Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s around the age that we transitioned to regular utensils, with them using the salad fork and teaspoon.

Yes, for the next few years, your child will use the salad fork and teaspoon vs a regular sized fork. The regular fork will be too long and not easy for your child to use. The salad (aka dessert) fork is just the right length for children to use until they are about 4th grade when they'll move to the regular fork.

I’m in my 30s and I still just use the salad fork at home. American flatware is so giant!

A friend of mine from Germany sent me an awesome utensil set for our kids first birthday. It was probably good from 2ish-8ish. DD still uses it now and she’s 9. She uses the adult stuff too but defaults to this set sometimes. I wish we had more stuff like that here. To bridge the gap between toddler and adult.

My kid was using regular silverware at home, although not the steak knife. We worked on cutting with sharp knives in the kitchen, because I could be 1:1, but if it needed a sharp knife at the table I was still cutting so I could get to eating my own food.

My youngest was still taking the little forks and spoons if they took lunch to school, because their track record on returning them wasn't great, and since I knew there weren't more babies coming, I didn't care as much if those got lost.

Anonymous wrote:That’s around the age that we transitioned to regular utensils, with them using the salad fork and teaspoon.

Yes, for the next few years, your child will use the salad fork and teaspoon vs a regular sized fork. The regular fork will be too long and not easy for your child to use. The salad (aka dessert) fork is just the right length for children to use until they are about 4th grade when they'll move to the regular fork.

Kiddobloom ones (for a newly 4yo). They look like regular silverware, but are still small. And bonus, it has a dull knife! https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FM1T4K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

We still have OXO and Ikea metal kids’ forks/spoons/knives. But he’s also been using regular sized spoons and forks, kiddie chopsticks, Asian soup spoons, and, for spreading pb/jam - regular butter knives.

I was just wondering if I should get rid of the OXO/Ikea stuff as he turns 5 next month.

All, and generally the same set we use (I keep her old ones around so I can pack them for lunches and snacks since I don't want to take real flatware for that).

She doesn't know how to use a knife yet but we will give her a regular dinner knife if she wants one so she can practice. It's not sharp.

We are getting her a set of "kid knives" for Christmas this year and DH is going to start teaching her proper knife skills in the kitchen. We figure it's a win-win because now is such a good time to work on fine motor skills with utensils (she still doesn't have a tripod grip for writing implements but getting closer), and plus it's an important skill she has to learn. But she'll be under very close supervision and only allowed to use the special kid knives until she's very proficient and old enough to understand all the safety involved.

My son with fine motor delays and small hands still used toddler cutlery at that age and transitioned later to full size.

My daughter on the other hand... sigh. My daughter, at 11, eats with her hands.

All. Sharp knives were introduced under supervision. Now he is 5.5 and sometimes surprises me with a chopped salad for a snack!

All except sharp knives and has since last year.

Yeah, my kids starting using the same utensils as us at around four years old. My 5 year old frequently asks if she can use a knife and we let her use butter knives and plastic knives (which are sometimes sharper than butter knives!).

Anonymous wrote:That’s around the age that we transitioned to regular utensils, with them using the salad fork and teaspoon.

That’s helpful, thank you!

That’s around the age that we transitioned to regular utensils, with them using the salad fork and teaspoon.

All the ... usual ones? Fork, spoon, knife? Just let your kid use what everyone else uses.

I have a bunch of kiddie spoons and forks and one metal fork and spoon set, but they have started to seem pretty small for my almost 4 year old. At what age do kids start using the same forks and spoons as adults? Is there a good in between utensil set?