Throws His Food at Meals

my daughter, now almost 21 mo., also enjoyed throwing her food for a long time too. i learned to only give her very small amounts of food at a time, and if she seemed to be done by throwing, i would tell her no, clean off her tray, then clean her off and have her get down and help me pick up the stuff that she throws on the floor. the other idea that i had was to give her a bowl and tell her (over and over) that when she was done, not to throw the food but to put it in the bowl. that way i would see in plenty of time that she was getting done and could get whatever i needed to clean her up === i also then INTENSELy praised her every time she even attempted to help me clean up by putting it in the bowl or wiping her tray herself.

I feel that taking his food away is the wrong approach. Throwing food is typical for a 15 month old and shouldn't necessarily be classified as bad behavior. He is learning how to feed himself and if he ends up throwing it, then maybe you could offer him some utensils for him to practice with. He might be getting bored with the same-old way of eating and ready to learn something new. You could lay down a large peace of plastic,(I know they sell them in the stores), and then it would be an easier clean up. It also might be a good idea to strip his clothes off beforehand then you can just hose him off in the bathtub or sink. This phase will pass, just relax and have fun with it because you might miss it later on since they grow up so fast. Good luck!

when my kids were that age, I wouldn't put a whole plate of food on their tray. I would leave the plate on the table with me and just put a few things on their tray at a time. That way when they decide that they are full or that it's playtime, there are only a couple of bites that might get thrown. Keep telling him no with your stern mom face and when he throws food he's done. It's so normal for this age, but hopefully if you keep on him, he'll be done by 18mo!!:)

I agree with RAchel...it's a phase. Both my now 4 and 2 1/2 year old did the SAME thing, at about the same age. This is what we did...every time he would throw his food, we would immediately push his plate out of his reach. We would kind of give his food a "time-out." :) Then, after we let him cry and reach for it, we would sternly say, "We don't throw food," and give it back. If he did it again, repeat...over and over and over. If he's really hungry, he'll stop throwing long enough to eat. When you are done with dinner, then dinner is over...so take his plate away, too, unless he's actually eating :) Good luck!! Hang in there...and in the meantime, buy a piece of plastic from the fabric store, or buy a plastic mat to place under the high chair for easier clean-up.

When our daughter does this we tell her no. If she continues then we take her down and make her help pick up the food that she has thrown on the floor. It was a huge fight in the begining but now she actually helps. I have noticed that she doesnt throw it as much but it still happens. Then for the most part we put her back in her chair to sit with us until everyone is done with their food..

I agree with your doctor. If he starts to throw food, meal time is done. Take him out of the chair clean him up and move on. You need to do this every time and trust me it works. My kids have never thrown food which is a blessing when you are out with others or in a restaurant.

Your Dr. is right. When he starts playing with food or throwing it, the meal is over. Take the food away, wash his hands, and take him out of his high chair. Try and stop the behavior earlier before he has a chance to make a big mess. Usually when a toddler does this, it just means that he's not hungry. He'll tell you when he's hungry and then you can try again. Be consistant in always taking his food away from him when he plays with it and the behavior will probably stop soon. I've taught my 17 month old daughter the sign for "all done" so when she does it I know she's done eating. So she doesn't play with her food or throw it as much anymore. But this behavior just really goes with the territory. Pretty much all toddlers do this. Hang in there, if you're consistant, it will stop!

Its a stage that all kids go through. I just take the food away, wipe off the tray/table, wipe him up, wash his hair in the kitchen sink if you have a sprayer, and tell him he is done eating. I keep shampoo by my kitchen sink just for this purpose. He will grow out of it. I have a two year old in my daycare that occasionally will revert back to food smearing. My own 16 month old daughter is in this stage right now. It was a pain with my twins because it was hard to get the food away from both of them fast enough. Fortunatly I have dogs that will clean the larger pieces off the floor for me. Good luck!

I think that the doctor is right, you may have to take the time to clean him up first but as you are doing so tell him he was naughty and now he don't get any "food" (however you would phrase that). Wait a while and try it again. Before you put him back in his chair say to him " Are you hungry, do you want food?" I would also suggest NOT giving him any liquids like juice or milk that would FILL him up so he doesn't want to eat again and may incourage food throwing. My son would get crabby, he is 13 months, and I do just that. I also make sure he doesn't get any "snacks" until he can be good. When he does finally eat instead of throwing it tell him that he is being a good boy and praise him NOT throwing the food.

S.,
a good thing is that FIRST he eats,
then only the trouble starts.
So, I'd suggest you stay close, notice when he is about to be done eating, and ready to throw food, and take it away very quickly.
There is NO WAY your son will understand and obey your word 'NO" immediately. As you remove the object(s) being thrown around, you prevent the situation.
If he already got his hands into food, it's a good idea to wash his hands with a damp cloth immediately. before letting him out to run around :).
Happy GooDay to you!!!

Our little guy will be 14 months soon and we have been dealing with the same problem for quite awhile now. His Dr. told me that when he starts to drop his food on the floor he is done eating. So we either take him out of his highchair and clean him up or we take all his finger foods away and finish feeding him. He isnt quite ready to feed himself without help yet. If your child was really hungery then he wouldnt throw his food so dont worry about taking him out of his chair early he wont starve. Good luck.

Hi S.. Isn't mealtime fun with a 15 month old? I have some advice that has worked wonders with my kids. As soon as the playing during mealtime starts, simply say to your son with a cheerful voice, "Looks like lunch (breakfast or dinner) is over!" Then quickly wipe his hands and face with a washcloth and remove him from his highchair. You don't have to remove him so quickly as to not have time to clean him up. He'll get the idea as soon as you start wiping his hands and face. This method comes from "Parenting with Love and Logic". The book "Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood" is a great resource and helps parents to discipline their children (birth - 6 yrs) without anger or frustration while teaching children to be responsible through lots of love and natural consequences. This method has worked miracles for my children ages 4 and 1. Good luck!

It's no fun for you, but it is completely age appropriate. He doesn't mean to make you mad. It's just fun! :)

When my kids did stuff like this, I just fed them myself during the brief period when they felt like flinging food. He will be over the phase soon and it will be much easier for everybody involved. Don't worry, he'll still learn great table manners eventually.

I'd also provide appropriate ways for him to be able to make a mess outside of mealtimes. I used to make "finger paint" out of baby cereal and red juice concentrate and let my toddlers draw all over the tray, smash it, wear it, whatever. If they happened to eat it, so much the better. Then I'd pop them into the bath and just wipe down the high chair.

Another option is to either feed him at a separate time and let him play while you eat, or sit him on your lap and feed him while you eat. We did both with our toddlers and it made life much easier. Good luck!

Hi S.,
When my son does this we give him one warning then we take his plate away. He still needs to sit with us until we are done eating. We have had to only do a couple times and then he stops after the warning. It is such a trying stage. Good luck.
Chris

Welcome to the beginning of the terrible two's. I suggest not leaving the food in his arms reach. Give him only one bite at a time. I would leave him in his chair until the family meal is over, but only allow him to sit there if he doesnt' want to eat.

Hi S.:

My son has the same issue. He thinks throwing food is fun and tries to throw it during the whole mealtime. He also loves to swish his hands from left to right to see how much food he can send over the edge of his tray. Somethings that have worked for us may help you hopefully.
I only provide him with small portions of each food item which limits what he can throw.
I provide him with three warnings before I remove all finger foods and just feed him myself.
At the end of each meal I have him help me pick up whatever he has thrown on the floor. I started this at 13 months with my son.
I also started providing him with a fork and spoon to try to eat with and that seemed to reduce the throwing. My son loves to mimic what he sees us doing so he likes to use his fork when we do.
Our son remains in his highchair until the meal is done. If he is very naughty and has had his finger foods removed, I give him a book about vegetables to look at while the rest of us finish eating. (I wash him and his tray up first.) Once we are all done we pick up the food on the ground.
These steps have helped with reducing the amount of food that ends up on the floor and how often he does it.
People have told me this a natural way of testing boundaries. Find a system that works for you and stick with it. Stay firm and reward him when he does not throw any food on the floor.
I agree with another response that said to refrain from just taking him out of his seat because it will encourage the action. If he realizes that when he throws his food you take him out of the highchair to play it will only encourage the behavior. Our doctor told me not to do this and suggested that take away the finger foods and feed him myself.

When my son started doing this we moved him inot a booster chair so he was sitting and using the table with us.... the throwingfood and smearing stopped. I think that was his way of telling us he wanted to be closer to us at meals. Plus its easier for one of us to grab his plate away if he happens to show signs of playing. He just turned 2 and he's been at he table for 6 months now. The boosters we have have lapbelts so he has to sit until he's cleaned and unfastened.

I would suggest that as soon as he throws his first piece of food or better yet as he's getting ready to throw it, to take his plate away immediately, have a wash cloth right there by you, wash his hands and face, then take him out of his chair. A time out wouldn't hurt either. It's not a "reward" to get down and play when he does that. I'm of the age where a swat on the butt never hurt either. But he can't be rewarded to get down to play when his behavior is unacceptable. This may make your meal more stressful for awhile, but that's part of parenting.

My kids have been like this with everything from supper to bathtime. Messes are fun (apparently).

What I have learned is to use the word "stop" instead of "no". After awhile, the word "no" loses it's meaning and it's just a game. We've started using "no" only for dangerous things (ie. electrical outlets, touching a hot stove, etc) and "stop" is for things that are just "no-nos". This way "no" doesn't get diluted and it's a serious thing. When my 2 year old starts making messes, it's "stop" and she has to get the wash rag and help us clean it up. If her attitude persists, it's off to the bath and bed. It only took us 3-4 weeks till it sunk in, and the behavior changed. She's even started helping us enforce this with our one-year-old (shes' very protective of her little sister, and I think she wants to spare her getting in trouble?)

As far as punishment for throwing food, at this age they're so young, you can't reason with them (though I've tried!). :P Like your doctor said, just take him down, clean off his hands and let him do his own thing. He won't starve himself, so he'll let you know when he's hungry. By taking him down from his chair he'll learn that when he's hungry, that's where the food is, and he can't be playing/throwing things around. It's just a waiting game. Good luck! :)

As soon as he starts to throw the food take it away. Be consistant. Wash his hands and tell him; you just threw your food on the floor. You are done eating. Clean him up and get him down. Consistancy works the best. Good luck.

When he starts throwing food, get him out of his chair and clean him up with no expection to return to finish eating. If he does this at the beginning of a meal thats OK, he will just learn quicker that you don't throw food and you will not eat if you do. As his mom the first or second time will be harder on you than him but he is testing you, do not give in, not even snacks before the next meal. He will not strave missing one meal, he will learn. You just have to be tough and consistent at first and the faster he will learn. Sounds hard but it will be much better in the end, just think if he was throwing food while eating out, you wouldn't want to deal with that situation.

I agree with your Dr., take him out of the chair--that's what we always did. He'll get the message that meal time is over if this behavior starts--then wash his hands and send him on his way.