Eating without help?

Victoria - posted on 01/16/2011

HI, its very common with kids these days, they get so independent very fast, my son is also 18months and he eats with a spoon all by himself without requiring help, he started doing so when he around 16mths so we are so used to seeing him do it, I enjoy that moment so much, bse it shows me he's growing into a big boy so fast.
Sometimes he even uses a folk, although witha folk its just a comedy, everythg keeps on falling off while he struggles to keep them on the folk.

Olga - posted on 01/15/2011

Yup, mine has been eating by herself for the past month, including soup and yogurt. It can be quite a messy ordeal sometimes :)

Becky - posted on 01/13/2011

My daughter is 17 months old and has been eating by herself with a spoon for several months. Though she doesn't eat the whole meal with a fork/spoon, she does a good portion of it until it gets difficult to scrape the last of it off the plate, then she resorts to fingers.

ALICIA - posted on 01/13/2011

My daughter mostly uses a spoon or fork by herself. She is messy at times. I tuck a hand towel in her shirt collar and let it cover her shirt and pants especially with stuff like spagehtti. She likes to feel independent. When she struggles to get the food to her mouth then she uses her hands. Just working with them and helping they will get it right. I feel I have an advantage because she mimick her older siblings and they are more than willing to assist her. Soon as everyone finish it is time to clean her area (the table and the floor). Half the time she is quite clean. I am happy about the rate she is advancing.

Haily - posted on 01/13/2011

Lexi My son does that where he will get mad and pick it up with his fingers and put it on the spoon! it is so funny to watch them isnt it and the silly things they do. The funniest is when he puts it on the spoon then it falls off anyway. you cant help but laugh even though they are so frustrated!

Lexi - posted on 01/12/2011

My son refuses to eat most meals without a spoon or fork as of just a month or two ago. I think he feels like a big boy. Before that he was using a spoon occasionally but mostly finger food. Anything that needed a spoon I was helping him or feeding him. Even tho he uses silverware for every meal now, he's not even close to getting all the food to his mouth with it! lol He makes a mess using his spoon but he enjoys it and I figure every bit of practice helps him. He does better with a fork since the food stays put after he stabs it. He has so much trouble with flipping the spoon over on accident and loosing the whole bite. I wish some days he was more willing to let me help cuz I don't always have time to deal with the mess, but oh well. Those are the days I just give him a PBJ or something else quick and less messy. He'll eat sandwiches and some finger foods with his hands. He really cracks me up when he gets frustrated with his spoon he will pick up a bit with his fingers, then put it on the spoon and put the spoon in his mouth!

Haily - posted on 01/11/2011

My son is 18 months old and always uses a spoon to eat. He will sometimes try to eat with his hands when he knows your not looking but when i say "Owen use your spoon" he goes back to eating with it again! Its so funny to watch him eat because he is so Neat about it!

Amalie - posted on 01/11/2011

my daughter is 18mths corrected age 15mths she been using a spoon for around a month now an i just love it when it falls off an slides down her belly the face she pulls is priceless...if i try an feed her she shakes her head so now every meal i just let her go for it put an old sheet under the high chair an make sure she not in white but i always say if u don't like mess don't have kids... Have fun with it...

Carly - posted on 01/10/2011

We seriously postponed letting him try feeding himself, and it really paid off for us. We didn't see much of a point to letting him play around with a spoon when half of the food in front of him would end up on the walls and floors. I love that we waited until his dexterity was a little better, because now he's ahead of the game. He sits nicely all by himself at a table (with or without a booster seat, even), and eats so perfectly and nicely with a fork. He hardly drops anything at all. He'll even grab a napkin and wipe his hands if they get dirty all by himself!

Spoons are more challenging, but most food is easier to eat with a fork anyway. We just give him a very small fork, and he is able to eat all or most of his meals by himself. Sometimes he still gets a little frustrated and eats a few bites with his fingers, but then he tries his fork again in a minute and is a happy little guy.

PS: He never needs a bib, and hasn't for months.

It really sounds like Cayden and Lysha's baby girl would get along, lol.

Kellie - posted on 01/10/2011

My 18-month likes having the spoon or fork (baby plasticware only), but mostly uses his hands still to pick food up. He does like to feed himself mashed potatoes or apple sauce (refuses to eat it if we try to feed him!). It's funny to watch him eat and he gets food everywhere. But it creates great photo ops (to be used later when he brings home girlfriends!!!)

Jessie - posted on 01/09/2011

my son is fully capable of feeding himself with a spoon... however he prefers his fists, LOL. He always gets a spoon with his meal and is encouraged to use it but generally he just uses his hands. I am not too worried about the finer details just yet :)

Beth - posted on 01/09/2011

Yes, my son started to feed himself by 8 or 9 months old. He showed interest when he was a 5 or 6 months, but at 8 months he really got the hang of it. By 12 months, he was eating his cereal with milk, and had no messes!!

Tiffany - posted on 01/08/2011

Oh yeah, my Casey doesn't let anyone feed him anymore. He gets upset and refuses to eat unless we give him his little fork or spoon and let him do it himself. lol. I love when he eats applesauce. Messy but cute. For easier cleanup I recommend the childrens smocks from Ikea. It covers from wrist to waist and it has a little pocket to catch extra stuff. Easy to clean and when you pull it off. voila, clean clothes on your little one. :)

Cori - posted on 01/08/2011

my daughter is eating by herself most of the time. i still help her a bit she i know she is full when she is done.

Melissa - posted on 01/06/2011

My 18 month old son loves using a fork and spoon at every meal. We introduced toddler silverware awhile ago and now he asks for them by name..I also use a Bjorn hard plastic bib (they come in a 2 pack, I found them at a store called Wiggle but check their website) with the lip that catches nearly all his food so I don't usually have to much to clean up....He also likes to use the Munchkin suction cup bowls (they come in a 3 pack at Target) that help reduce the mess and they come with lids so whatever food is worth saving I just close them up and put them in the fridge....he usually will nibble at them for lunch the next day..I have also noticed if I distract him with flashcards most of the food ends up in his mouth..usually.....lol...

Christine - posted on 01/06/2011

My son is almost 18 months and he isn't a pro yet. He knows what to do with a spoon but he is still working on the scooping part. He prefers to eat with his hands even if he has a spoon. We haven't tried giving him a fork yet.

Kristen - posted on 01/06/2011

Yes! While some things are a little messy, he is quite good at it! Congrats on reaching the milestone early.

Kerry - posted on 01/05/2011

I did baby led weaning with my wee man and gave him a spoon right from the start to practice with. he's 17 months old now and has been sitting up at the dinner table with the rest of the family using a fork and spoon confidently since he was a year old. Like others have said I think it all depends on how early you introduce it.

Christina - posted on 01/05/2011

My 17.5 month old daughter loves to play with her spoon/fork. She'll stab/pat at her food, and if we put something ON it for her, she'll put it in her mouth. She hasn't yet gotten down how to get something onto the spoon or fork yet. She eats everything with her hands, including mac-n-cheese and mashed potatoes. It's a mess, but as long as she's eating (she won't let us feed her!), then that's all I care about. she's a tiny, tiny little thing and needs to eat when and how she will! I wish we'd introduced silverware sooner, but with our old landlord, we were worried about getting mess on the carpet! Ugh! LOL!

Tamara - posted on 01/05/2011

My son is 18 months and very independant. He will only eat if he feeds himself and he will only eat what we are eating. He has been like this since about 9 months. goodluck

Janet - posted on 01/05/2011

my daughter insists on cutlery with her meal and will ask for it. She still uses her hands for some things that are too slippery or too "yummy" for her to have the patience for. In the summer we used to strip her down to a diaper for meals and let her go at it. Much easier to wipe her down after then doing tonnes of laundry everyday. Now that she's better we put a receiving blanket on her lap to catch the misses, and a bib. She does NOT like help eating and we still use suction cup bowls and plates to help keep it contained and to avoid the inevitable throw to the floor, even though she'll still be hungry. And I too have a dog that is a really, really good floor cleaner :)

Iysha - posted on 01/04/2011

my daughter doesnt use a spoon but she uses a fork. I think she just likes that she can stab her food with it and it's easier to get the food in her mouth because it is stuck and with the spoon it slips off....she likes eating with her hands more. lol

I think my daughter is a weirdo baby...she will stop mid meal for me to wipe her hands...if someting falls from her fork/plate, she wants to find it...if she sees a piece of rice or anything on the table, she gets it and puts it back on her plate!! oh, and i dont worry about the mess on the floor...the dog eats it =] the only thing that darn dog is good for!

Lisa - posted on 01/04/2011

My son hasn't been eating well until lately, so he really has just started using a spoon and fork. He makes an absolute mess too, but I just laugh and know it will be over someday. He still eats mainly with his fingers for meat, pasta and veggies, which is also kind of messy. I figure he'll get better with time and that will all end.

Nermin - posted on 01/04/2011

Thanks a lot for your care

Natalie - posted on 01/04/2011

well my son gets in a right mess.... al over himself and on the floor and now is refusing to wear a bib! I guess I have to live with it until he gets a bit better at it! He also wants to clean his teeth but isnt good at that either! And he goes mad if you try and do either of these things and wont let you! I am guessing its a phase!!

Nermin - posted on 01/03/2011

what can i do if my son needs to hold the spoon all by himself but he makes himself dirty?

Danielle - posted on 01/03/2011

My son is 17 months and started to feed himself with his spoon when we started "solids" at 6 months. Now he only eats with his fork or spoon. I think it depends on when you introduce him to it.

Christine - posted on 01/03/2011

Hey! My son is just about to turn 18 months and he eats all of his meals with a fork or spoon. We introduced him to silverware when he was about 10 months old, so now he is a pro. I dont need to help him with anything. In fact, he gets mad if I try and feed him because he likes to do it himself. I think the independance is great!