Self feeding hints and tips
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21554
Printed Date: 26 July 2025 at 7:22am
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Topic: Self feeding hints and tips
Posted By: cuppatea
Subject: Self feeding hints and tips
Date Posted: 08 October 2008 at 9:02pm
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Spencer has just over the last couple of days finally shown and interest in using a spoon for himself. He's always been great with finger food but had no interest whatsoever in using a spoon, always wanted one, but only to fling about.
Anyway to encourage him I have moved feeding time to the kitchen so he can make as much mess as he likes. I'm making more food than he can eat and basically I shovel some into him so he eats a full meal and then he tries as well. Had some success with weetbix this morning, he scooped some onto his spoon and got it in his mouth (mostly). Dinner not so great as it didn't stick to the spoon so well. I mostly am just letting him do his thing but will try and encourage him with lots of praise and also try to get him to put the spoon end in the food rather than the handle 
I let him play with the food if he wants to as well, so tonight after getting bored with the whole spoon thing he tipped the food out on his tray and then quite funnily was picking it up with his hands and putting it back in his bowl. What did/do you do to encourage self feeding? or have I got it pretty much covered? ------------- 
 
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Replies:
Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 08 October 2008 at 11:14pm
| just let them play really like you are doing. whatever you do though DON"T fuss around him as he is playing. My MIL kept cleaning taine everytime he put his hands anywhere "now now, isn't it nice to be clean? lets try and eat nicely" - he was 6 months at the time. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 08 October 2008 at 11:34pm
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we always used to use two spoons here, one for me and one for them... and of course watching you eat too helps cause they want to copy. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 09 October 2008 at 8:29am
| Try a fork at dinner. Tom loves trying to use his. I often have to "stab" his food for him but then he takes th fork and gets it in his mouth. Food doesnt fall off the fork as easily as a spoon. But you will have to use a proper metal fork not a plastic one (they are useless). |
Posted By: Glow
Date Posted: 09 October 2008 at 8:40am
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yep i think you have it covered, its messy business & you just gotta go with it.
I second their own real cutlery set ------------- Mummy of Two Boys B: 2004 K: 2007 |
Posted By: Mum2ET
Date Posted: 09 October 2008 at 11:13am
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we started off with 2 spoons- one for me and one for Ella and also a fork and it has worked really well for us. Now 95% of the time Ella can feed herself without any help. I also found yoghurt was really a good food for starting out, as well as porriage (sticks to the spoon easily). ------------- Mum to Ella (5) and Tom (2) |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 09 October 2008 at 1:06pm
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yep have a metal fork and spoon set for him. He's very good if I put the food on the spoon or fork for him, its just the getting it on the spoon or fork himself and its that part he's only just started trying to do.
As for watching us eat, yep he does that all the time we try and eat with him as much as possible and if he's eaten and then we eat he is normally hanging off us wanting ours. He also finds me hiding in the kitchen eating....lol Will try the yoghurt today, hopefully he doesn't waste too much, soy yoghurt is bloody expensive. -------------
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 09 October 2008 at 2:08pm
| I was helping daniel today with spoon feeding yoghurt. I let him hold the spoon and then I hold his hand a little and help him/show him how to do it. He's shown no interest in doing this himself but I decided today to try anyway and he thought it was really funny. It would be lovely not to have to feed him all his meals lol |