Toddler throwing food - how to stop!

[newmum234]

My toddler (18 months) is a great eater but in the last couple of months he's starting throwing finger food like toast, omelette, fruit and anything else he's given all over the floor.

He will eat some then chuck some bits too. When I say "OK, I can see you're not hungry anymore" and start to take the plate away, he starts whinging and motioning to have it back. I give it back to him and he starts throwing again.

I've had some success with trying to communicate - so when he looks like he's about to throw something I'll say "no, keep it on the plate or eat it" and he usually does. But to do that with every single pea or other bit of food is quite time consuming!

I'm also concerned that I could be starting to give him a complex over food by making such a big deal of the throwing.

I've looked up old threads on MN about this issue where some people have just advised ignoring the behaviour altogether, but surely I can't just sit there whilst he chucks food all over the kitchen? How will he know it's wrong if he's not told?

Does anyone have any advice please?

No advice but I hope my comment bumps your thread so other people could give better advice. My lo started doing this from about 15 months and recently stopped at 2.5 years old. He still drops his food but no longer throws it once he finishes. I used to give him one bit at a time rather than a whole plate where he would throw it or I used to take the plate away when I got signals where he was full.

Thanks! The thing is he's not always finished eating when he starts throwing - sometimes he will throw some, then eat some, then throw some more, then eat some etc.

I've also tried offering a second plate to put food he doesn't want on, but he just sees it as a game and keeps transferring the food back and forth between the two plates.

Watching with interest. My 2yr old just picks his plate totally out of the blue and lobs it. Also cups of milk etc just picked up quick as a flash then thrown.its fucking annoying

I had success by saying “if you are finished, put it back on the plate”. But that was because he was doing it to tell us he was done.

Spoon feed him yourself. Nothing to throw.

Yeh that's not why my boy is doing it.

Spoon feed him yourself. Nothing to throw.

I do spoon feed him quite a bit, but he also has finger food and that's when he throws.

I had a bit of success by just ignoring it. Hes now started climbing on the kitchen table and im using the same tactic. With my son its all about attention seeking.

Ignore it and give them positive attention about something else, unrelated if necessary. It’s a phase and the novelty of it passed quite quickly when he realised he got nothing out of doing it. Once all the food from the plate was on the floor I’d just take the plate away. If he was hungry he’d eat it.
I also usually had a book or car for him to play with at the table.
He’s 2.5 now and never throws anything.
They’re all different though aren’t they but I found ignoring it worked best and it passed fairly quickly.

I keep repeating ‘we keep food on the tray’ as Id been saying don’t throw on the floor but read somewhere that it’s better to give them positive instruction rather than tell them what they shouldn’t do. My daughter also loves to ‘help’ at the moment so if I say her getting bored and throwing things I quickly say ‘would you like to help mummy clear up?’ And show her to pick food bits off the tray and put back on the bowl / plate ... she even cleans the tray with a wet wipe (and then usually lobs the wipe on the floor....think it might take some time 😁)

If he's throwing he's not hungry, take the plate away despite his whinges. Won't take him long to learn. 🤣