Spoons

I follow a local chat board where women post about everything and anything.  I’ve met a few wonderful women from here and enjoy chatting with them.  Yesterday there was a post about toddlers using spoons; one woman was concerned because her 18 month old wasn’t using a spoon and her pediatrician was concerned about her fine motor skill development.  She asked other mothers if their children could use a spoon at 18months, many said that their kids could by that age.  Like any good chat board follower, I started to wonder about my child and worry that maybe I was doing something wrong by not teaching her to use a spoon already.

So, tonight I braced myself for the messiest meal to date and gave Clare a spoon.  I figured I’d give her a spoon to play with and see what she did.  Surprisingly, she did OK.  She definitely knew what to do with it, she didn’t have the best control, but she knew what she needed to do.  I helped guide her spoon into the yogurt cup but once she had some on her spoon she was able to get it into her mouth.  She was clearly proud of herself; she wouldn’t give up the spoon for anything!

She enjoyed using her spoon so much she didn't want to put it down, even to take a drink. 

After yogurt we moved on to venison stew, again she was able to successfully get her loaded spoon in her mouth.  For the record, she loved the stew; she ate almost an entire bowl! 

It was hot today, nearly 93 on the drive home.  Clare is like her Dada; she sweats a lot!  After sitting in the car seat for 45 minutes she’s a sweaty girl, her hair gets curly and she has that sweaty feel.  When we got home Jeff was working in the kitchen, as soon as he opened the fridge Clare was headed over to cool herself off.  She seemed to enjoy the Liquid Smoke; I can’t imagine it tastes very good.

So, I’m glad to know that Clare isn’t too far off the curve; hopefully with some more practice she’ll be a spoon using pro by 18 months.  It’s a good thing bath time is right after dinnertime.