My just 2 year old throw everything he can get his hands on. It's most annoying when he throws his food. I know that it's a stage but shouldn't he be done with this stage by now? When he was 6 weeks old he was diagnosed with GURD and then we had to have a feeding specialist in because he was not transitioning to solid foods. He eats now, not much, but he does eat. I give him a stern NO when he throws his food and move the food out of reach for a minute or two. Has anyone else dealt with this and what have you done to curtail this behavior? Btw, sometimes when he throws toys or other objects i tell him to pick it up and try and help him pick it up. Thanks for your help.
It's been my experience that when they start throwing food...they're done. My 17 month old is into that now...when she picks up a fist ful of food...I take her plate away...that's it...I personally think it's a stage (not one of my favorites!)
Best wishes,
J.
PS - If he's hungry, he'll eat...don't worry about him not getting enough - they go through stages where I swear a little birdie eats more...all normal stuff, not to worry!
I think that's a normal part of being a boy. So is running, hitting, jumping, whacking and rolling around in the mud! My oldest son is 5 1/2 and is still throwing! (I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, right?) Here's what has helped me. We have designated "good" things to throw and "good" places to throw. (You may throw your bouncy ball only in the playroom, ex.) Then when he starts to throw inappropriately, you can steer him to a good place to get out his energy. We also made throwing a clean up game. Make the toy box the goal and take turns throwing in toys from a distance. If he gets it in, yell "SCORE!" My boys love that one.
Hmmm...not sure about the toys, but with food I always ended a meal for my daughter when she threw food. I put her down and gave her the opportunity to eat again after an hour if she hadn't had enough. But that seemed to have worked. But I did that back when she was 15 months so not sure how effective it will be for a 2 year old.
Good luck!
-M
Hi M.,
I don't agree with the poster who believes it's part of being a boy. I don't buy into the boys will be boys and are meant to behave badly mentality. THere's nothing in a boy's biological make up that's different than a girl's which makes them drop their food off their plate. It is, however, still normal for the age.
My take on tossing the food is that he's done eating. If he was actively eating, he wouldn't be throwing his food. As soon as he throws something, I'd declare the meal over.
Kids at 2 years old also don't always realize that if there's something on their plate or tray that they do not want to eat, that they don't need to throw it, drop it on the floor or otherwise get rid of it. Since you have an older child, maybe you can get her on board to help you with some role playing. Have her keep something on her plate each night at dinner that she's not going to eat, have her tell you, "Mom, I don't want to eat the rest of my carrots," and tell her, "That's okay, just leave them on your plate" and see if your son catches on.
GOod luck!
Although he may be done when he starts throwing his food. That's not a good way for him to tell you. Give him a time out. As soon as he does, take him out of his chair and sit him in an empty space. Some people put them against a wall or something but my son just plays with his feet against the wall. Make sure there are no rugs or anything around him. If he uses a pacifier, make sure he doesn't have it. Give him two minutes because he's two years old. When you put him there give hime a very short explaination of why he's there. "You're in time out because you threw food and that's not good". Ignore him when he's in time out unless he gets up. Put him back and start over again. When time's up, if he's calm enough let him say he's sorry and then he's done. You must stick to the rules or he will know he can manipulate you.
I also like Anne's suggestion on what to do with the food when he's all done.
Hi M.. My 21 month year old son throws everything too. I think he does it when he feels he is finished with his food. I say no also but he still does it. I am constantly picking things up. Your situation sounded similiar to mine. My son had reflux when he was an infant and also was not easy transitioning him to solid food. He does eat solids now but not as much as he is suppose to. He is not a big eater. I haven't been able to curtain this behavior yet. I think I would just continue saying no. I also find my son finds things funny. He isn't good at listening to me. I hope this behavior changes soon. You are not alone.
M.,
I think you have received many great responses. Just end the meal and let him know that he cannot throw. Throwing toys is just him testing his boundries. When he throws a toy just do as you are doing and maybe give him a ball and say you throw the ball not the toy. Maybe he will get the difference and turn it around. If he likes to throw, maybe he will become a pitcher for the Yankees someday and it will all be worth while ha! ha!. I think you are doing exactly what you should be to try to correct the behavoir he's just growing. Good luck!!
This is normal for his age. He's exploring his world and his boundaries. Check out the book Positive discipline, it may give you better pointers than saying 'no' when he does this so the behavior stops.
I have an 18 month old boy who has similar issues to yours. He has GERD and is overcoming a feeding aversion to solids. He also throws food. At first I thought it was attention-seeking behavior and reacted with "No" and when that didn't work I moved on to taking the food away or very brief time out (turning the chair away from the table). But like you, I found these things didn't work for him. After really observing him, I found that he was throwing food for two reasons. The first was if he had too much food or too many types of food on his plate. Overwhelming, I guess, since eating is such a challenge. Now I give him just a very small amount of one or two foods at a time. When he eats it I praise him and then give him a little more. The other reason he throws food is when he is finished eating. He often finishes before the rest of the family is done. I'm working on teaching him to say or sign "all done" and push the plate away. I've also been teaching him to put unwanted food in a certain place like a bowl rather than throwing. I do remove his plate as soon as I suspect he is full and then he can sit with the family or just get down. I've found that eliminating the frustrations of too much food on his plate and food left over when he's finished eating cut way back on the amount of throwing he does.
As for throwing toys, I take them away and put them in time out where he can't reach them for a little while or remove him from the situation. If he throws things that belong to others, I have him help pick them up. Good luck! I hope you find the solution for your little guy.
My daughter used to throw food on the floor when she was that age. It annoyed me to no end until we had a guest over for dinner (a university professor that my friend was dating) and he suggested that I just ignore the behavior. I tried it, ONCE, and she never threw food again. It was unbelievable! I guess two year olds just love attention, whether negative or positive!
