CP: Throwing food

march2008

I don't know how to fix DD's food throwing habit. I had been trying to stop it by giving her 3 warnings and then taking the tray away, but apparently that didn't work because she's still doing it. If your LO used to do this, please share how you got them to stop! I feel like I am already in the middle of the "terrible 2's" and I'm not sure what I'm going to do if she gets even MORE defiant than she is lately.

[Poll]

justme04

Ds1 stopped when we moved him to a booster chair at the table. I'm about to switch DS2 to a booster chair to see if it helps. I feel like the floor ends up needing mopped after every meal. Maybe if he has more table room to move things around it'll stop hitting the floor!

I was always told the terrible 2s starts around 18 months and lasts until 3.5 years. I don't think DS1 has been too bad he has my laid back go with the flow personality but I can tell I will have my hands full with DS2. Lol.

Wymasa

I've ignored for awhile, I've taken food away. I've said no sternly ha! But she still throws food all the time. So frustrating.

M&M227

Unfortunately it's very hard to reason with a small child who cannot communicate effectively.  Communication seems to be half the problem and testing boundaries the other.  It's  difficult age.  Sorry wish I had more insight but DD is a mess in the high chair.  Screaming because she wants food, doesn't want food or I'm not preparing it fast enough..

MrsEmilyS

DD threw food for at least a month if not two and one day she just stopped.  We were very firm and said "No, ma'am we don't throw food".  I eventually escalated to 3 strikes you're out but it rarely got that far.  Now I just have to give the look if I can tell she is thinking about it.  

My advice would be to hang in there because like most things I think it is a phase that will end if you stand your ground. 

rainstar752

I would try not doing "3 tries" because that's just too many.  We took away food after the first throw and DD almost never throws food anymore.  At most I would give one warning. 

Does your highchair tray have a cup holder?  The other thing that's worked for us is when DD doesn't seem to like something, I tell her to put it in the cup spot.  So she can feel like she's putting it somewhere without throwing it on the floor.

Sunidaze

She doesn't throw food.  No.  When she's done, she just subtly drops it on the floor.  She is the dog's best friend at dinner  on occasion.time.  She will however, throw her sippy

klv

Hannah will drop food on the floor when she is done eating. If she is close enough to the table, she will sometimes put it there insted. I tell her no once then I take the tray away.

Turtle143

Liv only does this when A) she doesn't like the food or when she's had enough of it. Luckily for B, we've taught her to sign "done" when she is and now that she's also able to say "done" she signs and says it as well. We're kind of entering the "no" phase also so sometimes she'd say "no...done!"

She also doesn't really throw food. She would just spit it back out, mush it in her hands or drop it on the floor. I found a vinyl mat at Marshall's one day and so clean up is not such a pain.

Sorry not sure i'd help at all.

jcsumm0

I feel like I got pretty lucky with this so I don't know if this will help you,  but...

She was dropping/throwing food when she didn't want it, so I just redirected her to put it in the cupholder, like PP said, or hand it to me.  I could tell when she was about to drop/throw it and that's when I would show her what to do.  She took right to it and now when she doesn't want something she declares, "buh-bye!" and hands it back to me. 

I sort of think I got lucky that it worked so easily, so I can't guarantee it will work for every kid!

CarlaAndJames

jcsumm0:

I feel like I got pretty lucky with this so I don't know if this will help you,  but...

She was dropping/throwing food when she didn't want it, so I just redirected her to put it in the cupholder, like PP said, or hand it to me.  I could tell when she was about to drop/throw it and that's when I would show her what to do.  She took right to it and now when she doesn't want something she declares, "buh-bye!" and hands it back to me. 

I sort of think I got lucky that it worked so easily, so I can't guarantee it will work for every kid!

This! Maybe it's a BLW thing? Either I got lucky with a kid who just doesn't do this much or we were successful in nipping in the bud early. When she'd start to throw it early on, I'd grab her  hand and redirect her to lay the food back down on the tray, and ask her if she was all done. If she threw food, she had to be done. No chances. Cup on the floor (on purpose) it stays on the floor. It's pretty rare that she throws food now. (She is pretty sly with hiding things she doesn't want under her booty though!)

SarahKate31

DS throws food. Or he sweeps it off his tray in one big annoying motion. He throws his cup too. Not always, and he has been doing it less lately. It usually just depends on his mood. We give one or two warnings, then end the meal. I'm reluctant to do that because I want him to eat, but I've realized that he's not eating anyway. If he looks me in the face and throws something AT me, the meal is over, no warnings. That sh!t is obnoxious and we want to be really stern about that one. Same thing if he holds his cup over his head and lets it fly (as opposed to just knocking it off the tray which we are more lenient about).

dandlelyon

I voted 'Yes'. It seems that they do it when they are done eating, and aren't sure how to tell us that. We have tried teaching them to both say and sign "all done". Sometime they remember and sometimes they don't and throw food. We just keep trying to reinformce "all done" + the sign.

amypogg6

We try to tell Em if she doesn't want something to put it in the cup spot of her tray. She does that sometimes and sometimes she just throws it on the ground. She will even look directly at us and throw it on the ground.

UWgal04

When DS started throwing food, a few months back, I started having him pick it up after a meal. He and I would literally get down on the floor and I would point to a specific piece and tell him to put it in mommy's hand. At first, he would cry and fuss, and try to get away, but I would insist and he would slowly pick up a piece. It would take several minutes to clean up. Within a few days, I could ask him to do it and he would, without hesitation. I *think* the natural consequence may have registered for him because soon enough he stopped throwing food altogether.

 Family and friends, and even our Pedi, chuckled when I said I was training him to pick up after himself. I almost didn't believe it would really work, but it did!

KYBABY2011

DS throws the food whenever he is done eating it.