18 month old food throwing needs to stop. Need your suggestions.

[boredbuthappy]

I realize he is still young and it's typical of this age, but it's become a bit obvious to us that he's doing it specifically because we tell him not to. I've just put him down for a nap without his lunch. 3 bits in, he started flinging it saying 'no', then laughing. I took away the omelette, took him out of his chair, and away he went for naptime. I feel bad cause i know he was hungry, he'd been whining for lunch before i could make it for him. I want to nip this in the bud. He's been getting worse and worse. At first it was because he'd had enough, now after a couple of months of putting up with it, he does right from the beginning if the meal. Has anyone successfully stopped this nonsense, and if so, how??

Throw food = meal over. He learnt very quickly!

We're battling this too

Dinner this evening was curtailed when he started to fling handfuls to the floor. That was it for the meal.

He's 22 months and hasn't showed any signs of stopping yet, but we're persevering. He just flings more enthusiastically if we say no!

Thank heavens for the dog

I'm gonna try this daily and see what happens. It has to stop now. I am afraid though that he'll just drink more and more milk if i keep taking his meals away, a catch 22, more milk = less food, less food=more milk....he currents has a massive bottle of milk before bed if he hasn't eaten well during the day. And of course, the LAST thing i want is for him to start waking up hungry in the middle of the night!

I do the opposite of everyone else!

It goes straight back on her plate. Its stopped now (17mo) after a week of the following:

Put food infront of her.
Explain I want her to eat these pieces of brocolli, this chicken and the potato.
I eat my food and ignore the throwing and stropping
Plop manky food back on plate without speaking or making eye contact
DD eats bit when she thinks Im not looking
"well done DD, shall we go to the park after lunch" witter on about anything but the food until shes into eating mode.

She now just gets on with the eating as learnt that throwing didnt get a battle, or anything she could use to play up. I previously ended the lunch but then she would kick off about being hungry and Id have a grump all afternoon. this way however has cut the fuss of lunchtime down completely and she now uses lunchtime to ask me about going to the park!!

I always worry about mealtimes becoming a battle ground and think that drawing the attention away from the food is more effective - DD has BIG issues with food at 9mo after being hospitalised with tonsilitus and again it was only tactics that took focus away from the food which got her back to eating properly.

I have a similar thing with my DS, 20mo. He gets in a right old strop if he's getting frustrated with using his cutlery or something is upsetting him. I take a similar approach to Twinkle... I just ignore it as much as possible and carry on chatting like I haven't noticed. Sometimes, in a bored voice I'll say 'stop throwing food please' trying so hard not to lose the plot and then put the food back.

But, to be honest, I'm not the best person to give advice as I am so intent on not letting mealtimes become battlegrounds that DS is allowed to get down as soon as he wants, wander about and come back, have pudding when he wants etc making rod for own back
Good luck OP

I had it with DD when she was 13-14mo. I ignored it. Just picked it up and put it back on her plate without any fuss.

A month max and she was bored of it.

Her new trick at 16mo is stuffing her mouth, chewing it into a mush then spitting it out. I'm ignoring that too. One week in, it's getting less.

If he doesn't eat solids then don't increase the milk - he won't wake up hungry in the night. DS 20m frequently decides he wants no supper at all and goes to bed without having had anything since snack at 3pm - still sleeps through to 5.30 the next morning.

Watching with interest as ds is 15 mo and thinks food throwing is an Olympic sport :)

Saying 'no' makes it worse too I find so at them moment ignoring it and not offering anything else.

I just ignored it and in time she realised if it was on the floor she couldnt eat it. Relax 18 months is still a baby.