Tantrummy mealtimes driving me mad ..........

[franch]

DD (14m) has always been - and still is - a wonderful eater and I thank my lucky stars for that. BUT, lately during mealtimes we go through the following ritual again and again and again till I want to SCREAM:

1. DD picks something at random that she can see and is curious about (anything from a book to a milk carton to a cheese grater - whatever). She points wildly, saying 'na na na!' and kicking her legs, while I try to work out what it is she's pointing at.
   
   
2. Mummy has to decide whether said object is OK for DD to play with. There now follows one of 2 scenarios:
   
   (a) Mummy puts unsafe/fragile/valuable object somewhere out of sight (so that DD will ultimately forget about it), whereupon DD goes red in the face and explodes, batting away anything else that comes her way and throwing her food on the floor.
   
   (b) Mummy gives safe object to DD, who beams and plays with it while resuming her eating with enthusiasm. However, this only lasts for a matter of minutes, after which DD discards the object and returns to (1) with a new object in her sights.
   
   I am finding this exhausting and feel like clearing the kitchen of every moveable item! DH takes a more hard-line approach, refusing to give DD pretty much anything to play with while she eats and saying 'No, you have to eat' - but he only feeds her occasionally and TBH I couldn't do it that way as it turns the whole thing into a battle and I don't want mealtimes to become utterly miserable for DD.
   
   Any experience/advice? Please!

[franch]

Anyone??? Sorry this is a bit long!

[PiccadillyCircus]

Not really got any advice but have similar things with DS (16 months). Why do they have to get so interested in other things when you are trying to get food over with in a pleasant way?

I also know what you mean about DH having a different approach - my DH is like that as well and I really don't want mealtimes to be a battle for DS.

I presume it is a phase - and will stop at some time before they are 18, but it is frustrating.

[franch]

Thanks for the sympathy PC!

[PiccadillyCircus]

DS particularly likes the cheese grater by the way - it would be one of his favourite things if mean mummy and daddy would let him.

[franch]

OMG, DD would grate half her face off

[shazia1]

Hiya all

my little one 20 month old loves tantrums at meal times,,,,she wont have water and doesnt eat her meals except with fruitshoot and juice and at meal times she screams at cupboard where i have stored them ,,,i got so frustrated when she pick food up and taste and then spit it out that i asked health visitor ,,she told me to ignore her and now she eats properly although she does have offdays when shes been at her grans who gives her crisps choccies etc evewn after i tell them not to as it ruins mealtimes but as they say,,,,,we are her grandparents we know what we are doin.........

[phatcat]

nightmare franch! Could she be ready to start feeding herself - I imagine controlling the spoon would be novel entertainment for a while at least. My ds used to require a lot of distraction before he started feeding himself - we just kept certain items for playing with at mealtimes only - spinning jampot lids used to go down very well!

[mummylonglegs]

I'm ashamed to say that I combatted this problem by letting dd eat with the t.v. on. I worried this was a bad idea but it only really lasted until she was old enough to get interested in feeding herself. I think the act of eating is interesting to some kids and not others. Could you also give her things to play with that are also edible? Like interesting shapes of cucumber etc.?

[franch]

Thanks all. I'll try your suggestions - maybe even the TV DD doesnt seem interested in feeding herself yet - loves using her fingers but flings away the spoon if we offer it to her! Hey ho, just another one of those 'phases' I guess ......