Throwing food and drinks on the floor - how to stop it/deal with it

[Milkysallgone]

Ds is about to turn 2 and he's really getting my goat with this latest trick. He will sit/stand/faff about with a meal, then with no warning whatsoever he just sweeps his plate full of food on to the floor. He's started doing it on the odd occasion I give him a drink in an open cup too. He will ask for a drink, then when I hand it to him he simply throws it.

This has been going on for a month or so now and I am getting pretty sick of it;dd never did his.

I've tried telling him off, removing his meal and not giving it back,removing him from the room, not aknowledging him at all, but all to no effect. He just sits there grinning if ignored, or whinges a bit if we do anything else. He doesn't appear to be bothered at all!

I'm reading Alfie Kohn at the moment and wouled be interested to know how he would advise dealing with this . Anyone got any ideas?

ho hohhhh!!!!!
it's hilarious, isn't it?
DS is also doing this, and waits until you notice he's about to do it
when he sees you readying to take the plate away to stop him, he hurriedly grabs handfuls of food and chucks them everywhere
shall be watching this with interest
all i've done so far is use another splat mat, to cover a wider area, and have shown no emotion whatsoever while preventing/cleaning up

he's 22 months, btw

We had to cut Ds2's hair because when we'd ignored his food throwing he started smearing food in his luscious curly locks...was a bugger to wash out
Ignore and clench teeth

my 23 month old does this too
she often waits til I've nipped out of the room (usually to check mumsnet, naughty!) and when I go back in he food is all over the floor!

My ds does the same!

I find if I catch him just as he loses interest in eating, I can ask him to give me his plate etc, and he will obey. Obviously lots of praise - and the missiles are safely calmly removed. Then I give him a cloth to 'wipe' his own table . Sometimes works .

I remember this phase. It went on for weeks, made me scream with frustration and suddenly just stopped. Now he eats off our proper smashable plates rather than Ikea plastic ones, unthinkable a year ago..

So good to know it's not just my demonic ds!

Minouminou - yes yes, that 's exactly what ds does, it's a ridiculous scrabble with me trying to prise the plate and food away from him while he is furiously trying to lob as much food on the floor as possible before I can .

ignore/calmly make clear up

praise so he knows what he 'should do' (oh lovely ds, you have kept your cup on the table!')

try to catch him before he does it with the praise. assume good behaviour (as above)

havent had food throwing for a good year, but dd started throwing all her clothes off her rail in similar fashion and we seem to have stopped it with the above ('oh look dd all your clothes are still tidy on the rail, how lovely, well done').

oh, another thought: could you h\ave an 'end of dinner' fun ritual? eg put knife and fork in line on plate or put cup somewhere... or saying 'i'm done'... ie a positive sign he has finished

(sorry for typing... am feeding)