16 Month Old Thowing Food!

This is totally normal. In an infant psych class in college we learned that they do these sorts of things to learn how you will respond, over and over and over and... In my experience at home, I've found that my kids started throwing food when they were done with it. Don't worry about if she is getting enough to eat. She will eat as much as she needs. Trying to coax more down her (unless she's trying to graze all day instead of having regular meals and snacks) ultimately shuts off the mechanism for knowing when to stop eating.

This too shall pass. At this point she is just having fun watching things fall and knowing she made it happen. Don't expect good table manners or following directions for quite awhile yet.

Hi A.,
My little girl did this as well. The advice I have for you is going to be harder on you than her. When my little girl use to throw food, I would make her pick it up. Some times this was more punishing me than her because I had to sit on the food with her and wait for her to pick up every piece. the first time it took fifteen minutes!!! If you do, do this you have to be strong and persistent. I learned this from a mother who has an austic child. He use to make himself throwup and when she made him pick it up he stop because he did not like to do that.

Good Luck!!

R.

if shes still in a high chair leave her in it until the family is done eating. this lets her know she doesnt have to eat but she has to be part of the family. if she begins to throw food remove it and just keep on eating. if she wants it back try again. she will learn that she is part of the family and dinner time means eat. make sure shes not getting too many snacks too close to dinner. i know 2 snacks a day is recommended so dont cut those out but space tghem out. good luck and dont worry about how much she is eating she will eat if she is hungry. and yes this is a phase!

Hi A.,
Using a spoon/fork takes alot of motor skills. Maybe leave the utensils aside now and allow her to develop a little more.

I am an early childhood educator and I suggest that parents allow children to play with spoons in the bathtub. Scooping and pouring bubbles and water. A very good way to practice hand control. And I suggest when parents are really ready for the child to use utensils begin with a fork. It's so much easier and they can be sucessful.

C.

A.,

I agree with alot of what's already been said. When we went through the same thing, our pediatrician said that when the food starts hitting the floor, your child is DONE. (Then it becomes a game.) Since you said your daughter just goes and plays when you remove her, she does not want/need anything else at that point. It's hard for us to get used to lots of little snacks vs. a meal, but that's all kids need at this age. Our son is now 2 and in a booster seat, and I still give him a little at a time vs. a huge plate of food. He tends to eat better when he's not overwhelmed with choices ... and there's less mess when he's done. Best of luck with your beautiful girl!

My little girl is 28 months (or almost) and she still throws food on the floor at times. Even though I tell her no constantly and have been since we sat her at the table, she still can't grasp exactly what that means. Don't punish your baby for that and don't take her food away. That is part of being a baby and part of being a mom is the constant reputition. That is how they learn. I know it is frustrating but she can't be a little adult. They have to grow into that and they have to learn and as bad as it seems, throwing food on the floor and picking it up with their fingers is part of learning. So don't get discouraged and don't punisher her.
You both will be just fine. You need to make her eating experience a pleasant one, not one that she will dread (I have read that is where alot of eating disorders come from.) It is kind of like potty training. You can't start potty training at 6 months because their muscles just aren't strong enough and they can't grasp it yet.... same goes for eating and just about everything they do. All of that comes with time and with experience which incidentally takes yrs.
Here is a website for you to go to. You can even set up a date and they will send you a newsletter every week and you can read what your baby is supposed to be doing at what age and what they can't grasp until 'what' age.
Go to: www.babycenter.com it is free and there is so much info on there about everything.
Good luck.

A.,

This stage is fairly normal but you are giving into her on what she wants. She wants to get down and play. Take the food away but do not remove her. Tell her in a very firm voice that she needs to start eating her food properly. Show her what to do. Do not let her down. It will be a battle for a while, but don't give up. Don't worry about her not eating enough. She will let you know if she is hungry. This is the stage where the battle of 'wills' start and you have to make sure she knows who is in charge. If you give in and let her go and do what she wants, then she will know she can always get away with it. You have to be firm. I played that with my daughter too. It took several weeks but she finally learned that she must listen to mommy and she won't always get her own way.

Good luck.

E.

she just needs a good spanking. My daughter is 8 and u could not have paid her to throw her food at all and she just got one good spanking. That's all it takes

Hi A.
It sounds like a stage she's going through. Whether her intentions are to get your attention or simply she just wants to see what happens when the food lands on the ground. It's cause and effect. You can try to simply ignore her unless she is chucking food across the room. If she sees she's not getting your attention that way, she may stop. Be consistent with sitting down at meals. Toddlers rarely learn things the first time around. It sounds like you're doing the right thing. Sometimes when my little guy doesn't want to eat or isn't hungry he'll throw food too, or just play with it. She may or may not be hungry, but sitting her down at the table with you two is important to show her that the family eats together at meal times. It's important to be consistent, even if it isn't successful each time - it won't always be.
I wouldn't worry too much about her intake. As long as she checks out normal with her doctor, things are probably ok. If she eats a few bites and moves on, then try a little snack in between meals. Toddlers who are busy tend to be snackers. So make sure the snacks are healthy ones. Kids will eat when they're hungry. I would start worrying if she doesn't eat for a few days, and especially not drinking either.
good luck, P.

Sometimes things become a stage and then that stage will become a habit if not dealt with. You are doing a great job by disciplining her with a pop on the hand and then removing her from the table. I found with my youngest daughter (who is now 15) that I had to carry through on more that just a pop on the hand. Those things did not faze her at all. Her cryptonite was to make her sit on her bed in her room alone. She hated that and saying she was sorry more than anything. When you remove her from the table follow through the punishment by not allowing her to play when she gets down. More than likely getting down to play is what she actually wants and when she realizes that you are not going to let her down to play, then she will learn to sit at the table and act like a young lady. You will feel bad when she is in her room crying for the first few times, but know that you are making a better person out of her. Eventually she will get the picture and finish her dinner.

yes, it is a stage and it will pass. I agree with most of the postings, especially those that encourage you to make sure that meal time is something that is pleasant. Give her a warning after the first time that she throws the food; tell her that when she throws the food it makes you think that she isn't hungry any longer and that if she throws it again, you will just put it away. You don't need to be angry when you say this, just say it and then follow through. I don't agree with the post that suggests you make her sit at the table until you and your husband are finished eating - that is a very, very unrealistic expectation for a 16 month old. good luck!

I just read an article about this...you are doing the right thing. Tell her no, and remove the food (but do this the FIRST time so it's not a game). If you and your husband are still eating keep your daughter at the table. She doesn't leave the table until everyone is finished and gets up. Also, don't worry about her starving because if she were hungry she wouldn't be throwing the food...she would be eating it!

Well A., it is a stage and as a mother of 5 and grandmother of 8 "This to will pass". Some tips would be to give her little bits of food. Put newspaper on the floor around her highchair or a plastic tarp. Using a firm voice say No! or stop! you are doing the right thing by taking the food away from her. But this is normal for her at this age. I think every parent should take "Child Development 101". I took it after my kids were grown and I wished I'd known then what I know now. You could go on line and find out a lot more about child behavior. As far as her getting enough norishment. As long as you supply her with the food she likes she will be all right. If you are still worried Walmart has some children vitamins that I think might still your worries. Don't worry she will surivive.

First and foremost, know that she won't be doing this when she's in college :). Most of us with older kids know that this is just a phase. She sees food as a toy, and not food to nourish her body.

Just give her a few pieces on her plate, and I mean just a few. Maybe even only 1 string of spaghetti, one corn kernel, etc. Slowly build up.

Also, don't give her anything to eat 2 hrs prior to your mealtime if you want her to join in eating with you and your husband. This will make sure she is at least a little hungery. Or, if that doesn't work with her schedule, don't give her anything, but have her sit with you in her highchair (so she's at least contained) and give her a kid type of fork so she can imitate you.

Again, just relax. I know it's frustrating, but no one ever said parenting was easy. DH and I were appalled one time when we were at a restaurant and the parents set up a movie on a personal DVD for a 2 yr old to watch just so they could eat in piece. In my mind, that's not teaching the child to eat with you.

Also, make sure your husband is on the same page with you.

We also found out that our son loved ranch dip (it was a phase) so we made sure he got his carrots and dip as part of his meal.

Good luck

Make sure you are not giving her too much to drink before meal time (juice and milk fill them up and they are not hungry). Also, try not to give her more than a bite or two at a time that she can reach. Be consistent in your instruction, but don't give it too much attention at this age. Just like every other thing you try to teach her it takes time and a whole lot of repetition. She is still learning fine motor skills and this kind of training does not happen over-night.

By the way, they always told me that they only need about a tablespoon of food a day (the same number of tablespoons as their age). As she hits growth spurts her appetite will increase and decrease after.

Bascially I would tell her like 2 or 3 time to stop or she is going to have to go to time out. Make a place that she can go like on stairs, in the corner or places like that DO NOT use her bedroom or places that she goes to play or sleep. She will think that she is a very bad girl if you send her to those places. The for her age she needs to have about 2 minI know she is not 2 yet but you an not put her in there for 1 min that is not long enough for her. The after she is in there even if she fights you keep putting her in that place bot speaking to her is the key even when she tries to talk to you. The after she has been in there for 2 min you tell her why she was in there and make her say sorry and tell her you love her and that she can now go and play also tell her not to do it again before you tell her to go play. Also be at her level and have her look at you. When ever she in troublem you have to have her full attention. This will take alot of hard work to make this happen but you jave to be willing to stick to your guns.. I have 5 kids and thankfully none of them threw food that is a very bad habit and you have to nipe that in the butt. Not begin mean about it though but you really have to be stern about thigns with a 2 year old or almost 2.. Do you stay home with her or does she go to daycare? If she goes to daycare you have to tell them to pay attention to it and make sure that they are doing something about it too..

.

My youngest boy does the exact same thing when he's either done or not hungry. We think about food much differently than we should. Kids however are still operating on their natural systems. They want to eat several small things a day. Perhaps she is not hungry about the time you sit down for dinner? Maybe look at moving her last snack before dinner to be earlier or moving dinner back some? My oldest boy can't have anything to eat for several hours before dinner. It makes me sad and he begs for food for a while, but I know for a fact that if I give him something within four hours before dinner, then he wont eat it. Every child has unique, individual routine and system which you just have to work to figure out. Find out what works best for her by trying different schedules. I have two boys who are only a little less than two years apart, but their eating habits couldn't be more different. I hope this helps! You can try different flavors and textures of foods to see if that helps, too, if you want. Also keep in mind that she is still little. It could be something as simple as she is playing with her food. If she is eating while she plays... let her. It's important to let them when they are figuring out how to use utensils. You can put a piece of plastic (like a re-usable party table cloth) or a sheet under where she will be sitting to help save on cleanup. Over all, it doesn't sound like anything to worry about. We tend to worry that our kids are eating enough because we've been trained to bad eating habits. If she's happy and not complaining about being hungry and is otherwise healthy, I am sure there is nothing to worry about. Good luck!

Hi,~

I'm 'Mom' to 4 grown (adult) kids, and 'Mom-Mom' to 3 'young-uns'. I probably couldn't have taken my OWN (current) advice as a young mom, but probably if you just let her do it without giving her ANY attention for it, she'll soon stop. (Unless she's throwing smeary stuff (like mashed potatoes or applesauce) on the cabinets, walls, ceiling, etc, but you made is sound as if she's just more like throwing (semi-dry) pieces down on the floor near her chair. Put a big, old bedsheet under her high chair and ignore the 'experiment' she's exercising! There'll be a LOT of this experimentation during the next year or two, but this is probably more for attention than anything).

If you still go for 'discipline' measures, I agree that taking the food AWAY after the first reprimand (give one more chance, then remove it without explanation), staying through the meal, then making HER pick it up (as some recent respondents suggested) is the best tack to take.

i think it's going to be a gradual learning
try fixing her plate and feed her with a spoon,for a few
mouthfuls then give the spoon to her. if she throws the
spoon or food. don't get upset(smile).have another spoon
on hand throw the other in the sink, clean up the food.
and try again. yes ma'm this is a stage.if she ever picks
up her utensil and uses it the right way give claps of praise.the main thing is to let her be a baby. right now
introduce the spoon and fork but if she eats more using her fingers, let her.

sincerlly jai

I'm pretty sure that playing with your food is normal behavoir. I think that's how they "figure it out". Everything not only has different colors, but its also a different texture and consistency, as well as taste. And my daughter is 3 and still eats food with her hands occasionally. She knows how to and understands the use of the utensils - but it seems if she is really hungry she will just dig in with her hands. I think its just a stage and you should continue to enforce the rules of the table by taking her plate away when she starts throwing it. If you want the family time to continue, she needs something to keep her occupied besides throwing the food - maybe crayons, a book or a toy you would find acceptable at the table (probably something quiet). Good Luck!

I know ur pain sometime of those beautiful eyes, but they
know our weaknesses also so if u and Dad take away play time or any of her favorite things to do like certain tv shows just take it away for a day or so because that's how I let my son know who's the parent and the child. He also get smacking when he gets in his own stubbornness.

A.,

IMO it may be a few more months before she "gets it".
Have you tried NOT removing her, and make her sit while you and daddy finish eating, instead of allowing her to go play? She may even catch on quicker if she observes the way you eat your food with spoon and fork, and she'll learn that the family sits and eats together.
I wouldn't be overly concerned, but continue to keep reinforcing what you are teaching her. The throwing food on the floor is a fascination for many little ones.