Need help getting 18mo to stop throwing food

[loraxc]

He was been doing this for 3-4 months now. It is his way of telling me he is done with or doesn't like that food. It does NOT necessarily mean he is fulll.

I have put up with it for a while, though of course I tell him not to do it, but it's really becoming a PITA. How have people stopped this behavior? I'm sure some of it is because I am distracted while he's eating. Should I sit next to him and instantly get him down the second he starts? Is he old enough to understand this?

[Deefodil]

I am following this thread!

[alegna]

that is an INFURIATING stage, isn't it?

IME the best course is to only put one or two bits on the tray at a time while in this phase...

-Angela

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Originally Posted by alegna

that is an INFURIATING stage, isn't it?

IME the best course is to only put one or two bits on the tray at a time while in this phase...

-Angela

This exactly. And try NOT to be to distracted while hes eating. Me and DS2 usually are sitting right there with DS1 while he is in his chair eating. I try to be as engaged in his meal as possible, as I don't care to eat alone, I figure he prolly doesnt like it either.

[loraxc]

I don't give him huge amounts at once, but it's just so labor-intensive to give him, you know, 3 Cheerios at a time!

It's hard to just sit with him because the times he eats are usually times I'm trying to do something else, too (cook, get DD lunch, clean the kitchen). It's hard to give that up since he needs such constant supervision when he is not safe in his chair!

[jchatneuff]

Messy, right? I sit next to my 16-month while he eats, and he STILL does it. He thinks it's fun, and he uses it to communicate that he doesn't want to eat something "yucky." What I've found helps me (but doesn't solve the problem entirely):
-giving just one or two bites at a time
-teach a sign to signal "all done" so he has a way to tell me other than throwing everything off of his tray
-when he starts throwing or dropping food, ask if he's all done. Sometimes he'll realize he wants to keep eating and actually put the food in his mouth. Othertimes he'll think about it and decide he is, in fact, all done, and point down at the floor to get out of his high chair. If he responds by throwing more food, I interpret that as meaning that yes, he is finished, and I end meal time.
-divert the food when he goes to drop it by holding out my hand for him to hand it to me, or pointing to his cupholder on his tray and telling him to put it there if he doesn't want it

Hope this helps!!

[NorthernPixie]

Definitely limiting the amount of food on the tray helped us a lot, as labour intensive as that is. Paying attention while eating (not always practical but I try!), and from very early we gave her an option for where food could go if she didn't want it on her tray. Sometimes she still wants to eat it but wants her tray clear so we've got her in a booster angled a bit so she can reach the table, and that is where she puts things if she doesn't want them. It has worked pretty well although it took (is taking still sometimes) a long time.

[TopHat]

My 16mo DD spilled an entire waterbottle of water on the floor yesterday- know how it is! I tried to remind myself that it gave me an opportunity to "mop" that section of the floor. I also try to remind myself it's a stage that will go away on its own. When she's 17 and out on a date, I really doubt she'll have the uncontrollable urge to throw her food on the floor. Because of that, I don't really do any discipline except clean up the mess and say something like, "Well, we have to clean that up now!" I probably should give her a towel and allow her to help out if she'd like, though... Must remember that today...

[D_McG]

you throw = you're done.

[katiesk]

dd is 16 months...and throws food...for a variety of reasons, i think. she likes to share with the dogs. she might be bored of that meal. she likes to throw food.

i'm just kind of waiting for her to outgrow it. in the meantime, i spend alot of time cleaning up the kitchen floor...and the dogs get alot of snacks, which they love. it does not bother me too much.

it does definitely help though, when i remember to show her where to put the food if she does not want it. she will usually do that when i give her another bowl or something to put the food in.

[readytobedone]

around this age, DD threw food for 2 main reasons:

1) she was done eating and wanted to communicate that.

2) she didn't like the food.

for 1), teaching her the sign for "all done" was immensely helpful.

as for 2), we just stressed "if you don't like it, just put it to the side." we still stress this, since now she tries to hand us the food she doesn't like, saying "i no like this. mommy/daddy eat it!"

the thing i don't like about the advice to get them out once they throw, is if they're throwing in order to tell you to get out, all they learn is that throwing food is a good way to communicate, which is not what you want them to learn.

the only consequence we have done for food throwing is, "there's a big mess on the floor. mommy has to clean it before i can get you out." pretty logical, i'd say.

[AGF]

Me at mealtime: "I mean seriously, is it necessary? Why?"

Oh, my 22 month old is a major food thrower. His twin is a food dumper. If it is on a plate, the plate is overturned in seconds. Aaarrrgh.
I have to say he started throwing at 12 months and has just now slowed down. I still have to remind him not to throw but it has gotten better. I think what ended up working was just taking the tray. If he wanted it back, I told him he couldn't throw. Its just now sinking in. And sometimes it does mean he is done. So when that happens I put the food back on his tray (there is no way he is eating it) and tell him that if he wants to get down, he just has to say all done and not throw.
I am soooo glad that the end seems to be in sight. There were many times that as soon as I put any food down he would be spastically throwing. And FORGET about in restaurants. My husband and I know where they keep the broom and dustpan at the local diner.

Time and diligence, I guess.
GL