https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 08 May 2026 15:40:59 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1594174 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 22:26:19 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1594174@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've started casually working on it qt 15 months. For a spoon it works well to have a long one so LO can hold and you can still guide the end. I usually do spoon with cottage cheese which is a favorite food and a little messy, but not terrible. For fork, I usually spear the food and then let him get it off. I just keep it totally low key... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1594149 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 22:09:15 +0000 sandy 1594149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO can eat oatmeal and yogurt with a spoon. She can eat soup with a spoon too. But she doesn't consistently use her fork for her food. I still cut things up for her and she will usually eat it like finger foods most is the time. It doesn't bother me. She is very well behaved in her high chair. Never throws food or flips her plate. She says please and when she's done she says "all done. Please be excused". She's almost 2.5 years old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1594128 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 21:56:28 +0000 Running Elley 1594128@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started with his fork and spoon probably around a year? At almost 19 months he's basically mastered it now....he can eat applesauce or yogurt by himself. We've always been big on not throwing food. We just moved him to the booster seat and right now we're really struggling with him wanting to put his feet on the table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1594123 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 21:50:18 +0000 Weagle 1594123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started utensils soon after her first birthday, but now I'm not that consistent with giving them to her. It's like she mastered it, so it totally isn''t on my radar anymore. We're sticklers for manners though. She can't throw food, yell at the table, bang on the table, spit, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1594037 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:45:35 +0000 regberadaisy 1594037@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started with silverware pretty early on so she was pretty good with spoon and fork from early on. Some items she still uses her hands because it's easier for her or sometimes she's hungry and she goes to town with her hands but then I just remind her to use her fork.</p> <p>I don't tolerate feet on the table or standing on her chair. We went through a very brief period of plate throwing. She drinks from a cup, etc. We've also got her handing out napkins at meals and our form of "grace" is giving a kiss and saying I love you before the start of the meal.</p> <p>As far as etiquette in terms of soup, dessert, salad fork, etc. that's not us so I don't think I'll ever get there! Planning on starting chopsticks again soon.</p> <p>She's almost 2. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1594002 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:23:05 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 1594002@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>F is 19 months and gets a spoon (sometimes a fork) at every meal. He's good with the spoon, but has a hard time with the spearing motion of the fork. He definitely prefers to eat with his fingers though! We don't really mind; our focus is no feet on the table, staying at the table for the whole meal, and saying please/thank you/excuse me, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1593989 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:15:55 +0000 SeptMomma12 1593989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can't remember when we started offering a spoon/fork to LO - maybe 13-14 months, but definitely not consistently. He started doing pretty well with them around 16-17 months. He caught onto the spoon really fast, but for the fork, I started by spearing stuff for him and letting him put it in his mouth, then held it with him and speared it together, until he decided he wanted to do it on his own. He's 19 months now and eats most of his meal with his utensils. Yogurt is still pretty messy, but he does great with the fork. But he still lifts up his plate and dumps it when he's done, so we're working on that! </p> <p>My biggest problem is that LO appears to be lefty, while my husband and I are righty. We're having the hardest time trying to figure out how to show him to hold things! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1593972 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:10:10 +0000 hilsy85 1593972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I try to work on fork/spoon skills with LO (18 mos) at every meal, at least for a few minutes. He's pretty good with it, although sometimes I end up feeding him with the fork. </p> <p>As for other manners, I try to avoid feet on the table or standing up in his chair. Everything else, I just take a deep breath and try to remain calm :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddlers-and-table-manners#post-1593969 Fri, 25 Apr 2014 20:08:45 +0000 Beehive 1593969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When did you start working on silverware and table manners with your toddler? DS is 18 months old, and while he insists on holding a spoon or fork while he eats, he mostly uses it to mash his food on his plate and is only moderately successful poking things and eating them. He's pretty hopeless eating non-solid things with spoons (probably because we never practice that with him... so messy!). He is good about leaving his plate on the table and not picking it up, which I'm pleased about. </p> <p>Curious to know at what age your LO started developing these skills, or at what age you started working on them with your LO! </p>