Both my children have been (are) messy eaters. I guess it is our fault (DH and mine), as we have been quite lax with discipline, compared to some of those we know at the table from the outset, DD was baby-led wean, we wanted her to learn textures etc, so did not stop her picking food up with hands as a baby, let her do it. She learnt to use spoon/fork etc very young but preferred to use her hands. We did try to get her to eat properly and have always tried to address it, but so it seems not enough, we were not prepared for a battle at mealtimes, and figured she would develop manners eventually, by copying us. We mostly eat together. She was notorious for leaning out of her chair and trying to eat my food. Mostly, she is eating ok, though not the tidiest eater in the world.
DS - We have done baby-led and mush, he has been messy, been fed and fed himself and come out of it to some extent less messy than DD was, so we thought. He has mastered spoon and fork easily, VERY independent with eating, dislikes being fed.
Just as we thought he was starting to feed himself without much mess. He now refuses to be fed AT ALL. He will spoon a bit himself, but now insists on using his hands. For Everything. We cannot cut up food or else he chucks in on the floor. When he has had enough he chucks it on the floor. When he is bored, he chucks in on the floor. He tips his water into his food, smears food onto and all over himself and his chair. He feeds himself with fists full of porridge or whatever else we are eating. He is not upset during this time, he does it quite methodically, purposefully. Sometimes he chucks his food just because he can. More than DD ever did. He has 2-3 baths a day, bibs don't work, and we are just cleaning the floor and him constantly. He often laughs, but we respond sternly, and even DD no longer laughs at him, and often he does not laugh when he does it now.
We are literally reaching the end of our tether, 3 meals and 2 snacks, that is 5 times a day the kitchen, and our boy are both minging. Often we are too.
HELP!
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18 month old is just getting messier with eating. I am getting really upset now.
Pavlovthecat · 29/05/2011 18:57
suda we only chuck him in the bath/shower to get the grime off due to ease. Honestly, porridge is not easy to get off him or his hair with wetwipes or flannel !
Although, maybe, he is wanting to get dirty so he has a bath? he does love a good splash!
I can honestly say that my children are not excessively clean. If you saw them, you would not think that 
wolfhound good that it is not just us! but 
that he still does it! I say but DD took ages to get sorted with it.
We do not allow eating in any room other than the kitchen. relatively new rule as food just gets everywhere. Keeping the house much cleaner!
Good luck with DC3! hope he or she is cleaner for you
oh yes, dirty face. DS has often done the school run with DD and DH with a bit of porridge still encrusted in his eyebrow as DH did not see it. Sometimes it is still there when i get home from work at 1pm
Interesting what your friend discovered about removing the bowl from her baby, OP. I'd never considered that by taking her food away once she stops eating it we could be lining up trouble!
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