13-Month-old Throwing Food on Floor

It's sort of her job to throw food on the floor.

How about, when she is done and throws one thing, you then take her plate away. It's a phase. She will outgrow it. I think you just need to deal with it. :(

I always fed in very small amounts (less mess) and when/if they started throwing anything I knew they were done and simply took it away. ***EDIT, saying "all done" when you take it away conditions them to know that's the end of the meal, so always do that as well***
It's just common sense, if she's done eating why would you leave it there?

This is simply her way of saying, "Mommy, I'm all done eating." She isn't able to say this yet, so she shows you. Simply say, "All done?" And then let her down.

This is not something to discipline her for. She's too young to understand. Give her time. She'll get the idea.

I think you have gotten some very wonderful suggestions so far!

One additional thought is to get a dog! lol

Maybe gross to some...but the golden we had when all 7kiddos were 7 and younger was ready and waiting to snarf food!

**I did of course clean the floor on a consistent and regular basis**

This phase WILL pass...and then on to other challenges!

Best!

Just remove the food the second she starts throwing things. Say, "All done." Eventually she will just say, "All done" instead of throwing things. She doesn't know how to tell you, so throwing it away from her is how she has figured out how to tell you she's done! Just be calm, don't get excited, and whenever you're finished with any activity (bath time, play time, etc) tell her you're all done. She will get the idea quickly. Our nanny used to teach our girls to do a hand motion as well, brushing her hands together (as if to say, "I wash my hands of this!"). That was easier for my youngest, who wasn't as quick or as clear in her speech as our older daughter had been.

Yup, your answers here are pretty good so far! Just wanted to say that this is an annoying stage but it doesn't last forever! :) I agree to teach the sign if she's not very verbal yet. Even if she says a word that means "all done" but doesn't sound like it, that's good enough too.

I also agree that just start with smaller portions. This also makes it easier to stop the throwing before it happens, and if you don't, then at least you have less to clean up! ;)

Throwing food is likely her way of telling you she's done with the meal. We used baby sign language to help our babies communicate earlier than they could talk, because learning how to communicate their needs helps to stop unwanted communication skills like tantrums (or food throwing) better than any 'discipline' you could offer a little baby.

Try to teach your daughter to 'say' all done using baby sign language. It looks like a slight wave with both hands:
http://www.babysignlanguage.com/dictionary/a/all-done/

Every time she's done with a diaper change and gets off the table, every time a bath is over and she gets out, every time she finishes a snack and the remainder goes in the trash, say "All Done!" and sign 'All Done' as well. At the end of a meal when she starts throwing food, try not to get upset, just take the plate to the sink, and say/sign "All done!" Soon, start asking during the meal "Baby All Done?" [her name] all done?" while signing. If she signs back, mealtime is over.

Baby sign language helped with my two!

There is light at the end of the tunnel! She will grow out of it!

As she starts to get towards the end of her meal, ration what is in front of her. One or two bites at a time. Once she starts throwing, then you know she is done. Also, the "all done" suggestions are good too.

I remember going to a restaurant with a childless friend and he made a point of saying that his future child would NEVER throw food on the floor. His child turned one not too long ago and I can't wait to ask how that's working out for him!

Good luck!

We just took the food away when she was done and gave her something else to play with. Our high chair has a removable tray on top of the tray, so we'd take that part off and set it by the sink and then set down little toys she could play with till the end of the meal, and if the got thrown no big deal. She wanted the toys so she never really threw food on the ground. (The exception being when we weren't looking and the dog was begging. Then she threw it to the dog.) We plan to do the same with our son when he's old enough to feed himself.

When the throwing starts you take the food away.
End of problem.

Um, when she's finished eating you take the food away. Otherwise of course she will play with (throw) it.
Pretty simple solution...

Happy-

We started with removing food and removing DS from the table. Then graduated to removing food, but keeping DS at the table. Reason being, I didn't want my dinner to be over when DS decided he was done eating. A few duplos, or a bead toy would keep him occupied till we were done with our meal.

Best,
F. B.

Simply remove her from her high chair when she starts to throw food on the floor.

Of course she will outgrow this and probably sooner rather than later.

Enjoy your daughter, this time will fly by.

So normal. Just take it away. By 18 months this behavior ends.

She will grow out of it. Thirteen months is very, very young and at this age some kids throw everything that comes into their hands -- food, toys, clothes, poop if they can!

If she's mostly doing it with food: Stop and think hard about how you and dad (and any other caregivers) react when she does it. She picks up something, throws it...and what do you and the other adults do? If you immediately say "No, no, we dont' throw food" and scoop it up in front of her and so forth, you are giving her precisely what she wants: Attention!

So curb the adult reactions. The FIRST time she throws a morsel, she's done with all food -- you say that she does it when she's "finished eating" so take it as a signal that she is done and get her out of her high chair instantly at the first toss of a Cheerio. Don't fuss at her, don't scold or say no, just remove all food instantly, get her down swiftly and distract her with the next thing in her day.

She is too young really to be "taught" that "we don't throw food" etc. Yes, you can say it but do so only as you quickly remove her from the table and move her along to the next activity.

She only sees this as a fun game -- she throws and you pick up, and you talk to her at the same time! (Even "no" and "don't" are interaction, and a child this young doesn't really discern between your positive attention and your negative attention, so just ditch all attention by not reacting).

If you persist in picking up the food, giving her food if she's throwing it already, or making a show of cleaning up, or trying to talk to her about it, she will keep doing it because her action gets a reaction. She does it when she's finished and you know that, so end the meal.

And don't forget to distract and redirect. At this very young age, fast redirection to a positive behavior works much better than scolding and talking about the negative behavior. Soon she'll be old enough to help you clean up what she spills or throws but at 13 months she's not there yet. I would not yet try to have her pick up her own messes - she will throw them again as she tries to pick them up, frankly. That comes, but not yet.

And I agree with you that slaps, smacks, etc. do NOTHING at all but teach her that you are willing to cause her physical pain. She will not connect it with the behavior enough for it to be a "lesson" to her. Distract and redirect at this age.

Take the food away when they throw the first food on the floor and give them nothing until you are ready to feed them again.

Our dog would station himself near the highchair whenever we put one of the kids in it for meals. It made cleanup so much easier.

Good luck to you and yours.

Can she speak? Teach her that when she is finished she is to ask you, "May I be excused?" Obviously, it won't sound exactly like that... but you will understand what she means if she is at all verbal and learns to try to say this.

Assuming, however, that she is NOT verbal yet, teach her to sign "all done" to you. Then, when she is finished eating, YOU remove her plate of food and if possible, excuse her and let her get down. OR, you remove the plate and give her a toy or something else to occupy herself until YOU are finished with your meal and available to tend to her not in her high chair.

The simple answer is: when she throws food, you take it away. The end. Every time. She will very quickly learn that throwing it gets the same response---it's gone. Better yet, take the plate, and get her down--dinner is over. Every time. It won't take that long before she realizes that throwing food is not a good idea if she is still hungry. The problem is that if she IS done, and is trying to get down and not eat, then she may ramp up the food throwing to get down faster!
So... you teach her to communicate with signing, rather than food throwing.

Feed her/give her less to begin-then add little bits at a time-it's their way of saying I'm done-just kindly tell her that "we don't throw food". She does not know better-but with patience and time-she will learn.

If she's talking, you can encourage her to SAY "all done" when she's all done. If you can catch her before the throwing happens, ask her if she's done, model "I'm done, mommy", etc. If she starts throwing, then correct it - tell her that's not what to do when done, and tell her what to do.

If she's not yet talking, teach her baby sign language - http://www.babysignlanguage.com/flash-cards/a/all-done/

I used it a bit with my son. It was one of the signs he learned before he started talking. Just do it when you say "all done". You can even google videos of the signs.

Babies throw at this age; it's a natural developmental stage that helps connect gross body movement and finer manipulative skills with the brain – helps it all to work together more smoothly.

Also, babies/toddlers are natural scientists, and gravity becomes wonderfully fascinating around this age.

Since that impulse isn't going to go away, I've used two approaches which both help:

First, serve less, and when the meal is obviously shifting from "hunger" mode to "play" mode, give only one bite at a time.

Second, keep a few small, thowable toys near the table and a big box or basket on the floor, and when play mode is kicking in, bring out the toys for target practice. It may also help to move the baby's chair in a different position. This begins a very early distinction between eating and playing, which parents can build on one step at a time.

Keep in mind that intellectually, a 1-2 year old has very little sense of good and bad. The reactions you give to her spontaneous behaviors, and experiencing pleasant or unpleasant consequences begin building that knowledge. Your reactions are helpful, but be sure to keep them consistent or you'll only create longer-term confusion. And be aware some babies will actually find parental reactions to things like throwing quite funny and worth repeating, so calm and low-key are also watchwords. For babies so young, the most helpful response is usually distraction and redirection.

Well, spanking won't fix this one... spanking will just cause a huge uproar at the dinner table.

Here's what you do, mama. STOP caring if she eats. She holds all the cards when you show her that you are just dying to get food in her mouth.

Only put a little on her plate at a time. If she's throwing the plate, just put the food directly on her high chair tray. The FIRST time she throws it, take the tray off and say "We do NOT throw food. You must be done" and remove her from the high chair. Go about your business. If she asks for more food, put her back in the high chair and start over.

If you take her down EVERY SINGLE TIME she throws food, with 100% consistency, she will stop doing it.

It is YOUR job to teach her that the game of throwing food will not be tolerated. Do it. THAT'S how she grows out of it.

She will move on to something else in a few months :-) mine was throwing food, now she keeps climbing in and out of her high chair. I even got the booster out, so now she goes back and forth between the two -the high chair is getting a new home this weekend.

Just remove her and the food. Cue her with, "are you all done? Yes? Just tell mommy, 'all done.'

Ignore it and don't make it into a game. From this point on, it's really important to not get emotional, to accept developmentally appropriate behavior, and to just ignore stages until they pass.

Hair pulling will come soon too! Just quickly drop her and turn away. Same with biting. Removing of self or object being used inappropriately is a quick method of teaching them to stop.

In sign language the sign for all done is both hands in the air. I taught both kids several signs starting around 10 months. You can watch a video and it's easy. My daughter screeched in frustration when she couldn't get across what she wanted. By teaching her sign language we alleviated those issues.

Blessings!
L.

i agree with you that slapping a tiny for acting like a tiny is not great parenting. i'm just a little more harsh about it than you<G>.
at this age you have to ride pretty close herd on 'em. you can either give her each bit of food one by one until she's done, or just watch her closely and when you see her getting ready to fling, quietly remove the plate and get her down. and if you miss out on the timing, just bear in mind that she's learning about gravity, and working on her fine motor skills.
this too shall pass.
:) khairete
S.

Heeey, welcome to the club! :)

When my daughter started throwing food, I would tell her sternly, "We keep the food on the table." Then I would change my tone to bubbly, and say, "Are you all done?" and remove the food.

If she acted like she still wanted to eat, I would put the food back, and give her another chance. If she threw it again, I would say something along the lines of, "you threw your food down... All done!" And remove the food for good, then clean her and the table up.

Very normal. This is her tell that she is done. I would simply look at her and say "No", remove the food and her from the highchair. I would then instruct her to clean the food up off the floor as best she can.

We put a hefty trash bag under our kids highchair. Have fun, they grow up so fast!

I found that it means they are done and full, so I would just keep telling them that instead of throwing food or playing with food to let me know they are done. My son used the sign language sign to let me know All Done. But as soon as I realize they are done, i simply take the food away.
It was a stage for my kids and they outgrew it so just try to be aware they are full and take the food away before they do this. Just keep reminding them there are other ways to let you know that they are finished.
Good luck...it will pass :)

Very normal. As soon as she does it, tell her to stop and make her pick it up. She will outgrow it, but a bit of natural consequences (her picking up her own mess) will hopefully speed up the process ;)

That's what they do. They should not be spanked or disciplined for this. This is what they do.

You should see every child care center across the USA right after lunch before clean you has started. You can ALWAYS tell where the toddlers were, there are piles of food on the floor.

What YOU need to do is watch, when she starts doing it regularly she's done and it's time to pick her up and move her away. Then start cleaning.

One thing, I always kept one hand broom and dust pan just for under the infants and toddlers area. it's gross to use the regular broom and dust pan on all that food. If you use a hand held broom and a different dust pan you can use them then wash them off in a bathtub or utility sink. It's much less germy and unsanitary.

This is a normal developmental stage. Give less food at one time so there is less to throw. Keep an eye on the situation and when she starts to drop things intentionally, simply end mealtime.

That's it. No need for punishment.