Throwing food at mealtimes

We are going out of our minds with our 19-month old twins throwing food at every meal time. We have tried taking the food away when they start throwing it but then they cry and want to eat our food because they are hungry. How did you get your little ones to stop throwing their food??

 

Let them cry and be hungry. They get one more chance at my house and are done when food starts hitting the floor again, no matter what. It doesn't take long for them to figure out what's what :lol: .

 

:good: That's what we did! They do get things quickly, they just to play us a bit.

 

We did this too. I would give one warning then the second time food was thrown, I'd just scoop up whatever went on the floor and throw it out. I also didn't react. I didn't yell, didn't laugh, didn't tell them to stop (after that initial warning) and I definitely didn't get upset. I'd just pick up whatever hit the floor and continue with dinner.

The lack of reaction seemed to help even better than getting rid of the thrown food.

 

Our dining situation may be different from yours. My boys have such an early bedtime (6:30) that they eat dinner at 4:45 and we eat after they go to bed so we don't all eat dinner together. So this idea may or may not be very practical for you.
I only give them a few pieces of whatever they're eating so that at least they can't throw all of it on the floor. If they do go to throw something (and fortunately I can tell when one is about to start) I say firmly, "Uh-uh, your not going to throw that on the floor, you can either eat it or give it to me" and I put my hand out to take what they have. Generally when they start throwing something it means they don't want anymore of that food and we move on to something else.
I think they like having the choice because its the only "bad" behavior I've really successfully curtailed.

 

I usually don't eat with them so I will stand and watch them. As soon as I notice them attempting to throw food I the floor I tell them no. Lately, they have been taking one piece of food and tossing it over on the floor. I think for them they want to see how it falls. Lately, Josh has been handing me his food when he does not want it. Before, he would take it out of his mouth and throw it on the floor.

Like everything else, it's a phase. I have learned not to leave the room, even for a minute when they are eating. Too many times I have come back to an entire floor full of food.

They will be 19 months this week and I do find them doing it less and less.

 

ours have started it a little and they are 14 months old... usually it just means that they are "done" with that food... with mh dd I have realized that its better to give her one food at a time, otherwise I figured out she was throwing what she didn't want on the floor... to get to the other. ugh! my ds just recently started... and to some degree I think it is just to see if fall to the ground. I have tried to tell them if they don't want it to just leave it on the tray, and to not throw it to the ground. with my dd that has worked fairly well... but also to just monitor the situation...

of course part of the solution may be to get a dog! ha ha!! I'm afraid that the twins will notice that the dog likes to eat what they throw, and so it will become a never ending cycle... good luck.

 

Mine get 2 shots to throw food. The first time, we clean it up without a reaction and the second time they do it, it signals the meal is over. The twins eat with us for dinner...now it seems when they do throw food it is to let us know that they are done...it does not happen too often anymore (but DD did do it tonight).

 

Mine not only throw food but also feed the dogs. After the first time, their chairs get pushed away from the table. After the second time, the get taken out of the chairs and dinner is done. It doesn't happen that often anymore.

 

I just have to say I have SUCKER written all over my face! LOL!

Note to self: "Take food away the first time..."