Spitting out food is driving me crazy!

[FairMidden]

DS is 19 months and on the whole he eats well. We did BLW and he's still breastfeeding so if he has an off day and doesn't eat much he makes up for it at night and we don't worry too much. Basically we try to be laid back about food.

However, the current phase is testing our patience badly. He takes bites out of his food and then just opens his mouth and fishes whatever it is out and lobs it across the room (or in the case of on-the-go fruit just dumps it on the sitting room carpet ). I've been ignoring this completely but it's been going on for a good couple of months, maybe more, and it seems to be getting worse. It can be anything - all different textures and tastes, not really predictable. He's even started doing it with cheese , which is practically currency in this house!

So, is it just a phase, or is there something I can do to persuade him not to do this? It is getting very hard to stop myself telling him off, although I have my doubts that this is the right thing to do.

Hmmmm, if it has been going on a couple of months then I am guessing it is a phase rather than anything wrong.

That would really grate on my nerves too. DD is a terrible eater on the whole, she only eats as and when she thinks she will, has a tiny appetite and does not like cheese or any diary products other than milk. I know, I have a space alien for a child. She spits and refuses food regularly but I have never had the throwing thing.

I was told that the moment she started to muck about to take her out of the chair, take off her bib, say brightly 'all done' put everything about food away and refuse any snacks until the next meal. Hard, very hard but it did work after a while for the best part of the time. Now, if she only takes a few bites then that is it, meal done.

The only time I cave is when she is poorly or is over tired after a day at nursery and I am determined to get some food inside her before bed!

If you are sure there is no oral thrush/toncilitis/sore throat/teeth then you may have to take the hard line.

Have you tried sitting and eating together?

I do think that at 19 months it is totally reasonable to tell him off. He should understand you perfectly well. I personally would get down to his eye level if he's not in his high chair and tell him that there is no food spitting or throwing. If he does it again, it will all be taken away (and that he must sit down on the floor if you want some sort of consequence and to say sorry - by giving you a hug / touching your arm or whatever method you have).

Thanks folks.

He is always teething, but not too bad just now. On the whole we do eat together - this makes little difference.

Maybe he's snacking too much and therefore not hungry enough to just get on with it at mealtimes? He gets fruit when he asks for it and sometimes cheese or crackers too. Mealtimes aren't really rigid in this house so I guess maybe that doesn't help.

I think DP and I need to forumlate a plan

My 17 mo DD does this too - just fishes food out of her mouth but spreads it all over her highchair tray (and sometimes in her hair) rather than throwing it. It drives me mad, but I just tell her no, clean the food up and carry on feeding her. She'll do it every couple of mouthfuls, and when it becomes constant I say "all done!" and assume she's had enough.
It's worse when she's tired and in a mischievous mood, so I try and get dinner on the table as early as I can.

DS 2 is exactly the same at the moment, been going for about a month. the biggest shocker was grapes, he LOVES grapes, but now he has a chew then fishes them out and drops them.

We've done a few things which seem to be helping:

• mealtimes, don't mind him playing with his food (he's learning and exploring after all) but if it gets thrown/pushed onto the floor he comes out of his chair and meal is over. He's told no food on the floor but isn't told off exactly

• we have set snack times (I particularly hate this but it seems to be working). he's offered a snack, if he doesn't like it/it gets spat out there's nothing else til mealtime. Again, told no food on the floor but not told off

• snacks are small, a few grapes. half a nana, small box of raisins, a biscuit, just enough to take the edge off and give him an energy boost but not enough to stop him being hungry

• snacks are always supervised, no wandering off with a humzinger or such like. We sit down (not necessarily at the table) and both have something

• we've also changed the way we feed him his meals. He too was BLW and would readily wolf anything down that was put in front of him. Used to put a few bits down, when they'd gone put a few more. Lately he seems more interested in whats on our plates and refuses the 'bits' I put down for him so now I put all his tea in a bowl in front of him and he gets on with it, with a little help from me as he's incredibly lazy with a spoon and actually asks me to scoop for him boys !

Having said all that he's not breastfed so not sure how that might be affecting his daytime appetite but I do know that between 1 and 2 their appetite plummets compared to the first 12 months.

Anyway, hope something in there helps

Yeah, I think we need to structure things a bit more - thanks for the ideas