Stopping the Meal Time Battle

Hi there, I have a 2 year old little boy and we went through the same thing. At first we were like "all kids go through this", and later we put a stop to it. We tried putting just a small amount on his tray at a time so that he had to ask for more. That way, he didn't have all this extra that he wanted to play with. It worked for us so I hope this helps!

I had the same problem with my girl she wonted to give the dog what she didn't wont to eat. I made it clear that dog will eat it better if it goes in the dish cause we don't wont the dog thinking that he is going to get food at the table, I put the dog in a different room or in his box and showed her that the dog still got what wasn't getting eatin on the plate, pending on what it is.

At 11 mo they are discovering cause and effect. It's normal for them to throw it down. I'd bet anything you put there toys, dolls, etc will eventually ends up on the floor. They want to see what will happen when they drop it. And if the same thing happens every time.

My suggestion is just to keep a close eye out and when she starts to throw food, take it away all done. It'll stop the mess but this really isn't a battle it's a good sign that your daughter is developing normally. My 3rd is now 11 mo and we're doing the sam ething here.

Hi, I have a son who is now 10, when he was little he started that and what I did was just not put much food on his plate. A little seemed to work better as he actually ate more. I think sometimes what seems like a lot to a child can be overwhelming. It is all trial and error, have fun!

My son (now 18 months) did the same thing (and sometimes still does). When she starts throwing the food, she's done, so try to anticipate and catch her right before she throws it, do the sign for "all done" to re-enforce the sign, and take the food away from her. If you don't catch her in time and she throws her food, don't give her a big reaction because it turns it into a game. Just take calmly do the sign for "all done" and take the remaining food away. You can't reason with or even scare an 11 month old into compliance, so I find that anticipating the behavior and heading it off is the best coarse of action.

Maybe you could try only putting enough on her try for a few bites at a time. This will require her to ask for more if she's still hungry. If she still pushes food off the tray, tell her "no" very firmly, remove her from her chair, and place her in a time-out chair, crib, etc. This way she knows that getting out of the chair is not a reward, but a consequence of undesirable behavior.

Hi there,

I have a 10 month old daughter and two older boys. The thing that worked best for me was to simply just avoid the battle in the first place. When my daughter is done eating, and starts dropping food off, then I just clear her tray and leave her with her pacifier and juice cup and maybe a small toy. She stays in her high chair and sits with us until everyone else is done. I think you'll be a lot less stressed about it if you just avoid it all together. Once they are older, of course, then mine have to be excused and ask to be done and all that, but not for a while. (for me) Good luck with the battle! There will be many more food battles to come, of different kinds, down the road. :)

I can't give you much advice, justto sympathize with you:)
Our daughter did and often still does the same. All I can say:
Also this will pass.
Get a mat underneath to save some serious messes and we got a high chair with a big table that would contain the mess the best way possible. She didn't stop pushing stuff off the edges, it just got harder for her. I am not sure this helped you any, besides just knowing, you ar enot alone:)