Throwing Food at Meal Times!

Oh my gosh! I'm so glad you posted this. I have just spent another exhausting evening trying to feed my daughter ANYTHING. She has got to be the pickiest eater alive. She will only eat things that are crunchy - crackers, lettuce, cucumbers, gerber snacks. Not very nutritious. Not to mention, she will not drink milk from anything but a bottle, and only right before her nap and bed - the two WORST times to give her milk. I'm at my wits end and I dread meal times. I've totally run out of ideas. Sorry, I have no solutions, only empathy. Can't wait to read other's posts.

Good luck and know that I'm suffering with you!
J.

Scoop it off the floor and give it to him again. If he doesn't eat it, wrap it up and save it for later. If he gets hungry again, give it to him again. he'll get the point after a few meals.

At that point, my little guy was thrilled to use a fork! I got him those plastic baby forks and was amazed that he could stab the food and find it to his mouth. Well, sometimes I had to put the food on the fork for him, but he ate so much better as stopped throwing so much food because he was feeding himself like a big person. And in between his bites, I would spoon things into his mouth that could not go on a fork..

wow how frustrating!! i know it seems that there is no light at the end of the tunnel but there really is. this is the begining od tons and tons of tests that he will put you through and the main thing that you should remember is that you are the ruler and you must decide a consequence for every action (posotive &negative) for instance with the food throwing set the table for meal time put his food out of reach for him and as you all sit to eat give him one item at a time and tell him in advance that if he throws it , he will get down and have a time out. i know it seems rediculas to have him in time out at his age right?? but he is only 1 and only needs 1 minute to think about it. where can you put him that he might stay?? a walker ,exersauser , playpen. think of somewhere other than the highchair and the crib. but he will need some kind of confinement to understand the process and that you mean business. and it should also be away from ev3eryone such as the laundry room or an unpleasant place but not in harms way. then after time out he can come back to the high chair for one more chance and then if he needs to go back to time out again (which he most likely will) take him, but this time he cant eat or have milk till his next regular scheluled feeding. be strong this will not last he is in no danger of starvation or dehydration it should only take at the most 24 hours. and he will learn that there is a consequence for every action and so when he does not throw things he will get praise and you can teach him to say "no thank you" or "yes please". he does comprehend more than you think . please remember that we as mothers do a lot of trial and error and it can change to what you are comfortable doing but this is the begining of how he will treat you when he is a teen. nip it . there will be less mess and more happy meal times. here is a quick recipe. 1# meat of choice (chicken breast)
1# pasta of choice (color swirls)
1# veggies of chioce (frozen mixed)
add whole milk to taste.
1 jumbo can of cream of chicken soup. make it more like gravy and not too soupy he should love it
i also used to hide extra fruit and veggies on a yogert smoothie. use can sweet potates and can pumpkin . can or fresh friut. milk and yogert and blend well you could also throw in some canned mixed veggies with the fruit smoothie and he will not know the difference. hoping the best for you and yours and know that you are doing a great job as a mom!! good luck and god bless~!!

a lot of babies associate meal times with snuggling because of bottle feeding. try sitting him on your lap and feed him some of your meal, or his meal off your plate. also try goat's milk instead of regular milk, it is much gentler on the digestive system and more nutritious. you can get it from cans on the baking aisle, but it is best if you find someone who can give it to you raw. it also produces less phlegm, which means less snotty noses, ear infections, etc. :D

also get him checked to see if he has digestive issues.

especially where he is being picky, it is important that everything he does eat is nutritious.

have you tried taking a bite of something and then giving him the next bite? I wouldn't put too much on his tray. Relax, have fun, and play with him while he eats. It will help relieve tension

Make mealtime firm, he is to eat or get down. If he throws food, get him down and tell him "we do not play with food"...and wait a while. Be stern but calm about it.
If he is hungry he will eat. Offer only veggies at first, only in small amounts so it isn't all over the floor.
Offer steamed fresh green beans, my kids LOVED frozen peas (frozen is better then canned for veggies), try adding some flavor to his foods too or feeding him what you eat.
Don't take away milk as he needs a LOT of milk during the day, just make it at the end of the meal not with the meal so he doesn't fill up on that.
Try scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, cheese pizza cut up in tiny pieces, try yogurt, squishy fresh fruits, baked chicken nuggets chopped up, even lasagna, mac n' cheese with chopped cooked carrots in it, deli meats cut up, he will eat veggies if that is all you offer first and he is hungry. If you start giving him just what he likes right now you will set him up for being picky eater.

Hi Kori,
This is one of the first ways for kids to start 'pushing the envelope' and having some control. As they get older it is great for them to have some say in their diet, gives them a sense of control in their own lives however right now you still need to be in control. What happened with me kids, as the pediatrician recommended, was to put out the healthy food I wanted them to eat, if it landed on the floor it was cleaned up, and no other food was offered. A healthy snack a couple hours later was offered, if it was thrown down then the same thing, clean up and nothing else offered. Let him throw a fit if he wants and probably will for maybe a day or 2 but once they realize they aren't going to be catered to and there is no other food coming their way they will start to eat. My son was very mobile at a year so he had to help do the clean up, big fit but great results within 2 days.

This sounds tough but I learned from helping with my step sons who were completely catered to at meal time that it continues forever if you don't take care of it when they are little. My oldest stepson refused to eat what the rest of the family ate and at his moms had a nanny that would fix him separate meals of whatever he wanted, to this day, he is 27 now, he thinks he should be catered to at meals. My own son who is now 9 eats what we have or if he really doesn't like something new we are having he will fix himself a sandwich.

As he got older, 18 months and up, he started helping with shopping and cooking. He would help pick out the fruit and veggies, learned how to choose which ones were ripe..., he got to weigh them at the store and carefully put them in the cart. At home he helped crack eggs, kids love this and learn to do it well very quickly, he stirred the food and held measuring cups.... He was much more interested in trying the foods we made, was much more likely to try new foods when he had participated. As he got older we talked science, what foods are good for your brain, help your muscles and bones grow strong, how taste buds change and something you didn't like before you may like later and that you have to try something many times before your taste buds start to like it. Kids really respond to the interaction.

Also don't have junk food in the house as a choice. If it's not there they won't learn to like it or ask for it.

Good luck and make it fun!
SarahMM

Hi,
I agree with Amanda.
Here's some tips for hiding veggies. I'm a fan of a juice called "Roots and Fruits" (like V8 Fusion) it even has spinach in it. My son drank it and loved it. I did water it down though. Also, I used to add broccoli to his mac and cheese. If I make him a tortilla with cheese I had tomatoes. I have found putting them toward the middle works because they don't taste it the first bite. Also, if he'll eat meatloaf you can add carrots, peas and all sorts of stuff to it. Spaghetti is another one my kids love and it never hits the table without spinach. Just google some recipies for kids and you'll come along some that work. When all else fells kids love fruit usually just keep up the fruit and do your best.
My son was PICKY at that age and now he eats almost anything you put infront of him, he's 7.
Don't make it a huge battle try a new thing with his meal once or twice a week.

Hi Kori - I feel your pain! My little guy was doing the same thing at 15 months- it was a really fun "game" - for him that is!

Dont forget that he should be getting 24-32oz of 2% or whole milk per day at his age. The fat is really important for his brain development and calcium for bones/teeth. I like the Horizon milk that has added DHA. Cottage cheese and whole milk yogurt count toward the requirement.

We broke my son's habit (for the most part) by giving him only his fork or spoon but then putting his plate or bowl just out of his reach on the table. That way, he couldnt start messing with his food until I was able to sit down and he had a chance to get interested in it. If your guy is in a highchair, you might consider keeping control of the food and feeding it to him one piece at a time until he learns.

I would usually offer him a spoonful or a tidbit and when he knew it tasted good, I would give him his plate. We also only gave him small amounts of food at a time - it was easier for him to focus on small portions, it was easier for me to clean up, and it wasted less food. The other thing we did was make sure his snack time and meal times were at about the same time every day so he would be hungry.

When we stopped using the high chair, we set up a booster and chair for him that is the only place he eats or drinks. He has a picnic table that he has to sit at if he eats outside. If he throws his food, then that meal is over and he has to get down from the table. It didnt take him long at all to start eating and stop throwing. There were plenty of testing times. I would just clean him up and take him out of his chair, even if it was only for a few minutes. It was the fact that he had to stop eating and get down that reinforced the good habit.

To help with the veggies, etc., I either soft cooked his veggies and mix them in with sauce or melted cheese etc. or I blend them completely into the sauce. Adding butternut squash puree to mac & cheese is really easy and I mix in some well cooked peas and carrots and sometimes tuna. I like to use the penne noodles because they hold sauce and they're easy to eat with their hands. Remember, just a 3-4 noodles at a time.

Tomato sauce is also really easy to make - I add grated carrots and added some fresh spinach to my recipe. My son really liked small raviolis or tortellinis either in spag. sauce or even with just tossed with a little olive oil and parmesan. It also tastes good with very small well-cooked pieces of broccoli. He also liked little meatballs. Sometimes I add cooked rice and cheese to his before I baked them.

Hope that helps to give you some ideas - mostly just try to set it up so that mealtimes are about eating and not about play.

Good luck to you!!

Sounds like he loves watching you react to his food throwing. I had to give my son a bit of food at a time, then 2 bites, then 3....over the course fo 3 weeks to get hime to stop throwing food.

As far as him not being hungry.. Maybe actually measure out how much milk he is drinking a day. And it can't hurt to talk to your pediatrician.

Take care,
R.

Hi Kori,

I agree with the last post. My pediatrician too said that you should provide small portions (about a tablespoon) of a balanced meal. If your child eats all of the balanced meal, then seconds can be offered. If you child refuses any of the balanced meal and has finished what he/she likes then your child may be excused. If you child throws any food/drink to the floor, your child is immediately excused. Your child will quickly figure out that throwing food is not acceptable and will sit and eat when food is presented. Good luck, stay firm! G.

HI Kori,

I like the other mommy responses as well and agree with them all, my daughter went through the same thing at the same age, its just a time where they are finding things they can get away with. So she started throwing her food to push me and my limits-so I would get her out of her chair get the bowl or plate I gave her and made her help me pick it up (she hated that) so she she stopped doing that in about 3 days. Didn't take much since she had to do it.

My daughter loves spaghetti so I mash veggies in the sauce and she has no idea she is eating them but I give some veggies on the side and she might eat one or two of them if we make a game out of it, but if she don't eat them I have no worries because she just ate a bunch in her sauce, so with picky eaters you have to think of creative ways to get them eating there veggies. She also at this age loved the ravioli's by gerber-they have like chicken and carrots and a few other varieties and she loved rice (snuck veggies in there too). I also give her the V8 fruit juice and she loves it. At this age you have to be patient think outside the box and have fun. Hope I helped and good luck, let me know how it goes. C.

It's not a matter of he doesn't like what you're serving. It's a game - a way for him to have some control. When my kids threw food mealtime was over. They got out of the highchair and dinner/snack or whatever was over. No exceptions. They got the point pretty quickly. Another thing you can do is start to give him a choice. "Do you want carrots or green beans?" That way he feels like he has a little control and you still give him 2 good options (more than 2 would probably confuse him at this point) and he is eating what you want. Good luck.

Always tell him no and never clean it up in front of him (to babies, it's a game if the parent cleans it up...I throw, you clean, I throw, you clean...control of cause and effect). It'll pass.

You sound like me. Meal time has been the ultimate struggle for me. It's going on about a year now we've been throwing food. I have noticed that my daughter throws food to entertain herself when she's not hungry. Maybe think about your feeding schedule, too much juice, milk, snacks close to dinner time so he's filling up on those things instead of taking in a solid meal. Could the throwing food indicate he's just not hungry at the time.

Also, don't be afraid to do breakfast at dinner. Does he really like oatmeal or cereal. Then why not for dinner? Who says you have to have nuggets for dinner instead of cereal?

Finally, I suggest giving him less to throw. One piece of food at a time. If he throws it you can say something like, you must not be hungry then and don't provide him with any more.

I have a bit of a different issue. My daughter now almost 2 1/2 has yet to be on the growth chart, so I never felt comfortable with not feeding her a meal. But I know if she's truly hungry she will eat. Also, I am not a fan of taking them down from the table when they don't eat. It lets them know this is ok and if they don't feel like being there all they have to do is misbehave and they can get down. Instead I tell my daughter that she may not want to eat however, she needs to sit with the family until we are all done. I then will offer her one or two pieces of food throughout our meal and often she takes it knowing that well, if I've got to sit here I might as well eat something. I sometimes let her down sooner then when the rest of the family is done, but I believe it is good skills for them to learn they have to sit at the dinner table...also helps with going out to eat.

J..