Please Advise...15 Month Old Throwing Food Non Stop!

I have 3 kids. 2 yrs., 4yrs. and 5 yrs. They all threw food. I just calmly got them out of their chair immediately and made them pick it up. 2 of them caught on within a month, the other fisty one stopped after about 3 months...

good luck... we have all been there!

My daughter is an extremely picky eater as well. We found two things worked for us, letting her eat at her own table (a Dora table with chairs) and when she is in the high chair and starts throwing food..meal time is over. If they are hungry enough they will eat anywhere (even the high chair) I also agree with someone else to give smaller portions. That way its not wasted on the floor when they have had enough. Hope this helps. M.

I have an 18 month old daughter who started doing the same thing around 14 or 15 months old. It's so strange how quickly they are entering the toddler stage. She would throw her food that she didn't want off her tray and onto the floor. I think it's because she thought she had to eat everything, and we would in a serious tone tell her that if she didn't want to eat everything, to set it aside or hand it to mom or dad but, not to throw food on the floor. She was testing us, and it worked. Now, if she does it, she's clearly doing it to misbehave and knows not to do it, that that's not how we behave. We also just say, "Food stays on the table."

A little about me:

33 year old first time mom of an 18 month old girl. I work part time in a job share.

I have a 2 1/2 year old son that is still a picky eater. We have come to realize that he might have autism. So some of his behavior with food might be connected to that. But in the course of his evaluations we had a dietian come to our home and evaluate him. The dietian (not sure if I spelling it right) said that Michael was "healthy" even though he has not gained much weight like maybe 2-3 lbs in the last year. He suggested that I figure out what situation makes Michael comfortable for eating and then let him eat what he wants. He is a lover of anything that is bread or that has marinara type sauce on it. Chicken is the only meat that he likes specially Banquet chicken nuggets but he isn't to picky about veggies he usually will eat those. Anyways I told you all this to show you that I know what you could be in for. The dietian told me to give Michael what he wants. If its Banquet chicken nuggets every nite so be it. He said the important thing is that the child eats and not to stress about what he eats for now. Aa long as its not a lot of sweets and candy. Also his doctor suggested that we limit his milk/juice intake and if he is insisting that he is thiristy then offer water. Kids will only drink water to stop be thirsty not like its sweet or something. Also the diet guy suggested that I make a way for Michael to be able to "graze" thoughout the day. Little healthy snacks he can have whenever. Someone else that responded to this said thats what they do with their child. I am now trying to get Michael to eat at the table with me and dad because his one year old sister is in his highchair. He has been better about it this last time than I expected. Well I hope me and the other ladies have given you some advice you can use and as I tell myself on his "off" days if he gets truly hungry he will eat. Also kids don't eat well if they are overtired and/or have been overstimulated. Something I have noticed with my own. Well good luck.
N.

My son threw his plate across the room for quite a while. I got good at catching it. What I learned from watching him was that he was trying to communicate to me that he was all done and didn't want to eat the food that was left. I REPLACED the behavior with one that communicated the same thing in a better way. I taught him to set the plate on the table instead of throwing it. I did hand over hand to model the behavior that I wanted and immediately let him out.

If it has been going on consistently for 3 months, it is a habit. Watch him. Why is he doing it? What are you doing? Are you rewarding the behavior? Are you giving him what he wants? You may need to teach him another way to communicate to you.

Also, he may have texture issues. Is there certain textures that he won't eat? Or certain colors? A speech language pathologist can help with picky eating. Usually they can determine why he is picky and help introduce some new foods.

I am a 34 year old SAHM of a wonderful 4.5 year old boy with autism. He threw the plate for several months until we got help from Early Childhood Intervention.

Good luck.

Hello M.,
I think that all kids do this at some point. My son started at 14 months, and will still occasionally throw things. I'm consistent with him and always say no, and he seems to get that I'm not against him not finishing, i'm against him feeding the dog!
Also, I found that my son wasn't rebelling against the food, he was rebelling against the routine. He didn't want to sit at the table in the same place, in the same high chair. So now, when he is especially fussy, I feed him outside on our patio, or at his little table. They know that it is time to eat and don't want to sit. Try to switch the place where he eats a bit. I found that the more "distracted" my son is with looking at his surroundings, and less attention i give him, the better he eats. He will not let himself starve and try not to stress to much, as you will pass it on to him, and he will feel more pressured.

My daughter is almost 15 months. We only put her in her high chair when we sit at dinner as a family. Other than that, I give her a plate of "whatever", on her level. She can take bites of "whatever", whenever. I think that at this age, they are so active. My opinion is that they dont want to be strapped in that chair. At least that is what it is for my kid. The minute I started letting her be in control of the food while she could still walk around. It made a world of difference. Now she eats almost anything that I put in front of her. Mind you, it may take 30 minutes, but she's eating!!!
hope this gives you some options!!!
Margaret:)

When mine went thru this phase ignoring it didn't work and neither did getting upset. What I did (and it makes meal time longer) was only give her one piece of food at a time. We had her desert (fruit) sitting out where she could see it, and if she would throw her food the desert would be moved farther away so that she would associate throwing her food/not eating dinner with no desert. We explained to her what we were doing too. Now she is a very healthy eater. I have noticed in a little boy I watch that if you give him too much food he will start throwing it, but if you only give him a little at a time he eats it all.

Ignore it i mean no eye contact nothing, and say nothing, kids do the strangest things for attention, its funny a child will not starve if food is there for them to eat. Yoou sit and eat with him and coment truthful on a food if you like it or not. My little ones are grown but i have 14 grandchildren one who only eats chicken, apples top ramen and cerial. He is ok the doc says. My gran son who lives near me will not eat meat, only veggies he is 5, but will eat chicken drum stick, hambugers, and sasuages and hot dog, he says hes a veggie person. We pay no attention. I fix for him what is a well balanced meal he eats here often. And loves his veggies. Do you see where i am going? Each child is different, and our kids are all great. My 20 year old only eats traditional food, we live in mexico, and the grandchild who lives in germany is the one who lnly eats chicken. Plus all kids trhow food, get a portable vac wet dry type. And enjoy these years they pass to fast. D.

It is my believe that when he gets hungry he will stop throwing food.

I had problems with my son doing this and it is a very hard habit to break. I took to setting him beside me when it was meal time that way when he decided to unload unwanted food I was setting right there to stop him. It is not an easy habit to break but you can. The food habits your son picks up now does effect his future eating habits. So I started holding left over food on his plate and when he would tell me he was hungry the food was reheated and placed back in front of him. Did not learn this til my second son and let me tell you it DOES make a difference. My oldest is a very picky eater (he is 27) while my youngest will eat about anything (he is 24). In short stop this habit now or the years to come will be tough ones.

I have two suggestions. Is he sitting in a high chair? If so, I put character stickers on the tray and covered them with clear contact paper. Then I would ask my kids to name the characters or ask what shapes or colors certain things were. They would be so engrossed in the tray that they didn't notice I was feeding them (Maybe your son shouldn't have so much autonomy yet with food and you should do some more feeding.)

The other option is when he starts throwing the food, remove the high chair tray, and the food and get him down. Say "Uh, Oh, no more food!" If he fusses, tell him "no throwing food" and start over. As soon as something hits the floor, remove the food and do the "uh, oh" thing again. After twice, it is obvious that he is not hungry just get him down and keep him down. The other thing I would recommend, especially since he is so small, is to feed him more often than three times a day.

Oh, how many bottles or cups of milk is he having a day. That can really impact a baby's diet...they get full on milk and don't eat, so cut back and don't give him milk between meals or before he eats, give it to him after he eats, or when he has eaten a substantial amount.

As for his size, kids all grow at different rates. Are his bowel movements solid and regular? If he is constipated, he may be nauseous and not want to eat very much. Kids that age get constipated VERY easily. If he has runny stool on the other hand, he may be having a problem with nutrient absorption and you may want to have him evaluated by a doc. That said, kids grow at all kinds of rates and there really isn't anything "normal." Only you know him and know if there is a problem that is physical or behavioral! Good luck!

My son is 14 months old and is in a similar situation. He is also very thin. Our pediatrician stated that this is probably genetic as myself and my husband are both thin. She suggested feeding him whole milk yogurt and cheese to help him gain weight. My son is also pretty picky and I am doing the same thing as you are (giving him choices)and trying to figure out what he will eat. As far as throwing food - I have found that teaching my son to pick up the food from the floor after the meal ends has greatly reduced the amount of food thrown. Plus he is really proud of himself for helping. Hope that helps!

I have not had problem with food throwing, but I have had problems with picky eaters. My son, who is now 6, only eats about 5 things. He was in the low 25 percentile since he was 2. He always seemed to be sick and I was worried that he was not getting enough calories. My husband, who is a pharmacist, brought home some Pedisure back when he was 2. We call them milkshakes. He drinks 2 a day and has been since he was 2. His health got better and he is now in the 50 percentile. He is still picky, but at least I know he is getting his calories and vitamins he needs. We offer him everything we eat, but he just does not like it. I do not stress anymore since he gets his "milkshakes" everyday. He even ask for them.
Goodluck, BH

i wish i could help you but never had that problem sorry S.

There's so many different opinions on how to handle eating issues. I had the same problem with my son. He would throw his food on the floor. My husband & I decided to address it as a behavior problem, not an eating problem. If my son threw his food or cup, we let him know it was wrong. We told him in a stern voice "No, no throwing food." If he did it again, he got a spanking on the hand & again told "No, you don't throw food." We did this each & every time he threw food. At first, he didn't like being corrected, but he eventually stopped throwing his food. Oh, and when he ate or took a bite of food, we PRAISED him & clapped. Make a BIG deal about how proud your are for him eating. GOOD LUCK! There's no easy answer. Each child is so different when it comes to eating.

I really am not sure what to recommend regarding the weight. Maybe your doctor can help with high calory specialty foods?

But the behavior you describe is not tolerable. He may not like his food. Or he may chose not to eat it. He may even be clumsy and drop a few items.

But he will not throw it. Period. You need to convey that some things are ok, and others will not be tolerated.

Making it clear on what you want and what will be accepted is often all that it takes with toddlers (and then teenagers). Otherwise they will push you further every day.

Parent power! (That is a GREAT book I would recommend to all parent who want to be in control)

I hope he starts eating better. It can be worrisome.F

I have tried ignoring my son when he does these types of things. It doesn't work. We have learned we have to say something to him and discipline him if he continues. Of course my husband has more luck with this than I do. I'm torn too because one thing I've read is to take the food away if they do this. But I don't want to stop him from eating. So I try the talking, then disciplining, then take the food away as a last result.

When my son started throwing food I soon found out it was useless to try to stop him from trying to remove it from his tray. So, I gave him an alternative: I designated one of the little compartments on his tray as his "all done" pile, and when he was all done with food I'd encourage him to put his food there. When he threw it down I'd say NO and put it instead in the all done pile, and over time he got used to it. He apparently just needed a place to put his food when he didn't want it. Of course, I had to respect when he considered food "all done" and never pushed him to eat more. At the end of his meal I'd just ask him if he wanted more and point to his pile, but if he said no I'd say ok and throw it all away. Supposedly they know when they've had enough so I wouldn't worry too much. I would also offer only the healthiest foods, always what we were eating, so what little he ate was worthwhile. Anyways, my son is now 2 and we've never had food battles. He's a little below the 50% but the doc says he's still healthy, so no worries! Hope this helps!
PS-I forgot to mention that for a while (when he threw a LOT), I only gave him 3 pieces of food at a time, esp at restaurants, to minimize mess. If he threw one piece, I'd warn him, and if he threw a second, I took away his food and he was done with his meal. Although it was hard to take away his food when I really wanted him to eat, he quickly learned I meant business and to appreciate his food! :)

Hi M.,
I don't know that I'd ignore the behavior. Maybe just present him with very small amounts of food you know he will eat. (like one or two pieces at a time) Also, setting boundaries and saying no is ok even at this age - in my opinion.

(about me: i'm a mom of a 15 year old who is hearing impaired. i'm also an early childhood and deaf ed teacher.)

hope this helps!!