PR: How do you handle food throwing?

MrsT0514 · September 2014

Welp..I'm hoping maybe some of you who've been through this phase of toddlerhood can help advise me on how to handle this, bc I'm frustrated and sort of at a loss at the moment.

My kid is going through a big time boundary-pushing phase right now. He's acting pretty all around jerkish at times, including food throwing at every meal. The worst of it has been the last few days. Literally, every single meal, he'll take a few bites here or there and then throw the rest on the floor. I'm firm with him and look right at him and say "NO. We dont throw food. If you throw food, you're all done with it". Admittedly, its hard to keep my cool sometimes when all of the food we buy/cook is going on the damn floor.

So when he starts throwing food, I take it as a sign he's done and I take the food away. Usually I'll let him just sit for a few, and offer it again. When he throws it, I take it away, we clean up, and the meal is done. But lately, this is happening like literally 5 minutes (not even) into a meal...which means he's been eating close to nothing. Obviously I want my kid to eat nor than a few bites, but I can't force him. What gives here? Is there some secret trick? Bc this shit is fucking frustrating as all get out, and my dog seems to be eating better than my kid right now.

Should I be handling this differently? Please let me in to the secrets of the wise and ever calm parents!! TIA guys

MrsT0514 · September 2014

FhSTAR81 said:
Give only a few pieces at a time and try to ignore it. It's a delightful phase lol

so what if he literally won't eat any of it? Or if he only eats 2-3 bites and then just wants to throw evrrything else? I'm certainly not going to cook 2 different dinners so he can throw both on the floor. I dont want to starve him obviously, but I cant force him to eat either. Do I just trust in the fact that he'll eat when he really is hungry? ::sigh:: yeah this phase can bite my ass. I feel like our money is getting fed to the dog!

MrsT0514 · September 2014

FhSTAR81 said:
If he's starving he will eat. You could always save extra on another plate and offer it again later but that way your not making extra or anything different.

True. Thanks. These pg hormones do nothing for my patience!! I need just to learn to let it roll off my back. But ah, so frustrating! Where did my awesome eater go?? This kid used to chow down on everything!

Mags748 · September 2014

pobrecita said:
I do what you do.

Limit amount, give a warning or two, then take away food.

I keep the plate out until he goes to bed in case he gets hungry.

We did the exact same.

MrsT0514 · September 2014

ScoutNumbers05 said:
I thank god I have a dog?

Sorry, it's frustrating.

this is true! At least my dog cleans up most of it. But GD, we dont spend 100 bucks a week on groceries for the dog to eat! Ok...well apparently right now we do.

BluepointToasted · September 2014

I have started telling mine to "try again" and making him hand me the food he throws on the floor because it was driving me insane. Every single time he throws something on the floor, I pick it back up, hand it to him and say try again and make him give it to me nicely.
I'm trying not to worry too much about how much he eats, because it seems like some meals he says he is done after two bites, but other meals he cleans his plate and asks for more.
I feel you. When he tosses food on the floor it is straight up infuriating

tbmadeamistake · September 2014

We started making her pick it up the first time she threw it. If she threw it again, dinner was over. No snacks after unless she wanted something off her plate. I know there were nights she went to bed hungry, but she did stop the throwing and ate when she was hungry enough.

fancynewbeesly · September 2014

I did what you did--removed plate, etc.

Asking Reese to help clean up--she thought it was a huge game and just wanted to do it more.

jorkz821 · September 2014

My dd never really did this but DS is more than making up for it. He's too young to "get it" so he just gets 1 bite at a time on his tray, and not before his mouth is empty/he asks for it because otherwise it gets chucked. Then when he's officially all done, he does a huge tray-clearing arm sweep. It's funny/terrible.

MrsT0514 · September 2014

CeeBug said:
I feel you. I am in the same boat with ds, and it is annoying. I usually take his hand and firmly say no. I have also tried to put less on his plate to see if that helps. He started doing it when he was full, but now he does it all the time. You have my sympathies.

Yep, this is where we're at right now! And every time he throws foods and I give him the look...he smiles and laughs. So apparently he thinks its hilarious.

BluepointToasted · September 2014

Totally late in responding, but when I give him back the "floor food" he is usually done and I just want him to tell me in a civilized manner that he is done instead of whipping on the floor like an a-hole.
Not to say he hasn't eaten his fair share of snacks that fell on the floor. But dinner food tends to be....wetter? And therefore dirtier?

JGY · September 2014

MrsT0514 said:

I feel you. I am in the same boat with ds, and it is annoying. I usually take his hand and firmly say no. I have also tried to put less on his plate to see if that helps. He started doing it when he was full, but now he does it all the time. You have my sympathies.
Yep, this is where we're at right now! And every time he throws foods and I give him the look...he smiles and laughs. So apparently he thinks its hilarious.

Yup, seems like this phase is dragging on forever. One thing that helped us was to add utensils to the mix. Is he using a fork or a spoon yet? We started putting DS's food in a suction cup bowl (so he can't throw that) and giving him a kiddo fork to try to eat with. He loved the challenge so much that he stopped throwing (and he didn't starve because when he had trouble using the fork, he'd just grab the food with his other hand and shove it in).

cedenton · September 2014

TyrannosaurusLex said:

@mcbenny you are totally right and I agree, absolutely. I'm just a lazy fucker. We'll see how that works out for me when my kid picks up a jellybean from the floor in walmart and I die on the inside, eh?

My kid once ate half a goldfish off the ATL airport floor. It had never been in my possession .
:-&

This young couple near me were laughing their butts off at my attempts to prevent said ingestion. They'll get what's coming to them.

JGY said:

MrsT0514 said:

I feel you. I am in the same boat with ds, and it is annoying. I usually take his hand and firmly say no. I have also tried to put less on his plate to see if that helps. He started doing it when he was full, but now he does it all the time. You have my sympathies.
Yep, this is where we're at right now! And every time he throws foods and I give him the look...he smiles and laughs. So apparently he thinks its hilarious.

Yup, seems like this phase is dragging on forever. One thing that helped us was to add utensils to the mix. Is he using a fork or a spoon yet? We started putting DS's food in a suction cup bowl (so he can't throw that) and giving him a kiddo fork to try to eat with. He loved the challenge so much that he stopped throwing (and he didn't starve because when he had trouble using the fork, he'd just grab the food with his other hand and shove it in).

Also, in my experience the suction cup bowl IS the challenge. All force possible goes into removing that sucker (and it's not that hard) and then the food goes flying way worse than with a regular bowl.

MrsT0514 · September 2014

JGY said:

MrsT0514 said:

CeeBug said:
I feel you. I am in the same boat with ds, and it is annoying. I usually take his hand and firmly say no. I have also tried to put less on his plate to see if that helps. He started doing it when he was full, but now he does it all the time. You have my sympathies.
Yep, this is where we're at right now! And every time he throws foods and I give him the look...he smiles and laughs. So apparently he thinks its hilarious.

Yup, seems like this phase is dragging on forever. One thing that helped us was to add utensils to the mix. Is he using a fork or a spoon yet? We started putting DS's food in a suction cup bowl (so he can't throw that) and giving him a kiddo fork to try to eat with. He loved the challenge so much that he stopped throwing (and he didn't starve because when he had trouble using the fork, he'd just grab the food with his other hand and shove it in).

yes, the utensils do seem to hold him off from throwing for a bit longer, but when he loses interest in eating with the fork/spoon, the throwing starts!

And my kid also isnt talking all that much yet, so like @CtGirl30 mentioned, its a little challenging bc he cant quite tell me when he's done.

Jess082111 · September 2014

Our high chair tray has cupholders so we started telling her, "Put the food in the cup when you're all done." That has worked pretty well, but she occasionally still gets in a mood and throws something overboard. She then has to clean it up and put it in the garbage (which like another poster said, is actually something she enjoys doing so I'm not sure that's an effective deterrent to this behavior).

JGY · September 2014

cedenton said:

JGY said:

MrsT0514 said:

I feel you. I am in the same boat with ds, and it is annoying. I usually take his hand and firmly say no. I have also tried to put less on his plate to see if that helps. He started doing it when he was full, but now he does it all the time. You have my sympathies.
Yep, this is where we're at right now! And every time he throws foods and I give him the look...he smiles and laughs. So apparently he thinks its hilarious.

Yup, seems like this phase is dragging on forever. One thing that helped us was to add utensils to the mix. Is he using a fork or a spoon yet? We started putting DS's food in a suction cup bowl (so he can't throw that) and giving him a kiddo fork to try to eat with. He loved the challenge so much that he stopped throwing (and he didn't starve because when he had trouble using the fork, he'd just grab the food with his other hand and shove it in).

Also, in my experience the suction cup bowl IS the challenge. All force possible goes into removing that sucker (and it's not that hard) and then the food goes flying way worse than with a regular bowl.

Yes, true. And also that bowl can leave one heck of a bruise on their forehead when it does pop off.

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PR: How do you handle food throwing?

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