Advice - Paragould, AR

My son is 19 months old and is just starting to use a spoon. He picks up the food with his hand and puts it on the spoon and then eats off the spoon. He only started doing that about 2 weeks ago. I was getting worried at about 16 months but my husband and I just kept giving him a spoon at each meal and he eventually started to get the hang of it.

Oh I would not worry about it. I'd just set a baby spoon by his plate and when he is ready to check it out, he will. Maybe if you feed him with the spoon he will see what it is for. He will use it at his own pace. ALL kids are different. He'll use it in time. Good luck.

Hi S.,
I'm a mother of 3 and I start to use the spoon when they where old enough to hold there head up.So if your child is 10 months your doing fine.It's about time for him to start eating jar food.Your doing great.All the best to you and your babies

Katherne
Mother to Damon,Marissa and Clayton http://www.stayinhomeandlovinit.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=K...

Don't worry at all...every kid goes at their own speed... heck, my daughter's 3 and still occasionally whines for me to feed her...in her case it's just laziness...I know that she can do it herself. 11 months is not even the average age for independent spoon feeding... the baby you read about was probably slightly advanced. Don't fret...unless you're noticing more obvious signs of lack of motor skills like not being able to control picking something up or bring it to his mouth at all you shouldn't be concerned. He will come around!

I say offer her the spoon when you are home and can give her a bath afterward. That way, she is exposed to it and if she is interested, she will try to use it. Don't worry about other kids-we mothers drive ourselves too crazy with comparison. This comes from me, a mother of four, whose kids all did things at different times. All four kids are happy, healthy, and age appropriate. Good luck and happy feeding!

Your baby sounds perfectly normal. Babies do things at various ages, and what this other mom didn't mention was how much was actually going into the 11 mo old's mouth instead of down the front of her! :-) I think it was at about a year that I started giving my kids a plastic spoon to play/pretend with while I fed them, but later that they actually used it with success! Relax and enjoy those boys!

Don't compare your baby to other babies - each does things at a slightly different pace. He'll use a spoon when he's ready - if you want to let him play with it while he's eating, so he gets used to handling it, go for it. My daughter literally grabbed the spoon out of my hand when I was feeding her one day, which was how I knew she was ready.

You do not need to be worried. Unfortunatly, too many people out there think that it is best to advertise their child's advanced activities. Most kids don't start using a spoon or child's fork till after they are 1. I wouldn't worry about it. My own daughter 2 1/2 yrs old and its still a work in progress to get her to use her spoon, though I know she knows how. I would worry less about him using utensils and concentrate more on making sure hes eating right and dressed for the weather. Everything comes in time and your son may progress in some areas as opposed to other kids and may be slower than other kids in different areas. Thats the nice thing about kids, they are on their own time schedule. Good luck and Im sure your son is fine.

I have a 2 1/2 year old who uses a spoon for about 5 minutes of a meal and then goes back to eating with her fingers...its easier and she gets more out of it. We started by just putting the spoon next to her plate and she would try and use it occasionally. She also liked those dipping sticks, they are usually next to the baby spoons and such. She could just stick those in the baby food and suck the food off. Don't worry your baby will get the hang of it in time.

Your baby will let you know when He is ready to feed himself with a spoon. My Ari didn't until she was at least 14 months old, but my keira will grab the spoon and put it straight into her mouth. she still needs help with scooping (oh my its a mess when she trys to do it herself!) but she puts the spoon right in, and she will be 11 months in six days. Your baby is an individual, and will absolutley let you know when they are ready to do what they want to do, and not a moment sooner. Dont pay attention to other babies, because they are different. I'm sure there is something that yours did sooner than theirs! I promise!