Spitting food and water

[beadmama]

Dd is at that fun age where she discovered she can spit. I can't leave a cup with her without her spitting water everywhere. Tonight when she was done eating she started to play with her food and started to spit food out all over her tray. I told her she had one more chance to not spit the food or I would take her tray away and of course she did so I did. Was this the best thing to do? I know it is just something new and fun she has discovered but it will pass right? She is 22months by the way.

[Luke's mama]

ugh, i guess I am in for this soon! Mine is 20 mos. I know my sister tried to redirect her son by telling him "spitting is for outside" and only letting him spit outside. I think she was successful--maybe you could have designated spitting places?

[NaturallyPeachey]

I don't know if it's correct but that is what we do as well. DS is into spitting his sippy cup contents. We ignore the behavior and take away the sippy and say "all done we don't spit our food". My mom told him one "I don't like that" and ever since when he spits out his drink he says "like that, like that" and laughs so we figured giving it more attention prompted him to continue.

[beadmama]

Yeah I agree on not making a big deal out of it then it becomes a game. I guess we will continue doing what we are doing and hope this one ends soon.

[sparklett]

DS did that. It was pretty funny (but don't tell him I said that).

We actually used that an as opportunity to show him when it was okay to spit. We would brush his teeth, and then let him swish water and spit to his heart's content into the toilet/sink. Whenever he would spit outside of teeth-brushing time, we would just remind him that spitting is for brushing teeth only. We would even ask if he wanted to swish and spit into the sink for a few minutes. He would usually stop.