Throwing food

blushingbride_08 · June 2013

My lo likes to throw food. I know sometimes he is still hungry but he will throw food on the floor for fun. So he will eat a piece and drop a piece. I repeat "we dont yhrow food on the food" at least a gazillion times each meal. So annoying. How do you get your LO to stop throwing food on the floor? Btw he is 14 months.

amyc216 · June 2013

My LO just started doing this and he's nearly 20 months. If he throws food I will just take his plate and start feeding him myself, but it usually means he's not hungry anymore.

lindslalala · June 2013

DS has been throwing food for MONTHS and shows no sign of stopping. I've tried dozens of different tactics and nothing works. He is a thrower in general though; he's never met an object he wouldn't enjoying chucking through the air.

The only success I've had is with his milk sippy cup. When he throws that, I put it in the fridge and he doesn't get it again until he's completely done eating. He doesn't throw it quite as much anymore, but it still usually winds up on the floor at some point.

blu-eyedwife · June 2013

In my house playing with food means you're obviously not hungry anymore, and the meal ends. I take away whatever is getting thrown and start cleaning up.

There are times when he's still hungry and he pitches a fit. Yesterday morning he threw his yogurt bowl on the ground and when I picked it up and brought it to the kitchen he started screaming and crying. I asked if he was still hungry and would like more yogurt and he said yes. I got him some more and the second time around went much better - no throwing.

Jenny952 · June 2013

This is definitely annoying toddler behavior. My DD does it all the time too. I tell her firmly that we don't throw food, and she laughs. If I try to grab her hand before she drops it, she thinks it's funny to hit me with her other hand. I try to make a big deal about meal being over, but usually she doesn't care. And sometimes I have to keep her in her high chair b/c DH and I are still eating.

My strategy is to continue to reinforce good behavior, ignoring it as much as I can and hope that I instill good table manners as she gets older.

oliversmommy32912 · June 2013

We try to use natural consequences whenever possible. The natural consequence we use if he throws food is the meal is over. He has to sit there while I clean up his mess. If it's the beginning of the meal I offer him more food than normal at his next meal or snack. He doesn't throw food nearly as much anymore. He's 14 months too.

Natty13umppo · June 2013

Ugh. My DD has been doing this too (she's 18 months and it started maybe a month or so ago?) and I'm at a loss with what to do. DH wants to say meal is over for her when she does it, but I wonder if that will encourage her to start throwing food when she wants to be done/down? Also, I know a lot of the time, she's still hungry when she starts throwing food. I know she won't starve if her meal ends early, but still......

I sort of like the idea of feeding myself her if she starts throwing. (Which is actually a very new thing - we did BLW and for a long time she would NOT eat off a spoon if we offered her something. Now she really likes it when we feed her (or let her try to eat) with a spoon.)

The other thought was just to give her very small portions at a time so hopefully she has less ammo and will be more likely to focus on eating.

Anyway.....no real advice, but you're not alone!

TiffanyBerry · June 2013

If you're repeating your words a gazillion times, there's no reason for him to stop throwing food. He can throw food all he likes and it's fun and nothing not fun happens.

So - and we did the same thing with DD - if she threw food once, she got a warning and reminder of what to do ("It's not ok to throw food.Please give it to me"), if she threw food again, she got a warning ,reminder, and consequence ("It's not ok to throw food. Please give it to me. If you throw again, you will get down from the table."), and if she did it a third time, I would reminder her and follow through ("It's not ok to throw food, so you need to take a break from the table."). At your LO's age, it was for about a minute then back up. Later it was longer, and she would get only one second try.

mamaZbo · June 2013

We started time-outs for food throwing. She usually looks at me to make sure I am watching her before she throws something and she usually only throws things she doesn't like. We have been working on her just putting that stuff off to the side of her tray instead of tossing it. If she throws her food she gets a warning, something like "we don't throw food, if you do it again you will go to time out". Sometimes she stops sometimes she throws something else. I get her down from her chair and put her in timeout. When timeout is finished she picks up whatever she threw and has a choice to gt back in her chair and eat or be finished.

sunnyday016 · June 2013

Kimbus22:
Once he throws food the meal is over. That got the point across pretty quick.

I wish this concept would get through to my son! I do take his tray away when he starts throwing (which is usually right when he gets it!) but he hasn't seemed to learn yet.

Temp123197812503460 · June 2013

IMO it's one of those things they grow out of, you can make mealtime over and various consequences but they may just grow out of it without having to go to that trouble.
We just didn't make a big deal out of it and it got less and less and eventually around 20 months? it basically stopped.
It's just not that exciting actually to throw food in the long run.

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