Throwing food....

Ava is an awesome eater, but she is also a food thrower. It's gotten to the point now where she just throws everything overboard and will also drink her water and just dribble it all over herself. I usually do not respond and I don't pick it up until she's out of the room because I don't want it to be a game, but it's still happening. Do I start telling her no, or do I keep ignoring it?

Re: Throwing food....

AT almost a year...it's time to start telling her that it's not appropriate behavior. Alyson does it too...not as much as she did. I think alot of it is discovering the action/reaction of what happens to the food and knowing she can control it.

I took her food away if she did it too many times after we told her not to throw food/feed the dogs (she throws it overboard because the dogs lay in wait for scraps).

Now it's more if we are not paying attention to her or she doesn't want it anymore.

Re: Throwing food....

I would take the food away & say "All done" if they started to throw food - even if they weren't all done.

Is she laughing & doing it for attention or at the end of the meal only?

Re: Throwing food....

K used to do this all the time. I started telling her no and it became a huge deal and got worse. I gave up and started ignoring it, now she stopped.

Re: Throwing food....

Thanks girls. She does it all the time. Like casually as she eats. Eat some, throw some, eat some, throw some. I think she just likes the control she has over it. I will sometimes take the food away from her and tell her no, then let her sit a few minutes, then she'll eat, so I guess I should be more consistent with that. She doesn't laugh when she does it. She has a straight face, but then she watches it fall to the ground, so she probably likes the cause/effect of it.

Re: Throwing food....

We have the same problem, I do say NO a lot, however I then think that I don't know any 18 year olds who throw all their food on the floor and dribble their water all over their chins, so I assume he will grow out of it!

Re: Throwing food....

Oh so it's throughout the meal. Sounds like you have a little scientist on your hands.

Re: Throwing food....

Kerri has been doing the same thing...I have been saying no and taking the food away from her for a minute and then she will usually eat....but new meal she does the same thing...like she is wondering if she can get away with it this time

Re: Throwing food....

We have the same problem here though it's more when she loses interest in that particular food. we take it away and say no throwing and then give her more after a second or so. I also tell her when she extends her arm to "put it in your mouth" or I actually do the motion of raising my hand and placing to my mouth or saying AH, which she seems to respond better to than NO so we're going with that more often now than an out and out NO.

Re: Throwing food....

I ignore because to her getting a reaction of any kind encourages her behavior. If she sees I'm not paying attention typically she stops. It is a PITA to clean up though. Miranda dribbles her water all over the place too. Grrr. Now that I take away from her because I don't want her soaked from dinner.

Re: Throwing food....

Luka also does the samething with food and with the water. I just ignore it because he either does after he has eaten enough and is full and just wants to play (I say all done and take him out of the highchair) or if he doesn't like it then he immediately starts with the throwing. Now with the water I think he does it because he sucks more water than he can handle in his mouth because when DH gives it to him by a cup and controls it he doesnt do it.

Re: Throwing food....

Emily is 19 months old and still throws her food overboard. I think she does it in a way of protest because she does NOT like being contained in her high chair. It's usually a clue that she is done....and will sometimes eat more while she's walking around playing, let me sneak a few bites into her. But usually it's a clue that she's frustrated, fed up and wants to get out of her chair.

She is NOT a good eater IMO btw. She usually has a few bites and is done.

Re: Throwing food....

Sounds normal for the age, my DS does the same exact thing They're just learning new things that they have control over...the novelty will most likely wear off. Not a biggie to me, except for the dreaded floor cleaning and shirt changing a few times a day.