Encouraging a 2yo to self feed

[BekZ]

With DD # 2 on the way I am trying to encouage DD #1 to do a few more things for herself. Generally she is excellent except for food time.

She much prefers to be spoon fed and if I/DH don't feed her she will happily not eat at all. The meal that she will eat to some extent by herself is lunch because it is usually a sandwhich or finger food.

She can use a spoon and folk, she just prefers to lelt someone else do the work.

Here is what I have done so far to encouage self feeding:

Taken all toys or objects of interest away from the table.
Place food infront of her before DH and I sit down for dinner. Some times she will do 2 or 3 spoons herself and then she loses interest.
Give her huge encouragment when I see her feeding herself.

Anyone got anyother ideas? DD is only 23 months am I expecting too much?

[Trillian]

I don't think you are expecting too much at that age, but some kids are a little slower on the uptake with feeding themselves and are very happy to let someone do the hard work. If she is happy to feed herself, would you be happy to let her eat with her hands? I know it's messy but if you don't mash her veges then she will be able to pick up pieces of boiled potato and carrot etc and it wont be as messy. Paige still eats with her hands sometimes and while I wish she would use her fork all the time, at least she eats kwim? Alternatively you could take her shopping and let her pick out some funky cutlery to use, that might help?

[aussienic]

I would just go with the finger foods where possible. make meal times less stressful for you all..

turn it into a game and say lets see who can eat so many peas or something like that... or lets see who can chew their food the best.. Sometimes our 4 yr old needs games to eat. He is a little lazy with feeding himself from time to time. alot of it is tiredness though and he just can't be bothered to feed himself.

[Liz]

DS feeds himself most of the time, unless its something particularly sloppy and I know it's not going to make it to his mouth on the spoon! LOL. In which case we feed it to him.

All his foods are finger foods.. occassionally he'll stab his fork in them and eat a bit more civilised hehe. All veg & meat etc I cut up so he basically pops it in his mouth, or can take a bite of it. Pasta, he just uses his hands. (Plenty of time to learn to use a fork properly I reckon )

I've actually got a pair of chopsticks which I should get out for him to used to.. they're joined at the top and have an animal at the top, so they're basically used like tongs... perhaps something different like that could work? Novelty might wear off after a while, but it might help with her feeding herself. I think I found them at coles, just one of the things hanging up on the side of the aisles.

[Astrid]

Does your DD go to childcare at all, or does she get to see other kids eating? If not, can you organise a few meal times with some little friends who do feed themselves? Sometimes if they see others feeding themselves, then they try it as well.

[BekZ]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for your responses.

I am starting to do more finger food type things. I actually need some ideas!!!!

Astrid - She does go to daycare and apparently she eats just fine with the others.

Liz - I will see if I can find those tongs.

Sherrie - She has the whole Dora set of eating utensils, unfortunately she loves to look at the pics instead of feed herself with them.

Nic - I haven't gone down the game path yet. I might try that too.

Honestly I think she is just lazy atm. In saying that we had home made pizza tonight and she ate the whole lot herself. Mainly because it has cheese on it!!! She loves cheese.

[~Kim~]

Bek, Darcy loves to 'help' and anything she 'helps' with she'll happily eat. lol although at times she thinks yoghurt is a finger food.