Mine would have been about 2.5-3 when they started using proper cutlery properly (say that 10 times LOL) and it would have been a little while after that before they could use a knife properly as well. But some kids are just really tactile and prefer to eat their their hands for whatever reason. My DD2 is like that and there is not a single meal she will eat without using her hands for part of it - picking up vegies or a chop bone etc. It's just the way it is and as frustrating as it is, that's just the way she is. Of course as she's gotten older she isn't messy now, but it's still frustrating for me at times.