Throwing food off the highchair

[Cies]

DS is 11 mo. Weaning is going well. Lots of finger foods, some spoon feeding, eating off a fork if I've speared something, drinking out of a sippy cup. So all well there.

BUT he's getting to the age of THROWING, not dropping, things off the highchair onto the splashmat. Obviously this is hilarious for him.

I try not to react. If it's at the beginning of the meal I calmly pick it up again and carry on eating. But often he will hurl it onto the floor again with a cheeky grin. So he's playing with me.

How should I react? How should I let him know that food is not for throwing on the floor? Don't want this to become a battle of wills!

I was going to post this in weaning and then decided that parents of older children are more likely to look here, and have some pearls of wisdom to share.

Watching this thread with interest. My 4th dd does this all the time she is 18 months and I have no idea how to stop it. None of the others ever did this.

I have tried ignoring but it is hard to keep a straight face when you are covered in food and the other three are laughing.

DD did this too. I left the stuff on the floor and had lots of other stuff on the table for her (usually threw this too but at least it got the food into her!).

Anyway she just stopped herself. I read Gina Ford and she said if they threw food on the floor they weren't hungry but when i picked it up, she ate it!!

As I read back what I've typed there's no real advice!!! Sorry but it did stop!

When DD threw food I simply cleared her plate away and finished my meal. She had snacks and her next meal as normal (no extra for having missed a meal) and within about 2 weeks she stopped. Now (at 18mo), when she's finished, she'll put all the food from her tray onto her plate and say 'Done'. If I'm not quick enough she'll try to pass me her plate which generally tips food off onto the floor, but it's no longer intentional, she's genuinely trying to pass it to me to be helpful!

I agree with Galena. Just ignore, ignore, ignore and then say firmly, "No throwing food on the floor" and take his plate away. Only offer food at the next meal and he will learn to eat when he is hungry! My DS did this and stopped pretty sharpish when the 'game' of me picking it back up again stopped.

Good luck

just leave the food oon the floor. no child ever starved themselves xx

OK, so the consensus is to leave it on the floor and ignore. I'll try that tomorrow and see how we go. Thanks.

My DD used to do this -I think it's par for the course when they are learning to eat. I'd usually give her the benefit of the doubt and pick it up the first time, but I'd then tell her that if anything else landed on the floor it would stay there. I'd also ask her to help me pick it up after the meal.
One thing I did notice was that she was more likely to throw food if there was too much on her plate.sometimes she'd get a bit overwhelmed by it I think.