Some "milestones" questions

[Sakari]

I don't know! I am terrible at keeping track of stuff like this!

But here's my guesses (and she's 17mo now)

utensils: 12 mo - oh yeah! I remember exactly, because we delayed solids and the second day with them she speared a piece of watermelon! anyway, ever since that day she hasn't wanted others to feed her, so she's always used her own utensils and done pretty well. sometimes she still ditches them and uses her fingers, but usually only on stuff like peas or slices of cheese, etc.

stairs - just in the last couple months she's started walking up and down. I WASN'T ready for that!!! Scared the bejeebees out of me until she got it down better! I wanted her to turn around and crawl!!! but no.....

cup - she wouldn't ever take a bottle at all, so we started the cup really early. crazy kid! (and since she hated bottles, she didn't really understand what we wanted her to do with the sippy - she wouldn't suck on it.) she could drink out of a cup while holding it herself at probably 10/11mo?? but it didn't stay on her tray because her elbow would inevitably knock it over.

I like your approach - there's no rush to do these things. I guess it's good practice, but she's not going to go to school (most likely) crawling up stairs and carrying a sippy. (and most kids of any age eat with their hands, so no big deal there! )

[JennS]

Utensils 15-18mos
Stairs 18mos
Regular cup 12mos

Now if he would just talk with real words more! Really though, I agree about these not being "milestones," it will happen at some point

[jubethone]

using utensils to eat- has been doing so since 10 months. She is 16 months and just now starting to say clean.
going up and down stairs while standing- DD is 16 months. She can crawl up and down them but is a little short to go up standing, although she tries while holding onto the banister.
drinking from a real cup - she can do so supervised now. I give her an open cup with meals. Otherwise it's a sippy.

[lovemyryguy]

My son is almost 18 months, and he doesn't use utensils (but I rarely provide that opportunity). He doesn't eat many things that require a spoon, but when he does I feed him and he's fine with that. He walks up stairs when holding on to my hands, but he can't do it on his own - and honestly I prefer he doesn't try . He still doesn't go down stairs by himself, and again I'm fine with that. He will walk down them holding on to my hands and the wall or banister, but not JUST the wall or banister. He's been able to drink from an open cup that I hold for quite some time, but the few times I've had my back turned and he tried on his own, we end up with a whole cup of water dumped on the floor.

Anyway, these kinds of skills IMHO take time and patience from parents as well as providing the opportunity for them. (Maybe not the stairs thing). As a PP said, these "milestones" are very different from the crawling, walking, talking, etc. ones.

My son is SUPER timid about physical things. We just started going to gymboree class and I see much younger kids climbing all over everything and he's just happy with "safer" things. That being said, I'm fully confident my son will learn to use a fork and spoon by the time it really matters, and he won't be taking a sippy cup to college!