Toddlers Throwing Food

If they aare doing it randomly, the first time they
picked the plate up , meal done. Take it away and take
them away from the table or out of high chair. End of
discussion.

Or you could try just putting a few pieces of food on the
tray. They do not get anymore until they eat what you
gave them, without a plate.

They will give up the game soon enough.

All good advise. My daughter started this at 15mo, at 21 months she does it much less. If she is done and just moving the food around, off her plate or dumping the plate we take it away. Sometimes she will eat more, but it goes back directly on the tray and a little at a time. One thing we find is that we serve her in courses, the stuff she likes goes last to give her a chance to get in some meat first or she will just fill up on veggies (yes,strange kid, loves veggies and fruit). The other thing I started a few months ago is that when she throws it off the tray, she goes in time out for a min (in another room) and then has to help clean it up. Since then it has lessened greatly. Not sure if she is growing out of it or if the timeout worked, but the threat of time out is very strong and we hardly even use it.

good luck.

Hi P.. Dealing with one toddler throwing food is tough so I know how doubly frustrated you must be. My son went through the tip the plate, throw the food, toss the cup phase as well. It was not fun. Everytime he would drop something or go to drop something I would react. Either by saying, "Put your hand down." or "Don't throw that food."...you get the picture. It never worked. So, I turned to my mom for help. She simply said, "Stop reacting." Toddlers love a good reaction from mom and dad. It gives them a litte power and also becomes somewhat of a game. My mom told me that the second we saw that he was going to throw food we should immediately take his plate and cup away and say, "We don't throw our food. Food is for eating." I then was to wait a couple of minutes and then place a piece of food in front of him and offer him a sip from his cup and explain that until he could sit at the table like a big boy he would not be getting his plate and cup back. We tried it. He dropped his food. We did not react at all. We did not bend down to pick up the food on the floor. We simply took his plate and cup, let him deal with that for a minute and then gave him a piece of food. Yes meal times were longer because of this one piece of food at a time strategy, but after doing this for about a week we are now the proud parents of a non-food thrower. Well, 98% of the time at least. :) Good luck and remember don't pick up that food right away.

Hi P.

I think it is just a phase and they like to get your attention.
The set up that works for us: I sit across from my husband and each of us has a twins next to us, and my older daughter sits on the top of the table. My twins are 22 month and have been sitting with us on the table for a year now for lunch, and dinner (we use a booster seat).

We just watch and as soon as they are finished and they start to play with their food we just take the plate away. If they still want more they will let you know. If you do that consitently the trowing will stop rather quickly.
Especially with twins you don't want one of them doing something you don't like, because the other one is picking it up too.

Good Luck.

P.

Is my toddler gifted because he started doing this before he was a toddler and now he is 16 months old. He is signing all done with his hands. I just have to calculate that time to take his food away before he throws it. I am glad I am not the only one going through it.

Hi P.,

This is a phase. Sorry you are dealing with so many messes. I have found that fewer dishes are better with my boys (3 years and 15 months old), so instead of a placemat or tray and plates, bowls, etc., we just use a plate or bowl, a fork or spoon, and a cup. If my 15-month-old tips his plate, he loses it and eats it off of the [clean] table. Some days he does better than others. They are at a learning age and a testing age, and it is probably going to be harder with them playing off of each other.

Teaching baby sign is a good idea so they can let you know when they are "all done." Encourage and praise one if she does it so the other will notice. A time-out is probably not an appropriate or helpful response unless you know they are trying to be naughty (throwing it in response to you telling them not to) but should NOT be more than 2 minutes. Helping you pick up is better--try telling them that mealtime is over and now they get to help clean up. There will always be moments of messes, even when they are ready for more independent eating, but it will get better and they will be more accidental soon. :)

M.

Hi P.,

I can vividly remember my son going through this phase. I was so terribly frustrated at cleaning up food that hit the floor.

Thankfully, it is a phase. They will stop throwing food.

In the meantime, here's a suggestion. I would carefully watch to see when my son was finishing up his meal and I would snatch the plate, cup and utensils off of this tray before he would get the opportunity to throw anything. If he threw food on the floor, I would tell him "You must not be hungry, you're all done" and take his food away. It didn't last long. He got the message very quickly.

This too shall pass. Hang in there. :)

Hi. You should try punishing them. Take the food away. I think they are old enough to know that you don't want them throwing food. If they don't listen, they should be punished. Good luck.

Seriously if you find a way, let me know because my oldest does the same thing and he s also exactly 27 months.

My son is so lovely, is smart, speaking in complete sentences all the time, great vocab, knows his letters, but he is like a caveman when it comes to eating. He dumps out milk from his cup, throws food and silverware. I cannot take him over for mealtime playdates because he has put his hands in other kid's water glasses and all the plates and food end up on the side of the table that he isn't sitting on. It is a misery for everyone if he is not strapped into a chair to eat. At family member's houses we have to actually tie him to a chair with my husband's belt, no joke. All this while all my friends kids are eating at little tables in real chairs and drinking out of glasses with no lids.

I am to the point where I have accepted it, and I am not emotionally responding any longer. I do give time outs for throwing food because i find that behavior unacceptable. And I have found that if I give a time out for the throwing food, he comes back to the table and behaves, but only for the duration of tat meal. Next mealtime we start all over. My son is very curious and high energy, so I think that has alot to do with it. I take solace in knowing that while I have seen kids with bad table manners, I have never seen a 10 year old throwing food. So I assume that this will pass when he realizes that he is the only one acting like a heathen.

Good Luck! And stay in stock on paper towels until this passes.

I can totally relate. My 20 month old does it as she is saying "All done, no more" or "all finished". Sometimes she tosses one piece at a time and other times, it's the whole plate. When she does it (or tries to), I let the food sit on the floor because maybe she likes to see me pick it up. Once I tried to have her help me pick up what she dropped..that didn't go over too well.

Your children may do it becasue they get a reaction from you.."If I throw the food, then mommy will pick it up." It's cause and effect at it's messiest. It is a phase and the less you react to it, the less it will happen. Next time they do it, they are done (regardless if they are or not). Then they will learn the negative consequences to their actions. Be careful though as this can easily backfire on you becasue they will learn that to communicate that they are done, they will throw their food..then you just switch back the other way.

Simple, punish them. Take the food away, turn the high chairs to face different walls and tell them they are in time out. And make it longer than 2 minutes, at least 5 where they cant see each other or you. 2 year olds are old enough to listen to rules. Remind them as you serve the food that they MUST not throw it. The minute one does remove the food and turn her to the wall. After 5 minutes, turn her around and give her back the food reminding her again not to throw it. One meal might take hours, but they will stop. One thing to remember is 2 year olds have stopped growing as fast and need less food. So if you give them too much, they will be full and get bored. Feed them small amounts and once they have stopped eating let them out of their high chairs.

Hi P.,
First, I'd try to clear their plates and things when finished before they get the opportunity to fling anything. If they fling during the meal, meal over, no more food. If they prefer their food right on their tray, maybe skip the plate - or perhaps it's time for a booster seat at the table rather than high chairs. I'd also be fine with turning them around to face the wall for a time out if they throw things from their tray. They are old enough for discipline, rules and consequences
Good luck