When Do I Let Her Start Feeding Herself?

Hi C.,

I have a 13 month old little boy and we have just started self feeding with a spoon. I too was concerned about having food flung all over the place, so we are starting slow. I have been putting the food on the spoon for him, usually just solid food such as a piece of fruit or vegetable or something thick like mashed potatoes, and then I hand him the spoon and at first helped him guide the spoon to his mouth. I thought that would be easier to clean up rather than something like applesauce, etc... It really is working well, not nearly as messy as I anticipated. After practicing this for a few weeks, I'm starting to let him try to put the food on the spoon, he still needs to work on that a bit. Also, I found that he was having a hard time holding a regular baby spoon and with the mouth of the spoon being so small the food fell off easily. I found a really great fork and spoon set at Target. It is made by Gerber and has a wide mouth and a big rubber handle, easier for him to hold on to. Well, good luck, hope this helps a little!

S.

As a Mom of 5, i would suggest that you first get over the disarray that will inevitably come as a result of her feeding herself. Remember that this is a learning/teaching moment for you all. As long as the foods are soft and can be mashed out pretty easily, she can handle it. Initally she may only get 25% of her food into her little mouth. There are mats that you can purchase to go under her chair to help with the floor but a shower liner will do the same trick. Help her feel empowered and try not to show your aggrivation with the mess. Children are quite perceptive and will begin to feel that they are deficient when they don't do tasks the way you want them done. Give her lots of praise and buy lots of cleaning products. Happy Feeding!

Hi, C.. You have a 14 month old and are a neat freak... Good luck with that. ;) Anyway, each of my children has been different with spoon feeding. Give her some green beans and cubed cooked carrots. Those are always good for spoon experimentation. You could also use yogurt - it sticks to the spoon very well, but is pretty messy. Dry cereal is also good. My 2 year old loves to get some dry cheerios and spoon feed himself. He's been feeding himself since almost day one though.. That kid could nurse almost without my knowledge and then when he started solids, he refused a spoon for a long time. I had to feed him from my finger. He started finger feeding at 9 months - earlier than any of my other children so far!

hey i am a 26 yr old mom that hhas a 2 1/2 yr old boy i started to let him feed himself sometime before he was a year old i understand u like everything clean a neat but if u dont let go and let her make a mess she well never learn to do on her own my little boy is very independent and i like that he still likes for me to do some things for him but not all u can always clean it up after she gets done with anything

I had good luck with pudding and yogurt (thick works best) because they stick to the spoon. As for being a neat freak - well, you're gonna have to accept some messes - just wait until potty training time! We all have to learn through doing it ourselves. Good luck.

Hi C.,

My kids were much neater with a fork than a spoon. You have to find one that dull enough to be safe and sharp enough for them to stick into the food. At my house, spoons came much later.

Good luck!

with toddlers neatness is thrown out the window lol I've got a 15mth old & he's going through the same thing. I've learned that sticky foods are good to let them try spoon feeding... like mac n cheese or mashed potatos. they're easier to cling to the spoon even if baby barely touches them. With Tristin sonetimes I'd load up the spoon & give it to him to put in his own mouth & at first he thought that made him pretty cool LOL Good luck & give up your neatness itch for a while... You're a proud mommmy to a toddlebox & i've learned they live in chaos LOL

I know, the thought of having yogurt, peas and everything else slung all over the kitchen and beyond is not pretty, but letting your daughter learn to be independent by feeding herself is an important step in her development. I have a 13 month old and he loves to finger feed, but hasn't shown any desire to spoon feed himself just yet. One thing I do is let him hold a spoon or two while I spoon feed him yogurt, oatmeal, whatever. He seems content with that right now, but probably not for long. You can get one of those laminated mats and put it under the high-chair to catch all the dribbles, and just keep a sponge handy for quick wipe-ups as they occur. Oots makes some great bibs that have sleeves in them to keep your daughter's clothes somewhat mess-free. Just keep in mind, this phase will pass quickly and pretty soon you'll be on to all new challenges! Good luck!

My daughter is almost 17 months and I think I started giving her a spoon and fork when she was 13 months. She may or may not use it, I just always have it available. She will try it for a while, then give up and use her hands. You can get the kind of fork that is shaped like a spoon. I started her with anything she eats. I am a neat freak too, but it's a learning process. I got a splash mat for $1 at Target a while back, so I just lay that down and let her have at it!

Let her start holding a spoon whenever you are feeding her with a sppon. She can "help" feed herself as able, and you may be able to catch some of the mess with the spoon you use. However, you should probably just try to resign yourself to the mess as part of the process of learning . . . toddlers are messy when they do for themselves. I found that having a small dog hovering under the high chair to be a great asset during these years with my children!

I would start by getting one of those vinyl table cloths to put under her chair, that will help with the clean up. But letting her try it out on her own may get pretty messy. she may not throw it all over the place, but it is a tricky skill to learn. Just go for it!