toddler feeding himself

Hey Thanks for the tips :). I gave him his bowl and left him to it, he's doing ok, he's eating what he wants to then throws it on the floor, he's still not eaten as much as he used to when i fed him, im not so worried about it anymore because i see prozacfairys point about him eating it if he's hungry. he doesnt use the spoon much, he uses it at first then he think he gets bored so he just uses his hand, im not sure if thats normal or not :s?, do you think i should be encourging him to use his spoon or just let him get on with using his hand if he wants. I tried using the suction bowls and i found them completely useless, id stick it on and within a second he's pull it off again, im not so bothered about the mess though, i spose him throwing the dish off the highchair is his way of saying he doesnt want anymore lol.

i agree they dont work, another idea is feed him some then let him feed himself some. holding the bowl is ok but if u do that he wont learn its naughty to throw it. my sons 29 months old and still throws it when hes finished but he is starting to get better and says all gone. u just have to perserver but do expect penty of food to land on the floor lol xx

they don't work... lol. We have like three and they've never stuck to the high chair... Good idea, but they don't work! =]

Hey, In babiesRus you can buy bowls,plates,cup sets than have suction pads that stick to the highchair so they cant throw there food away! xxx

he wont go hungry! I'm sure if he gets hungry and is struggling to feed himself he'll probably wave the spoon at you to help him! It's upto you though. Do what feels right. Your partners idea sounds like a good idea though, if you hold the bowl for him and let him feed himself hes still being independent but might not get so frustrated if he's finding it hard to keep the bowl still. Just go with what feels right, but try not to change your mind too many times so he gets so confused. =]

i didnt get much of a choice with lily. one day just before her 1st birthday she took the spoon and fed herself. hasnt given it back since! (shes now nearly 20 months) yes she chucks her plate on the floor, usually when shes had enough- wish she'd just say this to me! i just pick it up, tell her i'm not happy with what she just did and not give it back to her.

personally id just leave him to it. sit with him obviously and eat with him when possible but i find if your too involved when they get to this stage they either become really dependant or really frustrated coz they want to do things themselves. he wont become malnourished by missing one meal or not eating as much as he's used to, if he's hungry he'll eat. x x

My son is 20 months old, I've recently started trying to get him to feed himself. I tried a while back and he managed to learn to dip the spoon in the food and put it in his mouth but i didnt want to give him the dish and leave him to it so i continued to spoon feed him for monthes. But today i thought id have a go at getting him to feed himself again. At lunch and dinner time, i put the bowl in front of him and left him to him, at lunch time he threw his dish onto the floor,i took the food away thinking that if he'd soon learn that if he threw it on the floor it will be gone and he'll have to wait till dinner time for more. dinner time he ate half of it, using his spoon and using his hands, which i was pleased with but im a little worried that he hasnt eaten as much as he usually does when i spoon feed him, im worried he'll become malnourished but i really want him to sit in his high chair with his food and get on with it himself. My mum advised me to do it the way i did today, but my partner thinks its a bad idea, he thinks we should hold the bowl still for him while he feeds himself so that he doesnt go without a meal, but i dont know who's advice to take? im really confused. I'm interested to know how other perants out there manage/d with their toddler