Deana still has issues with self feeding so i am just wondering about your experiences.
She drinks from her cup with a straw well but she can't seem to feed herself if i give it to her in her hands she will take one bite and throw it .Is this common for a child with cp?

I don't know if it's common or not, but our son threw food for over a year.
He has oral disorder, which is common for people with CP.
nwmom

Deana still has issues with self feeding so i am just wondering about your experiences.
She drins from her cup with a straw well but she can't seem to feed herself if i give it to her in her hands she will take one bite and throw it .Is this common for a child with cp?

HOw old is your child? Mine is 3, and he is feeding himself, but it is such a mess. I usually do most of it, but he needs to do more because he has to learn, and it helps him(obviously) with fine motor.

Up until my son was 17 months old, he did not self feed ( with the exception of holding his bottle/sippy cup ). When we taught him to finger feed, he picked up on it within about 10-14 days, however he still has issues with eating a large item (ie-1/2 biscuit or piece of toast). He, like your child, takes one bite and throws the rest to the side or on the floor. I have started cutting up his food into bite size pieces and he does quite well. He now only throws food to the side when he is full and is ready for his pudding or yogurt. I also help motivate him to start spoon feeding by putting his hand on the spoon while I guide the spoon to his mouth. We have recently begun dipping items and this has gotten quite messy, but again he needs the hand-eye coordination. He has issues with vision impairment so he has needs that not all kids with CP deal with and also right sided weakness.

To sum up, try cutting food into bite size pieces to at least motivate him to self feed and if at all possible do this at every meal so that he/she gets used to it.

Good luck.

Amy

My son is 4 1/2 and he just started feeding himself mostly on his own this summer, but he still makes a huge mess, too.
nwmom

My son has had a fork and spoon put in front of him from a very young age to encourage him. He finds the fork very tricky and will often hold the fork in his left hand and the piece of food he is trying to get on the fork with his right hand, then try to skewer it on. I use dessert forks for the kids. As for the spoon, sometimes he can be good but I notice he tends to scoop the food on then bend his head right down instead of bringing the spoon to his mouth. The long and short of it...it is a very messy business but patience will get you through it. I did the bite size pieces too...I still do.
Karim never really threw his food, he was always too busy trying to shovel it in, he is a waste disposal!!!

It is frustrating trying to get your kid to eat by themselves. I know that I have fed my son way too long because it is such a messy thing when he does it. He is eating more now on his own(he is now 3), and I cut everything up into bite-size pieces. You see Peter is a twin, and his twin Thomas(does not have cp) eats just fine. He is just a picky-eater, but Peter is the messy one. Like I said in a different thread, "Never a dull moment"....

there are special fork and spoon and plate sets you can get - we have found that these help. You could probably find them if you search for them online or they have them in many manuals of equipment, sorry cant remember the name of them at the moment.

I just wanted to encourage you gals. Do not worry, they will figure it out. They may not ever do it "perfect" or like you but remember the end result is more important. I never realized until about a year ago (when a friend pointed it out) that I do not hold my fork like most people. Who cares right? Remember you child's world is normal for that child. They feel less stress than you think because they do not know anything different.

I would suggest forks and spoons with wide handles though. And perhaps a reward system for when they try to use their fork etc. If they know their trying is a good thing they will be less likely to get frustrated.

Thanks so much guys, i will definitley try those things out.BTW Deana will be 3 in December.