Mia's hand eye coordination has improved so much. It is amazing to think that there was a day she couldn't control her hands at all. I remember the first time she put her pacifier back into her mouth herself, I was so impressed. Now I'm telling her not to put stuff in her mouth. 

As you may recall from an earlier baby blog Mia is feeding herself small chunks of food that she can pick up with her fingers. http://wdez.com/blogs/post/nmontgomery/2012/sep/28/mia-feeds-herself-first-time/ 

According to Gerber's website we should now be encouraging her to use a spoon. She is at the age where she should be able to pick up the spoon and put it into her mouth though she may not always be able to keep the food on the spoon so we should be prepared for a mess. I have a friend that wouldn't let her child feed herself with a spoon until she was 2 because she was simply too messy. Seriously? Kids are messy deal with it.

Here are some tips from Gerber to help with the transition:

• Try two spoons at first. You hold one spoon and let her hold the other. Show her how you use it, and then watch as she tries to imitate you. Or if she tries to grab your spoon, switch with her to let her try it with your spoon.
• Have manageable food on hand. Give your toddler foods that are easy to manage and have a size and texture that easily clings to a spoon. To minimize your child’s frustration, choose foods that are made especially for toddlers learning to feed themselves.
• Be ready with the right utensils. Give your baby utensils that have big, soft-textured handles that are easy to grip. Also make sure that any forks have blunt tines. Look for plates with curved sides that make it easy to scoop food. Plates with suction cups on the bottoms will keep the plates in place.
• Refrain from using disposable plastic spoons or forks—they break easily and are choking hazards. They also have sharp edges that can scratch your baby.