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He feeds himself, but gosh does it get messy!

We used to feed Nicholas until he started preschool a few months before his little brother was born. Had to nip it in the bud b/c he was not eating at school b/c he was expecting his teachers to feed him. Oops! Now we occasionally feed him but only when we eat out b/c we don't want to sit there anymore. Otherwise, he usually feeds himself and half the time uses his hands even if he's more than capable using utensils. Fine by me as long as he eats!

@Mrs. Bee: Okay, that is really cute! I've always wondered if Nicholas shares his lunch with his friends and vice-versa. But he usually tells me if something interesting like that goes on at school and he hasn't mentioned anything about it. He likes to tell me what goes on at school. Kind of funny.

But we went cold turkey at not feeding him and was able to get him to eat on his own completely within a week or so. And I also give him 3-4 choices for lunch so he eats it all. Most times I make the same thing over and over again b/c I know he will eat it (sunbutter and jelly). I've started a collection of bento supplies b/c you inspired me when you started your bento posts. I asked my sister (who lives in San Francisco) to get me supplies from my favorite Asian "dollar store" in Japantown so now I've built up a good supply. Now, just have to get more creative!

He feeds himself. And will not stop until we stop giving him food. I swear the child would eat until his stomach explodes.

We fed him spoonful by spoonful until he turned 2 and the doctor pointed out that he should really be feeding himself. Now it's messy and so much slower, but he feeds himself unless we're in a rush or it's something like yogurt or applesauce in a cup.

My 18 month old feeds himself. He's been working a spoon since he was 12 months old and does pretty well, even with the runny stuff. Where we struggle is when he has to use his hands or a fork. He won't pick up shredded chicken, for example, and he can't spear it on a fork, so we've got some work to do there.

We have let our son feed himself since the start (5.5 months). We did feed him purees for a bit but he since refuses them. It works better for him if he feeds himself and really he doesn't need the food. Smaller sizes are easier for him to actually ingest while bigger are easier to hold. We also give him a spoon or fork and he really likes that. It is messy but he is learning so I don't mind. We just strip him before dinner and we have the dogs to hoover at the end.

A combination. Unless it's soup, then we definitely feed him. He is pretty handy with a spoon, but the whole not-overturning-the-bowl is an area for improvement. (18 mos)