Eating Help - tipping spoon

Elle's been feeding herself pretty well for ages. She mastered the whole spoon to mouth thing and we had very little mess / spillage.

However, she is now in the habit of tipping the spoon upside down before it reaches her mouth. This means 90% of her food ends up on her front/on the floor. I've been trying to show her (very gently and in an encouraging way) how to get the spoon to her mouth without tipping it but she just gets really mad, screams and refuses to eat from that point on.   

She is very stubborn and fiery so if I ever try to guide her with anything she gets so mad. It's quite unreal.

It's not so much the mess that bothers me as mess is inevitable with a toddler, it's more the fact that she is hardly getting any food in.

Anyone encountered this? Any ideas?

Tarpolins all over the house in the meantime then LOL

Gina too tends to tip the spoon and the food falls out but she lets me guide her hand and help her out.
Would perhaps using a fork instead help? Gina is just mastering the whole 'eating with utensils' skill set and we find sometimes using a fork is easier than a spoon as the food can't tip.

Your kids are young though...Elle is 2 in 3 weeks time!

She doesn't like forks.

WOw I have no idea how Alize eats, I put him in his high chair and give him his food spoon, folk, drink and then I am busy trying to eat while either playing my role as a UN peace keeper or having a good chat with the 3 of them while eating together. I never try and watch to see if he is getting it right because if he wasnt there would be a plate full of food and there never is apart form the 5% of the meal on his bib, tray and floor. They learn a lot by watching and copying too. I have always given him a spoon with food and one day he just picked it up and starting using it.

She will figure it Fiona

Could it be that the spoon handle is too thin so a small turn of the wrist ends up tipping it off? Does that make sense?? Jack uses the Armadeus (sp??) (I think that's what they are called) spoons and fork from Baby Factory. They have a fork and 2 spoons, one left handed and one right plus the handles are really wide so easy to grip. We put the food on the spoon and he has very few 'accidents' on the way to his mouth

Ella's been a very messy eater from the start, and she's just started tipping her spoon upside down too. Funny thing is, I used to do it well into my childhood - mastered the art of tipping it without spillage - I remember mum being really frustrated trying to remind me not to do it. I stopped eventually but sometimes catch myself doing it on the odd day, and only ever with a teaspoon. Don't worry - she'll figure it out, and if like me she's a bit, erm, 'special' about her eating habits (ha ha), then she'll quickly figure how to do it tidly and still get away with the spoon-tip.

BTW... try it yourself, you don't know what you're missing!!