10 Ways to Stop a toddler throwing food
One of the challenges we’ve been dealing with this summer is our now 18-month-old toddler throwing food. In fact, one of this child’s very first words was “throw,” and he is wired to throw or kick any ball (or ball-like thing) he can get his hands on. So it was no surprise when he started throwing his food.
I have to admit, my other two children never went through much of a food-throwing stage. They weren’t so obsessed with throwing things, namely food. In fact, despite this being my third child, I made the mistake of thinking it was cute–at first. Unfortunately, we prolonged the food-throwing stage because we didn’t think it was a behavior that was going to stick. We were wrong.
After a few months of working with our child, we’re finally coming out of the “toddler-throwing food” stage, so I thought I’d share some things we tried as we began to break the food-throwing habit.
10 ways to stop your toddler throwing food
1). First and foremost, be calm and patient with your toddler. They are learning so much every day, including cause and effect. They are not trying to misbehave; they are learning what happens when they throw their food or what happens when it falls. If you start to lose your cool, giving them too much attention, even negative attention, often backfires.
2). Set the mealtime rules for your toddler. If they start to throw food, state, “Food stays on the tray.” Keep your command positive. If you say, “Don’t throw your food!” Your toddler may only hear, “Throw your food!” When we use a “no” or negative in a statement or a command with a young child, they often don’t interpret the negative word in the command.
3). Notice and give praise when your toddler doesn’t throw their food. Remember, they are more likely to repeat what you positively reinforce.
Set Up Eating Habits for Success
4). Give them small portions of food so they are more likely to eat all of it, before they get bored and start to throw it. Start with small portions and if they’re still hungry, give them another small portion, and so on.
5). Sit and eat with them. Even if it’s negative attention, your child may be craving any attention he can get. Therefore, sitting down and eating with them may help stop your toddler from throwing food. They may also be more likely to imitate your eating habits if you make an effort to show them how to eat. In short, they will learn, Mommy doesn’t throw her food.
6). Create a calm eating environment for them. Minimize distractions, turn off screens, and keep the dining area quiet. Your toddler throwing food may be a sign they are overstimulated by all the other distractions going on around them.
Try New Strategies
7). Try distracting them by handing them a toy or utensil to keep their hands busy. They may simply be bored, so giving them something to play with at their tray may help them stop entertaining themselves by throwing their food.
8). Make sure your toddler isn’t too tired at the time you’re feeding them. Generally, young children go to bed very early. My youngest is usually wiped out by about 6:30 pm. While we’ve tried to push his bedtime to 7:00, the truth is, his body is telling him by 6:30 he’s exhausted, so we honor that. That also means he has to eat a bit on the early side.
9). Depending upon your toddler’s age, they may be ready for a booster seat instead of their highchair. They may be more engaged with you and your family by sitting in a booster seat. Also, this novelty may allow you to develop new habits at the table. When sitting them on their new seat, praise them for being a big boy or big girl.
Side note–believe it or not, at our center, we move toddlers to a small table with toddler-size chairs as early as 12 months! Toddlers are often way more capable and understand more than we give them credit. It’s amazing to watch a group of 12-to 24-month-olds all eat together like mini civilized humans.
10). Be very clear and consistent. Remember, this is just a short time in their development. If you remain consistent, they will eventually learn not to throw their food.
toddler Stage of development
Remember, that your toddler throwing food is a pretty normal part of child development. While it may be messy and frustrating for you, children grow entirely too fast. One day, you’ll blink and suddenly they’re a preschooler. Stay patient and consistent and enjoy the toddler stage, because it doesn’t last long! And eventually, you’ll barely even remember they threw their food at the table for so long.