Food Going Overboard

When they start throwing food/dropping food/ playing with food - the meal is over and the plate should be removed. They won't starve, I promise!

Wish I had started this consistently when mine were littler. I still have issues with my 3 year old blowing milk bubbles, playing in her plate, etc because I wasn't firm enough when she was little. Now she's learning that if she plays with her food Mommy assumes she's done and takes the plate away, but it's a much harder lesson for all of us at this age.

We finally started placing an empty bowl on our daughter's high chair and taught her to drop the food in that instead of dropping it on the floor. She also likes toddler-safe utensils to "stir" the food with (i.e. mutilate it.) While I would rather have her just eat the food, it beats cleaning it all up off the floor three times a day!

C. G.

Fix her favorite meal. If she throws it, try taking the food away and putting it on the counter where she can see it. Then wait for her to ask for it. When she asks for it, then tell her that she can't have it because she threw it off and that is not acceptable behavior. Make her stay in her seat and don't give to her until she has really really begged for it. Then see what happens. If she does it again, then take it away from her totally and make her do without that meal. She is old enough that she could do without the meal until the next snack. She is also old enough to start understanding that her actions have consequences. I am not for starving a child. Make sure and feed her a snack later, if she misses the meal, and remind her that she could have had the meal, if she wouldn't have thrown it.

L.

It is totally normal unfortuantely! I would recommend getting a plastic floor mat. We got ours at Babies r Us and it made the cleaning up much easier! It is just a stage and like everything else, this too will pass!

my daughter is 11 months and does the same thing.

It drives me crazy too.
I totally agree with the dog idea.. ours keeps it clean. ;)

My 26 months still does it from time to time just to get attention or when is finished and that's when I ask him are you all done and he says all done. I pick up everything and take him out of his seat.

I agree get a done. Granted we don't have a dog and haven't in a while but growing up he was my garbage disposal:)

They will grow out of this some earlier than others.

Good Luck and don't stress out.

Completely normal, you definitely need a dog!! My daughter is 16 months and she still does it. She has recently gotten a lot better, especially at restaurants (thank goodness that is so embarrassing). I would not worry about it, the thrill will fade!

get a drop cloth at Babies r us or use an old sheet!!

My daughter is 13 months and does it to. So she eats most meals in the kitchen where it is easier to clean the dropped foods. At dinner she eats at the table with us and I put towels down (only because I havent bought one of those plastic drop cloths down yet). I only feed her at the table snacks and foods that wont stain the carpet and easy to pick up. Her main meal gets fed in the kitchen. My daughter loves to chunk her Cheereos at me!

She usually drops her food on the floor when she is "done" (with the exception of Spaggetti - which I will never feed her again). Once she starts throwing and dropping food - I ask her if she is finished eatting and then take the food away. Now mind you she cant speak yet - so I take the dropped food as a "yes I am done".

I dont have a dog and not looking to get one until she is five so I suggest a drop cloth.

Happy Cleaning.

I remember my son if you did not get the food as soon as he was done over it went. Also the dog had fun getting it. Now I have to get after day care kids to take food plates to the counter if they do not the dog is waiting if I forget to put her in her cage. G. W Yes it will quit do you know an adult that does this?

LOL Your house too? My 19 month old son does this too. He is getting a bit better since I started taking it away right away when he starts now.
I know it is cute UNTIL you have to clean it up LOL
M.
www.BeHomeToo.biz

My advice: get a dog. They'll keep the floors much cleaner. ;)

It is a milestone for sure and, while annoying sometimes, completely normal. You can try putting the food in time out. When she starts, tell her the food goes away if she throws it. It may or may not work. She's still pretty young and she's just exploring the world of cause and effect. Eventually it will stop and I think the less a deal you make of it, the better. Some kids (mine) love to push mommy's buttons if you let them. It's not malicious or manipulative, it's entertaining for them. Just keep a good attitude and this too shall pass before you know it.

What's wrong with giving her one piece at a time? It sounds like a pain in the butt, at least you'll know how much she eats and when she is done. Say for instance- the toast. Pull it apart one piece at a time, the first time she throws it on the floor, tell her she's done. Take her out of the chair and she'll learn that when she throws it on the floor, she won't get anymore!

My son did it for two weeks after that I started telling him he was done and took him out of his chair. Now, he eats as soon as I pull it down and will only eat until he's full!

I have to agree with all the other Mom's!

1. It is just a stage.
2. Get a dog...they even clean up accidental "Mommy" droppsies too.
3. And I will add one...I think it is a GIRL thing. My little boy NEVER did it, but my 14th MO girl does it all the time. I think she is going to be a frisbie champ because she can sling her plate across the kitchen into the living room sometimes.

K.

my 13 month old just finished with this. Whenever he would start to throw his food, he'd get one shot, I'd tell him no, and ask him if he was "all done" while doing the finished sign. If he threw it again, i did the "all done" sign, removed him from his seat, and the meal was over. If he hadn't eaten enough, I would try again in about 20 minutes. It took about two weeks, but he not only is no longer throwing his food, but is able to tell me when he is finished with the sign, so the battle is over!