I'm curious to know - do fellow mummies allow their toddlers to eat with their hands during meal times? I have a 15 month old girl and she just LOVES to eat. She can feed herself with her plastic spoon pretty well (most times though she'll end up using either my spoon or any adult's utensils). Sometimes when she gets over excited or hungry, she'll eat directly with her hands. Am okay with the mess she creates as long as she's eating happily, and we usually make her wash her hands before and after meals. Some mothers though tell me it'll cultivate bad eating habits, and what not. What's your take?
Do you let your toddler eat with her own hands instead of spoon?
- Thread starter vseow
- Start date
tika
Active Member
same like you, i let my dotter use her hands as much as she practices using the spoon. i don't believe that it will cultivate bad habits because toddlers need to touch and feel to learn. It can also help with their fine motor skills.
As long as hands are CLEAN before and after the handling of food, eating with hands will not pose any problems.
Plus, Muslims eat with their hands. Do THOSE MOTHERS then think Muslims have bad eating habits??? Geez.
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uddermummy
Well-Known Member
eating with hands at 15 mths is actually okay. Self-feeding tends to get messy tho.
When they're older, they eventually learn their table manners if you show them how to when you eat with them.
It's actually good for them to learn to be independent eaters. I let my 9-month old girl eat with her hands too. :001_302:
When they're older, they eventually learn their table manners if you show them how to when you eat with them.
It's actually good for them to learn to be independent eaters. I let my 9-month old girl eat with her hands too. :001_302:
jasminelow22
New Member
agree with uddermummy. some room of flexibility allows baby's cretivity to flow.
Porukadotzu
Active Member
i also let my daughter eat with her hand, it's easier for them to feed themselve and it's fun for them to touch and feel the food so they know which food is rough, soft, watery, and stuff and with tat encourage them to taste and eat. It's part of brain development too...
while with spoon seems like my daughter only like to beat those food and play with it but not eating it...:embarrassed:
while with spoon seems like my daughter only like to beat those food and play with it but not eating it...:embarrassed:
shahlin
New Member
Yeahh!! agree!!! it is part of their brain development.. let their fontanels do their magic.. touch and taste! they will learn as they eat..
cheers! www.flickr.com/shahlin
DodoTan
Member
If he's actually eating with his hands, I'm ok with it. But more often than not, my son will smear his food everywhere and re-decorate his high-chair. Sometimes give him spoon also he can re-decorate. Stab, stab, stab until there's food everywhere. If he's in the mood, he can eat neatly by himself. But that's rare. Most times he just wants to play.
Mummy to Baby V
Well-Known Member
Using hands helps baby learn to self-feed and fine-tune his pincer grasp and motor-skills. I believe that young children learn through play. I offer small cubes of cooked food such as carrots to my boy to let him learn self-feeding. As long as he enjoys his food, I'm fine. 
Thanks all mummies who replied. I feel more at ease now knowing my toddler isn't the only hand-eater. Making a mess at home is fine, since we always have a disposable plastic table clothe to line the floor under her chair so we don't have to keep mopping up her dunked food. But every time we bring her out to restaurants for meals, she ends up making such a huge mess that we feel so paiseh. We even have strangers offering to help us feed her, as if we are some barbaric parents who don't teach our child to eat in a civilized manner. :err:
uddermummy
Well-Known Member
pple will always have their opinions of how bbs should be brought up, especially bbs that are not their own.
I let my girl hold the spoon when we feed her outside, and her mouth gets smeared with food v frequently, even though she can bring the spoon to her mouth.
Outsiders give me the ' Geesh, what a messy kid/ mother!' look, especially other mummies who are spoonfeeding a cleaner bb. I think Asians have this thing about kids being always neat and tidy etc etc.
I let my girl hold the spoon when we feed her outside, and her mouth gets smeared with food v frequently, even though she can bring the spoon to her mouth.
Outsiders give me the ' Geesh, what a messy kid/ mother!' look, especially other mummies who are spoonfeeding a cleaner bb.
I think Asians have this thing about kids being always neat and tidy etc etc.
Ting
Well-Known Member
pin is almost 3 yo but somehow she still prefers to eat with her hands.
in sch, she eats with cutlery. at home, she starts with spoon n fork but end up with a mixture of both hands n cutlery.
i think its their nature to explore the different texture of food.
for me, im cool with her using her hands cos she washes them b4 n after eating, she doesnt create much of a mess so doesnt matter to me as long she is eating.
in sch, she eats with cutlery. at home, she starts with spoon n fork but end up with a mixture of both hands n cutlery.
i think its their nature to explore the different texture of food.
for me, im cool with her using her hands cos she washes them b4 n after eating, she doesnt create much of a mess so doesnt matter to me as long she is eating.