How do you get a 14 month old to use a spoon?

[Catdancer]

I've been working with him and he'll hold the spoon and dip it in a bowl and then put it in his mouth. So he knows what he's doing and he knows what he's supposed to do. the problem is that there is nothing ever on the spoon when he sticks it in his mouth. lol He just dips it in. And boy does he get mad if I try to help him. He wants to do it himself, dammit! No help from mommy!

 

So, since he wont let me help him, I use a spoon too and show him by feeding him and me (blech..baby food) how to do it. He doesnt get the whole "scooping something up on the spoon yet". Then when you try to show him, he gets mad, throws the spoon and everything else within grabbing distance in the floor.

 

Help a baby food covered mom out, please??

[avman]

Just let him do it and learn on his own. If he wants to do it, then he should do it. The objective is to learn how to use the spoon and the food is secondary. Anything he wants to try indepedently should be encouraged (as long as it isn't dangerous of course).

 

If he can do finger foods too then after he's tried the spoon for awhile you could always give him some of those to snack on and ease the hunger pains.

[HouseKitten]

Maybe you should just let him work it out? Eventually evolution will ensure he either works it out or starves to death, right?

 

 

 

Baby food is pretty goopy, does it stick to the spoon when he dips it? Maybe a deeper bowl so he can dip it further in to get more on it, and then he'll get the hang of the scoop action later.

 

This is all guess work, I haven't got a rugrat myself yet

[Catdancer]

Oh he loves finger foods and he gets plenty of those. But at every feeding I always bring out a little container of yogart or a fruit or veggie baby food so we can practice with the spoon. He loves it and I clap and tell him what a good job he's doing.

 

At what age should they be able to use a spoon by themselves?

[Shortpants]

LOL Cat, Littlepants is 19 months and I still have this issue. I just let her be and learn herself as she throws a fit if I try to help. Yes, it means cleanup is a little more than ususal, but she LOVES feeding herself so I let her just go to it.

 

I find after she gets sick of trying to spoonfeed herself and not getting much in her that she ends up eating with her hands eventually anyways. Or sometimes after struggling for a while she will let me feed her at the very end.

 

I just give her dinner and let her go to town. Thank goodness we have a dog to clean up the droppings! hehe Just let Landon have a blast and eventually he will get it. The most important part is that he IS trying! Good luck and get a stock of washcloths! hehe

[Shortpants]

At what age should they be able to use a spoon by themselves?

 

This is another one of those "every baby is different" things... he will be ready to use utensils when he is ready, and that is going to be different for every kid. I wouldn't worry about if he "should" be using a spoon by a certain age, I've seen 2 and a half year olds that weren't too handy with utensils yet. It will happen when it happens.

[Catdancer]

His daycare made a note on his daily sheet that he had a hard time using his spoon yesterday at lunch and they asked me to work it more at home with him. But I have been. I'm just wondering if I'm supposed to be doing something else. His daycare teachers are wonderful, so I know they're not just being picky. lol

[avman]

Every child is different. Though if a child is 3 or 4 and cannot feed themselves I'd be concerned. At 14 months there is plenty of time to work on it and if he's interested in doing it himself that is most of the battle right there. The rest is all practice.

[sidehop]

We have something similar to this that helped our daughter to bring the food closer to the mouth without moving her arm so much. I think it's a matter of time, she still spills her cereal and isn't exactly an expert yet

 

image removed

[Catdancer]

Sidehop, those are really cool and I like the handle. I wonder if he'd do better if he's able to hold on to the spoon better?

[avman]

Maybe those utensils would help my 15 year old stop eating like a slob too. I should check into those.

[sidehop]

Sidehop, those are really cool and I like the handle. I wonder if he'd do better if he's able to hold on to the spoon better?

 

Maybe and the spoon with a deeper 'bowl' like design seems to work much better.

 

Maybe those utensils would help my 15 year old stop eating like a slob too. I should check into those.

 

It'd be a perfect b-day gift lol.

[Catdancer]

Maybe those utensils would help my 15 year old stop eating like a slob too. I should check into those.

 

lol...shall I pick up an extra set of them and send them to you? lol

[sharsachan]

around 12 or 15 months [dont remember for sure] i just gave bear his own spoon and own bowl of yogurt to eat, while i sat there and ate mine, then he saw me doing it and he could practice. we had a lot of baths right after meals. and i cleaned lots of yogurt off the tile. oh well. at 2 he can use a spoon very well now. forks, we are still working on. bear's friend bri that i baby sit [who is 22 months old] uses a fork much better than bear does, but isnt as good with a spoon.

 

totally depends on the kiddo. like alwase

[sharsachan]

ps- landon still eats baby food?! bear only gave it up because i took it away at 12 months, but dot started refusing it at like 7 months old! crazy girl only had 2 teeth so i was like "what do i feed you?!" i eventually learned that gums are really good at mashing everything lol

[Catdancer]

Oh he eats people food. He refused baby food too. But I do get the stage 3 cereals and some of the fruits, so that he can practice using his spoon.