BLW and throwing food on the floor

[Lycidas]

Hi all

DD is 10 months old and, even since we started wearing, has generally preferred to feed herself. I can occasionally get the odd spoonful of something in but she tends to rebuff most of my attempts very strongly...so I don’t want to force her.

Last few weeks she’s discovered the joy of dropping food on the floor. This seems to be completely random, eg will drop three pasta pieces then pick one up, inspect it and eat it. And continues. But now she’s not eating anywhere near enough/what she used to. Do you just keep restocking what’s in front of them in the hope that they eat more, or jut put a certain serving size on their tray and that’s it? :s

It was a long time ago for me, but when blw my DD I used to just pick the food she dropped and out it back in front of her... So same portion.
She used to stop when he was done.

Keep a well mopped floor, and keep putting it back on her table and saying no. That's what I did anyway

Echo pp. Also a portion is only the size of her fist so if she's still eating some then she probably is getting enough.

Alright, thanks!

I give my ten month old age appropriate pouch food so I know she's had something and then do blw otherwise we would by there for hours. It keeps her entertained until we ve had our meal and no battles

We had a plasticky mat thing that we put underneath the high chair and would pick bits off that to give back

Food is for fun until they're one, so said my health visitor when I questioned this behaviour. Most of it ended up on the floor or in her hair don't worry about it she'll eat what she needs to.

Worrying that a HV said that because it's wrong. They cannot get everything they need from milk, so food is not just for fun. There isn't enough iron in breastmilk or in first stage formula: there's not supposed to be, because we're born with enough to last the first six months or so and then we start eating solids. Hence it's not in either. There is iron in follow on milk, but that can lead to constipation and she presumably isn't recommending follow on milks either given that the NHS doesn't.

That being said, it is bloody hard when they don't take to it. And they don't need a massive amount of food either, fortunately.

I just cleared away the food that the dc dropped on the floor. After a while, they figured out that gravity was a one-way street and stopped dropping food.

Give her less at a time and top her up from another bowl out of reach.
Mine used to mash everything into her hair too. I told myself it's a good sensory experience...

I wouldn't keep picking it up and putting it back. In my experience, watching mummy do this over and over is a game that baby will never tire of and will only encourage her to continue dropping it.

Just bin whatever she drops and she will learn that she loses it if she drops it. She is probably getting enough anyway, they don't need much at all really at that age. Good luck!

This is something they just start doing at this age - totally normal. I always keep restocking what's infront, but if they continue to throw and not eat - it's usually a sign they're full.