Tips to encourage toddler to spoon feed independently

73trix

My 2 year old knows what to do, has done a bit here and there but good grief it's one / ten. He will just push spoon / throw away / throw bowl away and winge. Just wants me / others to feed him. Finger feeding never an issue. I get a little more success with fork and pasta than spoon as he seems to ( when the humour suits) see this as a little game is getting fork into the pasta. My latest strategy is to put a small bit into a bowl with spoon alongside the main bowl and try to do my turn, your turn. It worked for one spoon... Yesterday! Today, not a hope.... It seems to be a behaviour. I do try, if fails, leave a while, maybe go back at it with last couple spoonfuls. Have also tried to do little practice outside actual meals to make game out of it, but v hit and miss. Did it take you long to crack this? Have I made it harder the older he gets? We started at 15 months and as not ready,,gone back to it every few weeks or so to persevere. He's now 26 months.

Moonbeam

I would not worry about it at all.
I would give him the cutlery but let him eat with his fingers it is a big learning process for him.
He will see everyone else at the table eating with their cutlery.

angeldelight

I would just leave the cutlery there and let him work away himself. It might be messy and he might use his hands but he'looks use the cutlery when he's ready

pwurple

What does he need to eat off a spoon?

My two year old still eats her pasta with her hands.. and toast, spuds, pancakes, wraps, sandwiches, crackers, fruit, veg etc. I think most of her food is things she can pick up.

Yoghurt is about the only thing she eats with a spoon.

73trix

pwurple wrote: »

What does he need to eat off a spoon?

My two year old still eats her pasta with her hands.. and toast, spuds, pancakes, wraps, sandwiches, crackers, fruit, veg etc. I think most of her food is things she can pick up.

Yoghurt is about the only thing she eats with a spoon.

breakfast cereal, his dinners and teas - a mix of meat/ veg or pasta/ rice/ noodles chopped up small, scrambled egg, beans etc etc

pwurple

73trix wrote: »

breakfast cereal, his dinners and teas - a mix of meat/ veg or pasta/ rice/ noodles chopped up small, scrambled egg, beans etc etc

You could stop the chopping up /mashing, but also, has he own spoon, or anything like that?
My toddler has a little box of her things, a couple of pastic plates, a bowl, her own cutlery. She seems to love it.

BeardySi

Don't make an issue of it. Asserting their independence is a big thing for toddlers. Trying to make him use cutlery is a sure way to draw out the situation.

Leave the cutlery on the side and let him choose. He will eventually when he sees mammy and daddy using cutlery (assuming you all eat together). Maybe start out for a couple of days with food that's easily eaten with fingers or cutlery, then introduce more food that's difficult to eat with fingers.

Our 2 year old will use a spoon for cereal etc, but if it can be eaten with fingers she'll do that a out 50% of the time.

73trix

pwurple wrote: »

You could stop the chopping up /mashing, but also, has he own spoon, or anything like that?
My toddler has a little box of her things, a couple of pastic plates, a bowl, her own cutlery. She seems to love it.

I bulk cook and freeze dinners so that seems the easiest way to freeze portions. Otherwise if a fresh cooked dinner I can leave in bigger pieces.

pwurple

73trix wrote: »

I bulk cook and freeze dinners so that seems the easiest way to freeze portions. Otherwise if a fresh cooked dinner I can leave in bigger pieces.

Do you eat it youself like that? Or are his dinners different to yours?

It's a tricky one... half of me would be thinking toddlers are so stubborn! Just leave him at it until he starts using them himself.

But then as well, it's been two years already, a bit of independence would be nice.

I'd swap to more finger food, and just let him have at it. If he's hungry, he'll eat alright, but it may not be with the spoon. It'll be messy!

Ms2011

Spoons are super frustrating to get the hang of especially if he's hungry & just wants to get the food in, I'd leave it there as an option for him to use but not make a big deal of it.

dori_dormer

My boy is almost 3 and we just leave him to it. Battles at the dinner table are too stressful and I avoid at all costs. It'll just cause food issues in later life. He gets a fork /spoon whatever is usual for the particular dinner we are having. He'll prob eat 50-75% worth cutlery. If it's something he loves he'll abandon cutlery and shovel handfuls into his mouth. Clean up isn't that bad just a quick hand wash.
You need to relax about it more. He's still a baby , still learning. He'll get there.