Empowering Parents: When Can Toddlers Feed Themselves

When Can my toddler feed themselves without making such a MESS?

At around 15-18 months a toddler should be able to scoop food with a spoon and feed himself with some spilling.

This spilling will continue until around 2-2 1/2, becoming less and less as the child becomes more coordinated and accurate. From 2 1/2- 3 is when toddlers should be able to use a fork to spear and bring food to their mouth.

By the age of 3, toddlers should be good enough with utensils that they can serve themselves food from the table and feed themselves neatly with little to no spillage. Definitely expect a messy process in the beginning, but this is good and should be encouraged! This allows your child to explore foods with multiple senses and can help prepare them for eating a wide variety of tastes and textures of foods.

If you have a question for one of our therapists, email us at empoweringparents@pediatricsplus.com. All question submissions will remain anonymous. We will post answers on a weekly basis. Please know that if you feel your child needs therapy services, we advise that you consult your pediatrician.