Using cutlery

Dd is 7 and Ds is almost 5. Dd will give it a go but can't seem to get the hang of it, Ds is nowhere near there.
So here is my question: how old was your little precious when they figured it out, and how did you teach them?
They each have a miniature version of a grown up cutlery set, but right now it's like eating at the zoo and I hate it.
Thoughts?

DS2 has been "using" cuttlery since he could sit at the table to eat - he's 2. I always lay out a knife and fork (toddler size) for him at each meal and, a spoon where required. He butters his bread (hmm, perhaps "butcher's" his bread would be a more apt description) and knows that knives are for cutting, forks are for stabbing and spoons are for shovelling.

Gosh, sounds like I'm raising a little serial killer......

:lol: Cass.

Mine already use cutlery most times. They are not very good at it but they give it a go. DS flat out refuses the little versions, but will happily use the "big" fork. He even had a go at cutting his own sausages last night, with a little help. They both refuse plastic "kids" spoons too. They have to have the metal ones we use. DS even has to have one with a particular handle lol. They usually give up and use their fingers after a while but I'm glad they try. At the moment they are just copying mum & dad as they are 3.75 & 1.5.

Have you tried encouraging them with rewards like stickers? If they eat most of the meal with cutlery, then they get a sticker type thing?

DS1 uses a fork and spoon very well but is yet to master the knife and fork together.

DS2 has just started with a spoon on his own and is not doing too bad a job really!

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.

Funnily enough at 3.5 DD2 is better than DD1 who is 6.5. DD1 however can deftly use chopsticks but cannot manage a fork and spoon :wall: She has started using her knife properly but prefers to eat with her hands most of the time. However I preferred to eat like this too until I was about 10 so maybe it is hereditary?

I'm a mean mummy - from when they could pick up and try to feed themselves, I expect them to. From when they could understand, we've told them to use them. Now, at 3.5 almost 4, DD knows that if she doesn't use them, she doesn't get her dinner. DS is still a few months off that ultimatum but he does mostly use them.

My DS1 who is 9 would still prefer to eat with his hands. He is left handed and struggles with using the knife. He will eat with a fork most of time and his hands the other. When it gets to the bottom of a bowl pasta, he will ask me if it's ok to use his hands.
DS2 uses a fork for most of the meal.
DD will use the fork more so than the boys.
I encourage it, not enforce it. I explain to them it's fine to eat with your hands at home, when you got to someone elses home, you need to use cutlery...best to keep practising :lol:

I admit I am partly to blame in that I cut up their meat for them during serving up.


ETA: They all use a spoon for things like icecream, yoghurt, rice and anything like that.

DD is 17 months and can spoon cereal or yogurt with reasonable success (bit of mess to the face or bib) and is getting better at spearing some things with a fork. We've always given we meal appropriate cutlery and shown her/encouraged her to use them. She often only wants to use the same stuff as us, so we're starting to let her use a big fork or spoon. She still makes a huge mess at the table and eats a lot with her hands which I'm okay with right now. We're working in the mess because I think it's starting to become unnecessary for her to make as much mess as she does some nights.

I bought my kids training cutlery. The handles are moulded in such a way that they are only able to be held properly and have indentations for the index fingers on the knife and fork. I think they were Tommee Tippee brand but not sure.

Here's a pic of the ones I used.

3254

My eldest is 4.5 and is very good at eating with cutlery. He doesn't use a knife at dinner time because a childs/toddler knife is useless at cutting food. He will use a knife to trowel butter on bread (ugh) but hey, it's all good practice.
DS2 is nearly 3 and is the worlds messiest eater - with and without cutlery. He can manage to get food everywhere and it drives me batty. But, i insist (gently) that he uses a fork and/or a spoon at meal times. And he can use a fork and a knife to cut his kiwifruit (if he uses a spoon he can flick it all the way next door!)
I think you need to get them some exciting new cutlery (if you want to) and get them into the idea that they are growing up now and it's time they used cutlery like mummy does.

They do use spoons, and mostly forks, it's the knife thing that bugs me.
I've stopped cutting up their food to get them to try, but it's painful to watch.
We had roast chicken last night and it was a disaster.
Dd is left handed and it looks like Ds is leaning towards it too. Plus he's very tactile. Maybe that's it *shrug*. I will keep trying and trust it will come, I guess.

DD, who is almost 22 months, is quite good with her spoon and fork. She can generally get her food from her bowl to her mouth (even yoghurt which was a task to learn) without too much mess.....generally the runnier it is the more mess though. There are time she'll try to get away with using her hands, but I try to discourage this.

i can remember the painful dinners where my brother was being 'taught' how to use cutlery. seriously, there are way worse things than not holding cutlery properly.

My dd was awesome at eating yogurt with her hands when she was 9 months ish. very cool to see. i think she started using a spoon properly around 12 months, and is pretty good at all knife, fork and spoon now. i have them available for the kids to use, but am not going to get narky if they don't use them.

Helping you cook is a good way to learn knife skills. Get them to chop mushrooms, watermelon, strawberries etc. The shape of the pieces doesn't really matter if it is for fruit salad for you, it's just good practise.

Double post

Both boys can use a fork and spoon to eat but generally prefer to use hands. Occasionally have toddler knife.

I do cut everything up for them before placing on table for them.

We can end up with a huge mess and it drives me nuts!! We encourage use of cuttlery and during speech path appts have worked with an OT whom made special placemats with a crocdile on to remind DS1 to "snap snap" his fingers to right place on the fork or spoon.

It's a bit tricky in our house as mum is Aussie and dad is Malay. Malay eat with their hands (well right hand) and Aussies use cutlery! So ds1 is 4yrs and he uses cutlery, knives and all...dd1 uses her hands. Ds2 isn't old enough to do either yet so will wait and see :)

We have had some painful dinners over eating techniques and I refuse to anymore. We use chopsticks and cutlery and hands. Ds1 at 6 can do it all. Ds2. Can't really use chopsticks or cut. Dd, well its best not to sit too close without protection :lol:

DD2 is almost two and has been using a spoon or fork effectively since she was about 12 months. She's pretty damn good at it and we don't get too much spillage. She will go and get her own 'moon' or 'pork' if I haven't got around to it yet!

DS is 7 and I have to constantly remind him at the dinner table not to use his hands, forks are for eating with!!

dd not using cutlery well, is prolly related to her not being interested in eating. So i hate thinking about how poorly she uses cutlery, as it just reminds me how little and infrequently she eats. Just turned six. It was easier to teach her how to knit!!! grrrr. you'd think cutlery was easier than knitting needles, pfffft.