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Did you know that a typically developing child is expected to be able to feed themselves completely independently with a spoon by the age of 2? Well don’t worry if you didn’t, because I didn’t either until our Pediatrician told us at Taylor’s 18 month appointment! However, most toddlers are capable of learning to do this at a much younger age; Taylor is well on her way to independently eating with a spoon AND fork at 19 months old! Today I wanted to share 5 ways you can help your toddler learn to eat with utensils as well, and clean clothing stains from the inevitable mess they’ll make with trial size Persil® ProClean® laundry detergent. Persil® Original Pro10 was named “Best New Liquid Laundry Detergent” by Family Circle magazine in 2017, so I was curious to put it to the test! I have to say, I was quite impressed with the cleaning, brightening and whitening results, especially given the amount of time the marinara had to set into her bright white shirt (my bad because, #momlife)!

5 Ways To Help Your Toddler Learn To Eat With Utensils Independently:

1. Provide your toddler with utensils that are, well, toddler-sized. Silverware with thick, weighted, rubber/textured handles are best as they are easier to grasp and control. HERE are our favorites to use (the set comes in green, pink or aqua!).
2. Demonstrate how to use utensils with slow, exaggerated motions accompanied by a verbal explanation of exactly what you’re doing. (e.g. “Mommy is scooping some applesauce onto her spoon, now I’m going to raise my arm and put the spoon in my mouth like this… Yum!”). You’re basically their eating mechanics coach!
3. Start out with thick foods that will stick to a spoon, like yogurt or applesauce when scooped. When your toddler is practicing eating with a fork, I recommend easy to spear pasta shapes like penne!
4. Provide ample opportunities for practice eating with utensils. At first, your toddler may not have much control or accuracy, but it’s still important that they have the chance to learn to manipulate the fork or spoon.
5. Praise your little one for trying! Most toddlers prefer to use their fingers over a fork or spoon, so they deserve some applause for their efforts.

All of that said, one thing you can expect is A LOT of mess when your toddler is learning to eat with utensils, so you’ll want to have a laundry detergent you can trust to get the job done!  I purchased the convenient trial size Persil® ProClean® laundry detergent last week at Target and challenged it with the marinara sauce stains featured in this post.

Persil® Original Pro10 was named “Best New Liquid Laundry Detergent” by Family Circle magazine in 2017, so I was curious to put it to the test! I have to say, I was quite impressed with the cleaning, brightening and whitening results, especially given the amount of time the marinara had to set into her bright white shirt (my bad because, #momlife)!

Persil Laundry Detergent To The Rescue!

By the time I got around to washing Taylor’s shirt after she finished her pasta, over an hour had passed, so I decided to pre-treat it with Persil® laundry detergent. I poured a very small amount of Persil laundry detergent into the cap, dipped a finger in and rubbed a very small amount directly onto the stain. After leaving the shirt to pre-treat for 5 minutes, I placed it in our washing machine with the rest of Taylor’s whites in the warmest water possible with a capful of Persil® laundry detergent, per the Laundry Tips on Persil’s webpage. Remember to check the results before drying. I really like that Persil® laundry detergent can be used in all machines, including an HE like ours.

The Results

WOW. I was honestly surprised at how well Persil laundry detergent was able to tackle the stain. I imagine that, had I pre-treated and washed right away, the results would have been even more impressive. Persil laundry detergent is certainly a great choice for everyday laundry as well as stain fighting!

If you haven’t tried Persil laundry detergent yet, I encourage you to do what I did and pick up their new trial size bottle at Target (AKA Mecca) for only $1.99.  The trial size bottle (10.1-ounce package) washes 6 full loads of laundry! Plus, there is a $2 off coupon on the back of the bottle for a future purchase, excluding the trial/travel size.

Give it a try and see the results for yourself!

I would love to hear any other tips you have for teaching your little ones to eat with utensils independently. What successes have you had as a toddler/eating mechanics coach duo? Any epic messes you could have used Persil laundry detergent for?! Email me or leave a comment on this post.

Thanks for reading!