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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

How can I stop DS from hurling his dinner plate across the kitchen?

21 replies

intergalacticwalrus · 13/06/2006 17:45

DS is 18 months, and he has taken to throwing his dinner across the room, often when he hasn't eaten anything. I have tried to make him "go without" whaich I hate doing, as I worry abou him going hungry, and also becuase it seems to have no affect on him whatsoever. Is there any way I can make him understand that throwing one's dinner across the kitchen isn't really the correct ettiquette??!! Mealtimes are starting to get quite fraught as a result, and I know that this will only make things worse.

Please help!!! I can't be doing with scraping yet more food off the floor and out of my hair....

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Whizzz · 13/06/2006 17:46

Those plates / dishes with suckers on the bottom?

sugarfree · 13/06/2006 17:50

Ooooh,I'm a bit fierce I'm afraid,it would be a very stern "NO!" and then dinner gone.
(Might be easier to try at lunchtime,so you can follow with an early dinner)

Original poster

intergalacticwalrus · 13/06/2006 17:51

Tried the sucker thing, but the little bugger just lifts them off the tray of his highchair!

OP posts:

bakedpotato · 13/06/2006 17:51

dd went through this stage, i'm expecting it any day with ds
I got so fed up with it I started taking away and binning anything she began to throw, very deliberately/ostentatiously
and comforting myself with thought that she'd be having milk before bed
i don't know if this made any difference or if she just grew out that phase but it made me feel better (and made for less clearing up)
i vaguely remember the dawning of an association when i chucked away a petit filous that she was flicking on the walls

ComeOVeneer · 13/06/2006 17:52

Don't use the plates with suckers - they purely mean it involves more effort to wrench them of and the resultant radius of devastation is only that much wider.

bakedpotato · 13/06/2006 17:53

oh yes, lots of NO-ing

sugarfree · 13/06/2006 17:53

When you say mealtimes are getting fraught,you mean you are getting fraught don't you?I bet Ds is having a great time.

juuule · 13/06/2006 17:54

Don't give him the plate. You feed him off it until this phase has passed.

docket · 13/06/2006 17:54

i had this with ds and eventually opted for the thrown food gets binned and you don't get anything else route. it worked almost immediately and he hasn't thrown food since!

Whizzz · 13/06/2006 17:55

Tape arms with ductape !

serenity · 13/06/2006 17:56

Go back to finger food and give him one bit at a time, from his plate that is out of reach, or

Put his food directly on the high chair (not so good if he's up at the table though, and doesn't stop actual food throwing), or

Watch him like a hawk, and pounce when he grabs it to stop him throwing it, tell him 'no throwing' and give it 30 seconds before you give the plate back. Repeat ad infinitum

If he's playing with his food, I would assume he wasn't that hungry though. I've found mine are eating half the amount they normally do atm, very thirsty though.

nicnack2 · 13/06/2006 17:57

ds1 does this not just with plates but other tings at time and like others i remove to the bin. that cools the jets.

Original poster

intergalacticwalrus · 13/06/2006 17:57

Yes, he's having a great old time watching mummy get cross and then getting down on her hands and knees (no mean feat when you have SPD and a bump the size of Bulgaria, I can tell you) to clean the debris of the floor.

I feel like I have done the "no" thing to death with him, and it just doesn't have any effect at all, and neither does throwing his dinner in the bin. It's driving me insane, as he does it when we are out as well, which is highly emabarrassing.

OP posts:

nicnack2 · 13/06/2006 17:58

another angle is just to walk out and leave him there.

Original poster

intergalacticwalrus · 13/06/2006 17:58

I find giving him bits of his dinner at a time works quite well, but when he's had enough (usually 1 mouthful!) he'll start thr throwing again.

OP posts:

juuule · 13/06/2006 18:01

If he can't reach it, he can't throw it. Keep it out of his way for now.

Original poster

intergalacticwalrus · 03/07/2006 13:43

It's still going on!!!!!! If anything it's getting worse.

We have tried:
Taking his dinner off him when he hurls it
Giving him his dinner in installments
Walking away from him when he starts throwing

Help. DP and I are at the end of out tether

OP posts:

LucyJones · 03/07/2006 13:45

can you just hold the bowl and feed him yourself?

Original poster

intergalacticwalrus · 03/07/2006 13:53

No, he won't let me. I have tried that too, but cue massive tantrums as soon as I am keeper of the spoon. He eats even less then!

OP posts:

lunarx · 03/07/2006 14:09

when my ds went thru this stage, i took to feeding him off my plate for a while and then gradually 'trusting' him with his own plate again. ds will only fling his bowl or plate now if he is done and he motions for me and i dont see it!

i found with my ds, saying NO did nothing (i think he ignored it) and the behaviour got a reaction from me. ignoring it seemed (and seems!) to work now.!

good luck!

Eshay · 04/07/2006 10:04

Would he be sensitive to sticker rewards yet? A lovely star on his placemat or tray if he doesn't throw his food around? I suppose you would have to start when he's having a small snack so that he has a fair chance of earning a sticker.

My DS1 went through this phase too and the thing that seemed to work best was taking his food away instantly (ignore the tantrum). He never woke up hungry in the night.

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