Forks & Spoons

I think my boys got the hang of it in high school. :p

Seriously all my kids started trying to use them around 10 months and somewhat perfected it by two years.

Around 10 months to 1 year...if I recall. Not that she entirely had the hang of it until she was 2 or so...

Let him grab them and try on his own (and yes it gets messy :) ) but since he so obviously wants to try, go for it!

We give him his own spoon/ spork/ fork and hold onto one ourselves. That way we get food into him between his own self feeding efforts. He gets a utensil during dinners at home where he is stripped down and set in the bath immediately afterwards.

DS made for the spoon very early on. His grandparents, who do the bulk of the daily childcare, tried to dissuade him from grabbing at it to keep the mess at bay. Mixed signals, between what was acceptable in our home, and with his grandparents has kind of slowed him down. At this point, he largely uses the spoon to try to feed Mommy, and seldom to feed himself. I am sure he'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Have fun with this new stage,
F. B.

If you like, let him try. He won't do it well for a long, long time. Start with the spoon.

Now is good, start with a spoon, fork will come much later - the stab and grab is more difficult. Do not be discouraged or surprised when he holds the spoon and grabs with fingers, so typical! I always got BOTH of us a spoon and allowed him to try while I fed him as well. Once I thought he was pretty full, I spooned a tablespoon on to allow him to explore and gave him until he showed signs of being done (5-10 min). This whole thing will come in time, at 5 my little one is pretty proficient :)

I got the take and toss forks and spoons and let my kid try them from about a year. When she was about 18 months I got the metal forks and spoons. She mastered the spoon quickly, but still needs to use her fingers sometimes to put the food on the fork, but she will not eat without a fork.

Now would be a good time to let him hold a fork or spoon while you feed him. He can practice trying to scoop up some food to get into his mouth. It's hard for them to control their utensils for a while but it's good for them to practice. Just be prepared for the clean up and take some pictures too. I have some really cute pics of my daughter with yogurt in her hair when she was about 1 1/2.

Also, you may not be dealing with it yet, but sometimes it's hard to feed them around this age and if you give him a fork or spoon it can help distract him so you can get a little bit in his mouth.