt until she was three! They're all different.

I'm a neat freak too, but I just had to let it go for a year or so. We ate in the kitchen with a tile floor, I kept towels and wipes nearby. I got him a really cool waterproof bib with a pocket that stays open (from Target--we had to replace it every couple of months, but it really helped). And I'd also use two spoons--one for them to try with and one for me to get the food actually in the mouth and eaten :-)

You can always get a dog, too--our dog still checks his lap out for crumbs after every meal, and gets most of the floor stuff, too.

It will pass, but you have to go through it!

time to relax, Mom! It's a messy process & the kids love it!

For both my own children & the kids in my care, spoon & fork is offered at 12 months.....but is rarely used properly. The closer you get to 15 months, the better the motor control is....& by 18 months, they usually have it down pat! & be prepared, you will have messes for a long time after that.... & It is very important to actively teach your child "how" to properly feed himself & then govern your own needs to stay clean. Kids learn thru exploration & failure!

I do let children handle the food, but I also do not let them play with it. If they are actively trying to feed themselves, then I just monitor & assist as needed. If they're not attempting to hit the mouth.....then their autonomy is over & I step in & finish the meal. It's a very fine line between the two!

As soon as I started feeding solids I always gave my sons a spoon to hold too to "help". They could both use a spoon and fork pretty well by 12 - 15 months. I am a huge neat freak but sometimes you just have to deal with the mess. I kept a lot of washcloths nearby! It's funny because both of my sons hate to be messy now and still like a washcloth to wipe their mouths with if something is particularly messy and they are 6 and 3 now!

DS was 18mos when he started. It was messy!

my DD is 16 months old almost 17, and she gets mad if I don't let the spoon or fork in the table or if I try to feed her, only when she's super hungry aloud me to feed her .. she try them for a while then she use her fingers or calls me to feed her, but she has to always practice first............

I think messy kids are adorable, so I started really young with my daughter. I'm not sure when I first gave them to her, but she was confident and pretty accurate well before a year. She is almost two and occasionally likes to eat with her hands still, but we always have whatever utensils that we are using, placed at the table for her as well. Within the past few months she has even done well with chilli and soup on a spoon.

I started when my kids started to show an interest- for my daughter this was as soon as we started baby food- with my son it was later. You can start whenever you want just know that practice makes perfect so the sooner he starts the sooner he will master it and make less mess.