[cherubcheeks]

Hi

My 16 mth old has suddenly refused to let me feed him.

He want's to do it himself but can't always manage with what I feed him.

If we are having a stew or a rice dish he can't quite manage the spoon into his mouth all the time successfully.

Can you please give me your best family meals (I don't want to do two dinners) that you all love and little ones can feed themselves..

TIA

[bikingbubs]

Still give him whatever you are having, he will get better with practice as its how they learn.
I never spoon fed my son (did BLW) and was great at feeding himself - hands to begin with, but has used utensils properly from about 13 months.

[K+M+A+P]

DD just ate with her hands. She got better with spoon/fork at around 2

[mollybot]

I do what my lot call "Salad" - its basically carrots, cucumber, apples, cheese and meat, cut into sticks, with the occasional boiled egg.

Everyone can eat it, its quick, and healthy.

Pasta is another staple - but you may have to cope with your little on getting pasta e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Spaghetti is the most fun

[Kitty Fantastico]

Agree with PP. Let him use his hands, they're the best utensils. My 26 month old, who was blw'ed can use a fork and spoon well, but still likes to use his hands most of the time.

[Shirley Sue]

Could you each have a fork/spoon? That way he gets practice using utensils, and you get food in to him.

This post has been edited by Shirley Sue: 10/02/2013, 08:55 PM

[meggs1]

Meatballs, ravioli, sausages, chicken legs, lamb cutlets, fish cakes, steamed veggie sticks with dip, corn on the cob are all easy to eat with hands.

But they work the cutlery out pretty quickly My DS actually does better with an adult fork, as its sharp enough to spear things whereas the baby fork just bounces off.

[cherubcheeks]

Thanks. I am just stumped on how to get carbs into him.

Pasta is OK, but mashed potato???

Do you let them eat spag bol with their hands???

[Cranky Kitten]

Yes. It's messy as heck, especially with mashed potato, but that's ok just have a drop sheet under the high chair and stick them in the bath afterwards. DS is *starting* to use a spoon for himself, but when he's hungry he'll use his hands as it's quicker

[Lokum]

Thanks. I am just stumped on how to get carbs into him.

Pasta is OK, but mashed potato???

Do you let them eat spag bol with their hands???

Yes. Or we used to give spirals or penne, as they're easier to pick up with baby hands, and a good bit of sauce sticks in the spirals. Tuna is great to serve with spirals.

Mashed potato is OK if quite stiff, and risotto allowed to cool and become a bit clumpy was also good (or you can fry risotto into mini arancini balls.) Felafal are great hand-food too, as well as most meat and veg.

Chunks of potato cooked in the stew/casserole were good.

I would also mix some bolognese or chili con carne through some rice to help it stick together when DS1got going with the spoon, so all the individual rice grains didn't just fall off the spoon.

We also gave dahl and curry'n'rice (sauce mostly) as these are easy for spoon-users to start on.

Gloopy natural yoghurt with surprise pieces of strawberry or blueberries makes them really focus their spoon skills as they want to get the 'treat.'

DS1 is 2.5 and uses a normal metal spoon and fork very well, and is now starting to use a metal knife (butter knife, not steak knife) quite well.

He even used chopsticks the other night because we were. He had both sticks in one hand and used the other hand to thread things onto the sticks and then eat them - because he observed we did not use a chopstick in each hand. Monkey see, monkey do. Monkey gets to try it for himself - monkey will have better table skills sooner!!!