Throwing Food at Dinner -- Going to Bed Hungry??

Hi,
I have an 18 mo. old daughter who has recently begun to throw food like crazy! It is so frustrating. My husband actually advised that maybe I should only put very small amounts on her tray and then replace it as she eats it. That has worked for the most part. She still spazzes when she's finished and tries to swipe all else off the tray, but I can usually head her off and grab her hand before she's successful and hold onto it while saying, "No, we don't throw food" while looking her in the eye. She does the same thing when she gets bored, which may be your son's issue as well. Another thing is that I make her help pick up food off of the floor. Hope that is helpful.

Instead of taking it away, try making him sit through dinner and take something away from him that he enjoys doing. I have a three year old that use to do that and it worked. You may want to remove him from the highchair too and let him sit like you and your husband.

i have four little ones (5, 3, 2, and 3 months) and i had problems with the middle two throwing food. we set the rule that if you throw food you are done for that meal. we only have problems every once and a while with it now. i don't think mine do it to get attention i think theirs is more that they are done and start playing. when our oldest was the only kid we did talk to her while we ate (she was a late talker) so maybe something to make him feel included. i hope this helps. i know there is a huge difference making one child feel included than a child that has other siblings to converse with.
:) jenny

My two-year-old daughter likes to throw her food onto the floor when she is done. Sometimes she only eats two bites of her dinner. I wouldn't worry too much about your son going to bed hungry and waking up in the middle of the night. I have heard the pediatrician say that, at this age, as long as they get at least one good meal a day in them, they should be fine. It's most likely just a phase and I am sure he will get over it eventually. Good luck!

Hi N.,

Your son is only 2 and I think most 2 year olds go through it. When my son started, I would try giving him one bite at a time and when he was done, I would give him a toy or let him down from the table. My mom was told that a 2 year old needs 2 tablespoons of food per day to meet their needs. Also, my ped. told me that their attention span was about 15 minutes, so to expect him to sit through a long dinner was setting everyone up for failure. Don't get upset, just anticipate the time limit and then switch gears.

Good luck and be sure to enjoy him while he's little!

I would move him from a highchair, to a bosster seat at the table. You can get lots of different types. There are ones that hook onto the table (make sure the table is heavy, so it doesn't flip over) There are also cheaper ones that are kinda like the bosster seats. Maybe he is Jealous, that he does feel like part of the family. At the very least I would pull his highchair right up to the table. Good Luck