Eating Pet Food

I would gate off the area where the pets eat and not allow the toddler access. One of my kids tasted the dry cat food and we gated off the mudroom where the cats' dish was - there was enough space underneath for the kitties to get access, but not for a toddler to crawl under.

My dd did the same thing at that age. She got bored of it eventually. I would tell her no and get her a snack, like a cracker or something. It seemed to help but she would still go for the cat food once in a while.

How about trying a crate for your 2 year old!!! J/K please don't be offended. But maybe just keep the food out of his reach...out of sight, out of mind right?

Move the bowls! Why torture yourself. Eventually you can put them back down.

My 2yo went through this phase. We tried to keep it picked up all the time, but then she figured out how to unscrew the lid off the dog food bin and we had to put THAT up too. lol So, wondering what the fascination was, I tried a piece myself. It doesn't really taste like much- it must be the crunchy texture. I just made sure our dog food wasn't on any recall lists and did what we could to keep it out of her reach. She eventually got over this little phase and doesn't eat it anymore. But I don't tempt her either.

I know it's hard but at this age you *really* have to try to keep your eyes on him at all times! They can and do get into so much trouble and sometimes danger. So my suggestion is watch him extra good and tell him 'Yucky, No-No' every time you catch him!!

Have you told him it's icky? That's all that I needed to do for my kids...was tell him they put icky stuff in pet food and that it wasn't healthy for people.

if your cats are not too old.. you could put the cat food up high.. like on top of the washer... cats can jump..(as long as they are not too old)

this too shall pass.. seems like kids have to do these sort of behaviours 100 times and be told no 100 times and then they get over it and dont do it anymore'

My kids didn't do this, but my niece did. She would sit on the floor and feed the dog/cat one bite and give herself a bite. Gross!! But I guess it's semi-normal. Kids can be so odd sometimes :).

We believe in speaking firmly to our kids, even at 2. If they are doing something wrong (eating pet food) then get on their level and firmly tell them NO. They get it eventually.

Otherwise, keep it up and direct him to other activities when you see him starting to go for it.

My 13 month old also likes to mess around with the dogs dishes. I just tell him no, and pick the dishes up off the floor for a while. Pretty much now the dog knows she better eat at nap time or wait until the kids go to bed b/c I dont want to spend my whole day fighting about the dog food :)

My daughter ate the cat's food when she was a toddler. I simply moved the cat's bowl to a higher surface where my daughter couldn't reach it. It's the same strategy I use to keep the dog out of the cat food.

Supervise him. At that age my daughter would have eaten beads, coins and all kinds of little toys if I let her.
I agree it is really gross:)

Maybe consider getting your little one involved in the feeding process. My 2 year old son is "in charge" of feeding our Pug and he hasn't had any interest in eating her food. I am not sure why he doesn't want to eat her food but heck knows he's sampled other far grosser things off the ground. If all else fails, I would move the food out of her reach. Good luck and hopefully you get some good suggestions.

To add - He opens the food bin, scoops the food, pours the food out for her, closes up the bin). Every night he reminds me we need to feed the pug. it's pretty cute actually and it surprises me how he clearly feels pride in feeding the dog. The small things matter to toddlers who have so little control and choice.

Well, I see a few good options here. First, you can gate off the area. Second, you can move the bowls. Thirdly, you can buy really good human grade cat and dog food. My mom only buys Royal Canaan because they only use human grade products and their factory is also human grade consumption safe, so if the babies eat it it isn't a big deal. You should also make sure that the dog and cats are wormed because that is the big worry from pet food. I hope that helps. We have ours in the laundry room which has a gate on it so that the animals can eat in peace without "help". Good luck making a decision. (I also have to agree with letting his therapist know in case it is sensory seeking, and good job on getting 2 words together! We're still working on one! )

This made me laugh because it made me remember when my oldest grandson was a baby. He would feed his food to the dog from his highchair and then when he got down, he would go over and eat the dog's food. Yuk!!! It got to where I just wanted to put his plate on the floor and put the dog's dish on the high chair tray!

Sorry, no suggestions.

I would feed the animals on a timer or schedule. Then I would keep the kid out of the room when the animals eat. Tell him that it's their food and their eating time and he needs to respect them. Move the bowl to a room that you can gate him out of, call the animals in, and lock him out.

Any chance of blocking the kitchen with a gate and feeding them there? My 16 month old thinks it is awesome to take the cat food and put it down the air intake vent. Have to vacuum it every other night instead of twice a year. We have her bowls on the window sill to try to discourage though it does not always work. Of course, he is at the age of getting into E V E R Y T H I N G.

And I read some time ago that you can get salmonella from pet food so you do need to be careful.

He gets speech therapy? Have you mentioned this to the speech therapist? It chould be sensory seeking behavior or he is hungry and would rather eat pet food than put 2 words together. Either way, somewhat of a concern, IMO.

You're joking , right? Some brands have been linked to cases of salmonella poisoning in people, according to a study published in Pediatrics in 2010. You should be entirely diligent about not allowing this to happen or get rid of the pets before your son gets seriously ill or worse. As ridiculous as my statement sounds-yours will sound equally ridiculous when you're in the ER telling the doctor that you have no control over your two year old and allowed him to poison himself. It's your behavior that has to change.

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