18 Month Old Likes to Throw Food

Put a very small amount of these foods on her plate (maybe only 2-3 green beans). If she eats them give her a few more. If she throws them tell her "Food is not for throwing" or "We don't throw food" and take her plate away and say "All done". She will learn that she needs to eat when the food is there and that meals are not playtime..

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Start by using a plate... and get there to remove it when you can see she is getting done eating (hopefully before it goes to the floor).

Immediately put one round slice of banana on her tray in it's place and then start clapping and smiling. (you will want to have the banana ready before the end of the meal or she may cry when you take the plate away)

What will happen is she will start clapping when she is done instead of throwing food... this will tell you that she expects the banana at the end of her meal.

Reconditioning behavior in babies is pretty easy if you do it gently and with some fun involved.

P.S. You may want to mix up the one piece of fruit you put before her - a raspberry, a piece of watermelon, so that she doesn't get too attached to banana (just in case you don't have any one day...)

Hi,
My son was doing this as well. One of the things that worked for me was giving him an empty dish and showing/telling him where to put the food that he doesn't want. It seems to work pretty well.
Good luck!
S.

At the Childcare Center where I work we've come many picky eaters, here is my advice: 1) Always have your lil one try a no thank you helping, and stick to it. If she throws it give her more and tell her she will sit till she tries it. Eventually she will grow to love a more diverse range of food. 2) Do not make more food than what you intended for dinner. The earlier that they learn that they eat what you eat the easier your life will be. (and finally...) 3) Have your lil girl pick up the food she threw. Its important that she learns that it isn't ok for her to do that, and... that your not going to be the one to clean it up.
This is just based off my experience. Enjoy these times. I miss teaching my tots!

It is a stage they go through... next will come the grabbing the food by the handful and squishing it through the fingers when done. Manners are learned so keep reminding her that we don't throw food. My granddaughter is 21 months old and she does very well at her house but I have a dog who loves cleaning up the floor after her and she uses this as a way to get rid of what she doesn't like.

Getting them to eat vegetables is hard but possible. Even at 18 months old, let her "help" you make dinner. She can put the vegetables in the pan for you, help with putting seasonings on them or however you make them. My granddaughter loves to help cook and we notice she is much more willing to eat food she helps cook. Also she won't eat canned peas but loves the steam fresh peas that you microwave. Green beans are something she still won't touch but she didn't like them in baby food either.

Sounds like you need to feed the child her food since she throws it on the floor. Remember that you are the parent and in charge, not her.

Give A sharp rap on the hand with a firm "no" then take her down from the table immediately, wash her up and remove her from the kitchen - my husband calls it a "blitz" - works every time.

SAHM of seven

I do believe your 18 month-old is right on schedule. On nice warmish days, I suggest moving her meal and her high chair outside onto the grass and letting her do her expressionist work en plein air. This phase will pass, just let her have her way for a couple weeks. She is old enough to say "no" to her, but you may as well indulge it because this is her being powerful and babies need to feel powerful.

Does she talk? Teach her to say "All done" or teach her to sign all done (both hands out in front of body with palms up-kind of like you are going to catch a ball- then flip them in and down). I hope that makes sense.

Try to giver her what she doesn't like first. I help my friend with daycare and we started to do that with one of the kids there because they will eat what they like and not touch the rest. He is 4 years old so he know better than to throw it.

Totally normal, albeit frustrating behavior! :) My 18 month old son does the same thing. In fact, this morning he threw food and then looked at me and said "Naughty" laughing about it. I think it is just a phase. My 3 year old never throws food, if that helps you look forward. :)

Good luck,

J.

K.; yeah i think we all have gone through that throwing food stage, try mixing it all together, and then she will have to throw her good stuff away too, hahahah eventually she will get the jist of not throwing it, and you can tell her no, and when she makes a mess she can help clean it up, might deter her from throwing it, enjoy life and have fun, D. s

I think this must be a phase as we have had this problem 2 times over and yet we will have to deal with it again in a few months.....ok, what has worked for us is.....put an empty bowl next to her, on the table or somplace she can reach and keep reminding her that if she is all finished to put the food in it. Show her with the food she doesn't want that she has thrown on the floor that it belongs in the bowl. SHe will eventually get the hang of it. Good luck and keep the broom near by! Remember how fun it could be to just throw the food you don't like on the floor--try to keep a sense of humor it sometimes helps.

Feed her the healthy stuff first. Also, don't let here see the other stuff she likes. Keep that out of the picture until she eats the others.

what if you tried spoon feeding her the veggies before you offer her the mac & cheese??
just a suggestion...

Hi K.,

Your daughter is older enough, to start learning not to throw her food. As soon as she does it, tell her NO, take her out of the high chair and have her help you clean it up. Then she can continue to eat or it can be more effective if the meal is over. I have a 2.5 yr old daughter and a small daycare, with 3 children in my home who all have thrown food, but this approach seems to work well. Keep offering the the foods she doesn't like and one day she'll surprise you and eat them too. I agree with another poster who said to give them to her first and then add her favorites.

Good Luck,
Megan

I would alternate bites. My 2 year old is picky, and I give her a bite of what she really likes and then she has to eat some of the main meal. By saying "you can't have any more berries until you eat your chicken.." is working for me. Sometimes meals last an hour this way, but at least she's getting a variety.

E. B
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One thing about 18 month olds, they are consistent! They all seem to throw food off their trays at this age. I think it has to do with their "out of sight, out of mind" way of thinking. "If I can't see it, it doesn't exist!"

I finally figured out that I needed to do meals in "courses." First course was what they really needed to eat--vegies, fruit, meat, etc. Then the filler stuff (cereal, cracker,etc.) Then milk. That way they would except the stuff they didn't like because they were hungry. Stuff still ended up on the floor, but it was easier to pick it up because it was cereal or something dry.

I had one that I would mix food together for and he learned before he was one to manipulate it in his mouth, swallow what he liked and maybe an hour later, spit out the peas. It was amazing!