My Son Won't Stop Spitting at Meals

I read the 5 responses, that you received on this issue, and alls i can say is PLEASE, I am a mother of a 24 year old, a 21 year old and a 19 year old, and all 3 of mine did the same thing, what I did was take my finger flick the side of their cheek, then I would take their food away, and take them out of the high chair, until it was time to eat again, I only had to do this a couple times per child, they got the message. L. manners are very important to instill in our children, with out them you can't go out to eat, you can't really have company for dinner, nor can you go to someone elses house for dinner. if you would like to discuss this furture my e-mail is ____@____.com J. L

I just realized this was written a year and a half ago, so I will just send it any way and hope you are having fun with your son. This request was in the "spotlight" so I thought it was recently. duh

I would try foods he can feed himself, not liquedy baby food. I have a now 1 yr old and at 9 months he really started loving feeding himself. I still try to feed him stage 2 baby food for veggies, but for the most part, he now likes to feed himself. You can give him anything but penuts, honey, egg whites, raisins and any other food that may cause an allergy or choking, you probably already know that. I loved it when he turned 9 months.. He was much more independent in eating, playing etc. He now wieghts 26 pounds a 1 yr, so it is obvious he loves to eat.

When I first read your request, the first thing I thought of telling you was a baby story of mine that my mom told me. So it is no advice but similar... I was about 7-8-9 months old and I started doing exactly as your son does, spitting and spraying everthing I ate I would aim for my moms face... so my mom became so frustrated and didn't know what to do, she asked her mother for advice. She (my grandma) said to "take a bite and spit it right back in her face, give her a taste of her own medicine, that will teach her"... so my mom did exactly that, and I thought it was the funniest thing in the world! My mom told me she had never heard a baby laugh so hard and in turn, she could not stop laughing. But it was the worst advice she got, so dont do that. Just kidding. I guess I just grew out of it, because my mom just ignored me every time after that.
So good luck!
A. P mother of 2 boys, 1 and 4

Hi, I dont really have any suggestions, other than patience is a virtue. I was just writing to know you are not alone. My daughter is nine months old and she also spits everything out, though not all the time, it's still a pain. Good luck and if you get any good suggestions let me know. Thanks!!

L.,

My son did the same thing also. It is very frustrating. I would just stop feeding him whatever I was giving him at that time. If he is going to spit it out and play with it, then he probably isn't very hungry. If you think he's hungry you could try giving him Cherios or something like tht instead if you still want him to sit at the table with everyone else. The phase does pass however.

L.

Hi L. -
Yes, my son went through that phase too...which was loads of fun. But it does pass. Funny thing is that kids are super-psychic and know that they've gotten to you even when you pretend to ignore it. Just don't have any energy on it and the spitting will pass in time (replaced by some other lovely new behavior). My husband's reaction to it (scolding) didn't help, but after awhile my hubby just wiped it up and took our son out of the highchair without being upset and the whole thing is a distant memory now.

Good luck! - L.

Hi there. I have a 3 year old and a 2 year old. Both went thru it and just as one got over it the other started up which led to the older one doing it again. It is a phase and does pass. We too tried the ignore and scold tactics. But, they are so young and they do know when you're upset- but they still do it anyway. What got us through it was just removing them from the table when they started. Kids will eat when they're hungry - and if you try to take the food away from them when they are hungry they'll let you know how unhappy they are. So, your best bet is to not get upset, clean him up and remove him from the table. Let him go play or do something else. He'll let you know when he's hungry. Also, by removing him from the table it teaches him that you don't play at the dinner table. It will help him differentiate between play time and dinner time. Hope that helps.

Be careful not to use the word no. Instead say Marshall we don't spit in a calm non angry/irritated voice. If he does it again remove the food, or him from the table/highchair. No does not tell him what he is doing wrong.

It takes time to break a habit of something that used to get a positive reaction from you. He is seeking that same reaction from you now. So be consistent. Good luck!