Advice Needed for Child Who Spits Out Her Food

Hi K.,

My kids went through this too! What we did is a little bit different than the other suggestions. Whenever they would spit their food out we would take their food away and tell them that they were done. We would take them away from the table and let them play. Sometimes they would get upset sometimes they could careless that they were excused from the table. Most of the time they were upset that they were excused. After waiting about 30 minutes we would ask them if they were ready to eat and bring them back to the table. When they realized that spitting their food out or playing with their food is not ok and that they would have to leave the table they would eat just fine. By doing this you are teaching your children consequences for their bad behavior even at 14 months. When she does this take her food away tell her we do not play/throw our food and take her out of her high chair. Obviously you don't have to wait 30 minutes but try 10-15 minutes. Bring her back to the high chair and ask her if she is ready to eat and try to give her her food again. If she throws/plays again repeat the process. She will figure it out. I hope this helps!

Good Luck!
M.

Hello K.,

Unfortunately my son spits out his food too! I know it's frustrating. My boy received a nickname from his uncle...
"COWboy". It seems like he's regurgitating his food.

Anyhoos, my response is this: don't worry about it. It will soon pass if you don't make a big deal of it.

About him eating, he'll eat when he gets hungry. Also, don't let him "graze". What I mean by that is don't let him snack a lot between meals. When he gets hungry, see if he can wait, (if it's not too long). If you make him wait an hour or so, he'll definitely be hungry when it comes time to eat.

Don't give in, stand your ground!! Good luck! ls

We did this same thing with ours at this age. But we gave her a spoon and let her feed herself as much as possible. Green beans were a life saver also. We'd give her some of those and feed her the rest of her dinner. I say let her play with a dish. I think half of it is they want to do something and not just sit there and have food shoveled in their mouths. If a bowl helps let her have the bowl.

I'd say, if it is working, give her something to occupy her hands and don't make a big deal about eating. The bigger deal you make out of it, the worse the situation will become.

your dr. and the other posters are right, don't make a big deal about it...cut back on in-between snacks...i just wanted to put my two cents in about the toys at the table (or tupperware in your case lol). i personally don't allow my son to have anything at the table other than his plate and untensils and drink. we eat as a family as much as possible and i think it's rude of him to be doing other things while we're having "family time". he is expected to eat what we have, if he doesn't, that's fine, it's no skin off my nose. but there are consequences - no dessert, no snack before bedtime, etc. it's mostly about expectations and routine. you want to teach her that mealtimes are for eating. of course as a small child she does need snacks throughout the day, but those can be cut back a bit until she gets the idea. good luck!

From a grandma with 3 kids and 5 grandkids, 57 years old! Give her the tuperware!!! And listen to the Doctor, know its a worry when your kids go through these "phases" but they pass! As far as the anger....totally ignore it!!! At 14 months she is just trying her wings and trying to figure out how she can best get her way and probably how she can be control the situation she is in!! I'm betting both situations will pass...she will eat when she's hungry!! And she will probably quit being so angry when she doesn't get a reaction!! And I'm from the old school, give her what she likes to eat!!! I was the pickiest eater that the world probably ever saw as a child, but didn't come from a home where you "HAD" to eat what was fixed!! Did Mom fix whole dinners for me aside from the rest of the family.....NOPE, ate lots of peanut butter and jelly!! I outgrew my pickiness FINALLY when I was in my 20's!!!!! Now there is little that I don't like and I'll try "almost" anything! I think there is a lot unwritten and unsaid about starting the "control" issues so early in life with kids!! Just remember she is 14 months old, not 14 years old....things will pass and sorry to say "one frustrating period will end and another will start"....I don't think society lets kids be kids anymore! As she gets older, the best thing to remember is to MAKE HER RESPONSIBLE FOR HER ACTIONS!!! That is a tough thing to do as a parent...and it doesn't have to be down right controlling control over the above statement...patience and kindness go a long way, let her see that you are sorry that she is having to learn lessons the hard way......gotta be a parent as they get older, can't be their best friend!!! Good Luck....she'll be eating again in no time! (Kudo's to you though for taking her to the Doctor to make sure there wasn't a swallowing, or throat, or stomach issue!)

Hi K.! Yes, this can be frustrating. My boys both went through similar phases, and more than once. Check her mouth. Most of the time when my boys did this, it was because they were angry and frustrated that when they tried to chew/smash it hurt. Hope it helps. Hang in there!

I agree with the previous post. Try not to give him snacks between meals, have him drink water, or a small piece of fruit if its right after breakfast or lunch but if its close to lunch or dinner try to wait. I also agree with the doctor they will eat when they are hungry. I stopped asking my son if he wants to eat, cuz everytime I ask he tells me what he wants then sometimes dont eat. So now I will ask are you hungry, he says my tummy not talking to me. So feed her when she is hungry. Less fighting at the dinner table. I also say do whatever works, if giving her tupperware to play with and it makes her eat, by all means do it. All kids are different so you do what works for your child. What works for one may not work for another.