Almost 2Yr Old Throws His Food EVERY Meal!

My daughter went thru this phase too (right before two as well). I was so upset one day, I made her clean it up. She protested, but I sat there on the floor with her with my hand over hers and made her clean. She's never done it again. Good luck (and know that the terrible twos will be over soon).

K.,
Hi, I have a daughter who is 1 1/2 and used to throw her food on the floor too. She usually did it when she was done eating. I think kids have a thing about them where they don't want to see the food anymore when they're done! I spoke firmly to her, and said "do NOT throw your food on the floor." and then I would sit with her as she ate. If I noticed her about to throw a piece on the floor i would put my hand out and say "can mommy have that?" and she would put it in my hand instead. She still to this day will hand me the piece of food instead of throwing it on the floor. I hope that helps! Good luck!

Consistency and time. Kids will learn that you are serious and stop after a while, but if you give in just once, they'll go back to doing it. Go back to sternly telling him no and taking it away. My son doesn't throw any more, but I still remind him to "eat don't play" when he even looks like it. Hang in there!

And sorry to hear about your husband deploying. I'll say prayers for him. My hubby came back in May. Don't hesitate to ask people for help!! I would get to the point I needed a break, needed relief, needed to not have to cook and it was HUGE when people did those things for me! God bless you! And thank you for your sacrifice! Our nation would not be as strong if it weren't for the strenght of our women holding down the family while the men fight to give others the freedoms we already have!

Well i'm sorry for you too. My son did the same thing when he was about 1 and half years old. I quickly started making meal time more fun. I gave him toddler spoons (they are usually deeper) and bought some fun mats for the tray and the floor. Then I started putting him at the table in a booster seat so he would eat with everyone. him sitting at the table like a big boy was the best thing, eventually it all stopped and now I just have to work on not feeding the dogs ;) But it's a phase and it will stop too. I also made sure he had more piles of food to eat, so he would be more interested in eating different things. I bought those plates with the sections and he did very well. We just had to make meal times interesting. Good luck!

First off I want to thank your husband for protecting our country. And then I want to thank you for supporting your husband. I know some people in Washington who are in Iraq.
It sounds like you are doing everything right. Maybe put him in another room or something where he doesn't have an audience? I never had to deal with this. Sorry!

I would just keep up with feeding him only during meals and not giving him snacks when he does not eat his meals. When he does eat all of his food, give him plenty of praise and offer him a special treat afterwards. Not candy or any sugary stuff, but something that he likes and is healthy like a fruit bar or something. Eventually he will get the point and start eating more. Like my husband says, "When he is hungry enough, he will eat". Even if he only eats half of his meal, that is better than nothing. When he throws food on the floor say something like, "oh thats too bad. The food is yucky know. I guess you will have to wait until lunch time... dinner time... ect.." Be sure to look hurt too. Children do not like to see that they have hurt someones feelings that they care about. This worked for my son, so hopefully it will help you. Another thing is to maybe give him smaller portions so that you don't have to waste so much food.
Also have you tried giving some of his favorite foods? Or does it even matter?
Since his dad has been deployed, this may be tuff on him. Maybe try talking to him about it. Even if it is just I miss dad because ________________. Or looking through a photo album. I am sure that your husband gets to call you sometimes as well. Maybe your husband can talk to your son about throwing food or even just ask if he is being good for mommy. My husband does that for my son when he is working a lot and it seems to help.
I think that since your son gets the clue that throwing food is not allowed when your husband is home, that he understands that food throwing is a "no no". He is probably throwing food because dad is not there and he is testing his boundaries with you.
Good Luck!

M. *~

Oh my gosh! Don't starve your baby - he's just testing his boundries with you. He MAY NOT be hungry too. Believe me, he'll eat when he's hungry. Make sure you are giving him a good variety and it's stuff you KNOW he likes. No point in forcing foods that he won't eat. Not until later anyway! They go through phases as you well know. My girl sometimes eats like a bird, then eats like a horse the next week. Don't worry. Just know that meal time is going to be gross and a pain in the arse for a little while. And....... my 16 month old will listen to Daddy better than me - it's normal. :-) Good luck, and THANK YOUR HUSBAND for being a soldier! Take care.

The only thing that I can think of to help solve this problem is to only give your son a few bites of food on his plate at meal time. If he eats those then give him a few more bits on his plate, and keep doing this until he starts to throw it. When he does start to throw his food I would make him clean it up himself so he understands that it's not OK. I hope this helps! Good Luck!

Thowing food is very common at this age. It's the whole cause & effect thing in action for them. He may also be getting a kick out of your reaction to his food throwing. Both my boys did this, too. Like the other moms suggested, I only gave them a few bites of food on the tray to avoid a huge mess. If they did it towards the end of the meal, I took that to mean they were full & finished so I took away the food. I would also calmly tell them to not throw their food. For the most part, I didn't make a big deal of it cuz I knew it was just a phase & would end....which it has. Like the other mom said, your son is too young to get the connection between lack of snacks between meals & the food throwing. So, I suggest you do the same. It is just a phase & will eventually go away. Good luck!

I have a 19 month old who also loves to wear and throw a great majority of her food (though she always ends up eating everything in sight when she's done). We went through the food throwing struggle as my kitchen is tiny and she is fed in a high chair in a carpeted room. I finally got tired of having to spot clean the carpet every day - and started feeding her every bite she put in her mouth as opposed to putting stuff on her tray to let her do it herself. She was NOT happy about this because, of course, she wants to do everything herself - after getting rather pissed about the whole situation, I was able to get the message across that food throwing equals mommy feeding only. And as suggested below, I would make her clean up her own mess on the floor if she threw things - Id take her right out of that high chair in the middle of the meal and stop everything until she cleaned up the mess (with my guidance of course).
Since your son is nearly two, he understands exactly what he is doing, so you can explain to him directly that, if he throws his food, mommy will feed him like a "baby" (and stress the baby thing, they dont like being called babies) and he will have to clean up the mess before he is allowed to do anything else.

Dear K.,

You have tried so hard that I got tears in my eyes while laughing at your deep voice to sound like Daddy.

My gr grandson did that too at the same age. I just got into the habit of sitting close to him with only small bits of food on his plate, and the rest of what I hoped he would eat on a separate plate near me. If he needed extras I supplied them, and when he started throwing, I took his hand and said NO ! Like you tried to do. It went on for some time, then he got hungry and started eating again.

But, I would suggest that he probably doesn't make the connection between nothing to eat between meals and throwing the food, or not eating at meal time. His body just doesn't need the food right now.

Good healthy snacks are important inbetween meals. My daughter who has survived to be a grandmother, didn't eat well at that age either, and I fed her whenever she asked for food. Everyone said that I was spoiling her and that she would get fat, and that la, la, la, and on and on. But she did finally eat, and she did not get fat. So you just do what you think is right for your baby. You are the best judge of what they should eat or not eat or if they are healthy or happy, or whatever.

Spoiling is when you threaten them and do not follow through. I will talk to you about that sometime if you want. C. N.