My 23 month old isn't eating with utensils yet? Is this okay?

Emily - posted on 08/14/2010

We just give our LO the utensils. I ask her older sister to use hers and the LO will generally use hers too. Good luck!

Eva - posted on 08/08/2010

Aya does most of the time but if she gets fursterated, it's back to her hands. Just keep offering them and make sure you show him how to hold them properly. GL=)

Candice - posted on 08/07/2010

i dont think it's all that bad, mine will b 2 on the 31st and he still isn't using the utlensils yet, he just refuses to, it all comes with time. each child is ready in his/her time. dont worry about it for now, just keep tryin, what i've done is i get him to hold the spoon in his hand and guide him with it.

Cynthia - posted on 08/05/2010

Susan & Kendall: Those are great ideas. I remember stabbing the food on the fork with my other two children and leaving it there for them after each bite, just to get them to understand the way it works. Mallory: Thank you - I will try the character spoons & forks. I had mainly been focusing on getting forks & spoons that were ergonomically better for her to grip and get comfortable with them, but a lot of them don't have characters on them. :(

Kiley - posted on 08/05/2010

My son is about to be 2 in like 2 weeks, he knows how to use a fork and a spoon, but he can't get the food in his mouth fast enough with them so her prefers to use his hands, I give him a fork or spoon every meal, and if he wants to use it he will if not I just prepare for a mess, lol

Kendall - posted on 08/05/2010

my daughter is 2 today and she eats 'kinda' with utensils. she knows where they go and what they are for but cant seem to get food to stay on the fork or spoon. what we do for now is mainly use a fork and stab the food for her then lay down the fork for her to pick up and feed herself. this seems to work well for us b/c she doesnt really want to be fed by us either anymore. and when im in the mood to clean up a mess i give her yogurt or cereal with milk and let her just have at it with a spoon. the only way they are going to learn is to have the opportunity. hang in there she will get it :)

Susan - posted on 08/05/2010

One other thing I just thought of was we started out with a plastic fork someone had given us and she had a hard time stabbing her food with it because it wasn't sharp enough so I think that's also why she gave up sometimes. Then I got some small metal forks and she does much better with them.

MALLORY - posted on 08/04/2010

my son uses forks and spoons. i have been letting him try for about 8 or 9 months now. it might help to just sit him son with the food and utensils and let him just play. he will get the hang of it eventually. i also use character plates and utensils. my son loves mickey so thats what we bought!

Mal

Cynthia - posted on 08/04/2010

Thank you Susan! That is great advice. I will try oatmeal and yogurt because those are thicker and will stick to the spoon better - great idea! Great ideas to evryone! I've been giving her the spoon and a fork that's curved like a spoon, so she tries both, depending on what she's eating and she's actually trying it more and more each time! Thank you all for the advice and encouragement! :)

Susan - posted on 08/04/2010

My daughter will be 2 in a couple weeks and she does fairly well with utensils, but I think still prefers her hands. We started giving them to her around 1 year and she really did nothing with them. Most of the time she'd eat with one hand and hold the fork in the other hand. Now she'll mostly use the fork, but her hands a lot too. If I see her using her hands, I'll remind her to use the fork and most times she'll try it. I think she honestly forgets about the fork and it's more efficient for her to use her hands. The spoon she's actually pretty good with. To avoid a big mess, I never let her use it herself until one day I was feeding her yogurt and she kept grabbing the spoon and refused to let me feed her. So from then on I give her yogurt, applesauce, or oatmeal and a spoon and let her do it herself. Sometimes I still catch her eating yogurt with her hands, but I remind her to use the spoon. At first she couldn't really scrape out the bottom, but now she's pretty good at that too. You mentioned soup and cereal with milk - no way would I give my daughter that yet. She still needs something pretty thick so it won't fall off the spoon. Just keep giving your daughter the utensils and encouraging her to use them. Like the others said, show her how you use them. I know my daughter loves to imitate my husband and me.

Vivianne - posted on 08/03/2010

ma dia, ma gal likes usin a fork n spoon n she really gets messy so she uses her hands as well. give it time, she will learn with time coz the drill of movin da spoon to the mouth with food is hand n t loses balance in the process so ts ok......just give them da spoon n let them tek their time. with the cheese n yorgut she can just carry it directly to the mouth so ts k. dnt worry about it.......she will full adobt it wth time

Tiffany - posted on 08/01/2010

My son is 23 months old, and he tries using a fork on his fingerfood, such as corn on the cob. Basically, its practice makes perfect. What I did to start him on it, was every time he made a mess dipping his hand in pudding or something, I would wash his hands and face afterward, and explain that if he used the spon, he wouldnt be messy and I wouldnt have to wash him up. He hates being washed.

Tabatha - posted on 07/30/2010

My son is 23 months and uses a fork ok most of the time, but is pretty hopeless with a spoon right now. I still give him utensils at each meal and he usually tries to use them, but if he makes a mess...oh well! lol Don't worry, she will learn in time, just give her lots and lots of chances to try on her own. :)

Cynthia - posted on 07/30/2010

Thank you so much for your help! I have two older ones two and one of them had PT with a specialist who taught her all that and she picked it up very quickly. My son was just a fast learner, and now I just feel like everything I knew just fell out of my head with this one. Thankyou, thank you!

Kristina - posted on 07/30/2010

My son is also 23 months in fact he will be 24 months Aug 1. I agree with the other mom give them to her and watch.
My son try's to use a spoon but half the food ends up on the floor. So it's cool if she is using her hands. I have two older kids and they did the same thing, and now they use a fork and ever thing fine. The kids teach them self's you just have to guide them.

Julie - posted on 07/28/2010

My son uses them when he feels like it. lol. Just give you LO utinsils, and be prepared for a mess. That was what I did, and he can now use them very well if he wants to. Maybe sit and eat the same thing with her and tell her that this is how big girls eat, then show her. It is a pain cleaning up the mess, but it will only last a while. If you are worried about the floor/carpet then buy a table cloth to go under her chair. Easier to clean that way. Good luck!