How to stop my baby from throwing food?

Question

My 15 month old throws food at every meal. We eat all meals at the dining room table and he chews the food then spits it out and throws it on the floor. Sometimes he does it quickly so we can't stop him, other times, he sees something else he would rather eat and spits the food in his month into his lap. We don't laugh at him and tell him "no" and spank his hand but he smiles and does it again. HELP-- It is hard to take him anywhere when he eats!

Answer 1

take pictures, laugh and enjoy this time. so it's a mess, who cares, make sure he eats dinner without clothes, just a diaper. make sure you give him just a small amount of food. sometimes babies get overwhelmed with the amount on their plate. and when it looks like he's throwing more food than eating, remove him from the table. but dont throw food back at him, he'd think you're playing along. and dont get upset with him, he's 15 months old. it's not like he's gonna grow up to be 18 and throw food...oo wait, there are highschool cafeteria food fights...hmm lol just control the situation dont make it worst. have fun! and get tons of pics! you'll need it to blackmail the little guy when he is 15 and complains YOU ambarrass him...you can say, ooo really, take a look at this.

Answer 2

well, first of all...I would take the food away and start to feed him for a while. That will solve most of the problem. if you go out to eat, only give him three or four little portions at a time...that way, he won't mess up alot at one time. You can control things that way. As far as spitting...sounds like he is just not that hungry at meal time. maybe you are giving him too much of snacks or juices and therefore he is not hungry. Toddlers go through a stage of not being hungry. When he gets hungry , he will eat. I promise. If he starts spitting food, remove him from the table and sit him in a play pen until you finish. that way you have established the wrong and he knows it. Buy a removable plastic cover for your floor that goes under his chair..easy to clean up and no worries. Personally, i would make him help me clean the mess...they know what they are doing and they are very smart..if he has to help clean, he will be a little less inclined to mess it up. Another thing...stop "slapping" his hand. I know, i know...but, the thing is...children have very sensitive hands on the top and their nerve endings are there and repeated popping of the hand on the top can cause serious damage. even his blood vessels are near the top, not yet covered by alot of flesh like ours.. if you need to "pop" him just tap the side of his little leg or something where he has more fat..LOL
Good luck and God bless

Answer 3

It's not a good age for taking out to eat, no.

When he throws or spits, the meal is over. Don't give him anything more, although it may be fair to let him eat (without throwing) what he still has. Perhaps one warning is fair; perhaps two. But certainly the third time, he's playing, not eating. Try again after he says he's hungry, or at least indicates it in some clear way. And again, the penalty for throwing is the meal is over. He'll get the hint quick enough.

Answer 4

Limit the child's environment. Feed before or after the rest of the family. If necessary one adult on each side of the child.

Then during meal times place the child where he can see the rest of the family eat but offer no food.

Only when the child can sit at the table without spitting, should he be allowed to join in a meal.

The child is acting this way because you allow him to act this way. If you take the child out of the highchair every time he spits his food out and place him in a playpen (as time out), he will eventually learn that spitting out food is not allowed at the table.

You should have gotten control before the child reached 15 months old. The child now has experience doing this and has turned it into a game. The child is keeping score and winning.

Slapping or scolding is never as effective as removing from the food. The child will not starve. It is old enough to control it's behavior according to your rules.

You can become a totally permissive parent and laugh and joke about your "little darling" and hope and pray that the child will modify its own behavior, but I would not could on this happening.

Answer 5

My daughter doesnt have a terrible time with this, so my answer may not work for your child... When she starts spitting out or throwing food, i simply tell her: "if you dont want to eat it, thats fine. But don't throw it." If she keeps going, I take it away. But normally she will stop because she feels understood and not pressured into eating what she doesnt want to.
But like i said, she's not a terrible eater. She does eat a good variety of food, and doesnt throw things until she's full. So this may not work, but its at least worth a try.

Answer 6

I'm sorry but, the Government wants us all not to discipline our children, or we go to jail.. Well, we also have freedom of religion, and my religion, says "Spare the rod, spoil the child" in other words if we dont spank their behind, or pat their hand from time to time, we end up with "Uncontrollable" children!!! At his age I wouldn't spank him just yet, but, do tell him if he can talk and understand, that no toys, (his favorite,perhaps), if he keeps doing this, if that doesn't work, then its time to "Pat the wrist,not the hand, they say, in california, that slapping the hand can cause nerve damage, in the in between area, so I'd Pat him just above the wrist.. Not too hard, just enough that he understands that this behaviour is "Bad"... Then when he gets older, and does things that older kids do that are bad, I'd first opt to put them in the corner, and they can only come out when they've been quiet, for atleast 5 whole minutes, and get out your timer.. If they talk they get another 5 minutes, and if this type of discipline doesn't work for your child then its time to take away his favorite games, or things he loves doing.. If that doesn't work, then have him to bend over his bed, and give him two good spanks on the bottom, with a ping-pong, paddle, not too hard, cuz, there pretty thick, but just enough to make him understand, and dont yell while your spanking him, be cool , calm & collected.... then make him sit on his bed, and think about what he did "Wrong" when your ready to go in and talk with him about what he did, ask him how he's going to go about not getting spanked again, for this same thing.. Communication with our kids is so important!!! And sparing discipline, is only going to make your children turn into little guys no one wants to babysit, and no one wants to play with .. and so on.. and even cause you to resent the child, when its not their fault, at all !!! Its us Parents faults,for not, disciplining our children!! The bible even says if we love our children we will raise them up in the way of the Lord.. Or, if your not religious what that means, is if we love them, we show it, by guiding them, and explaining & communicating with them all along the way through their lives.. And if it sometimes, takes disciplining them, then thats something we must do...In order for them to become self-disciplined grown-ups.... Good-Luck, to you and your family!!!

Answer 7

As soon as he does it tell him "no throwing" and then take his food away. He'll learn that he doesn't get to finish his meal if he does that and will stop doing it. My daughter is the same age and has just learned this.

Answer 8

Stop spanking - it doesn't work.
You are rewarding his bad behaviour with violence - wrong response to the problem.
Be clear - say no firmly, but reward good beahviour.
He will grow out of it.

Answer 9

Straight Jacket!!!!

Answer 10

duct-tape his hands on to the little eating tray that is installed in the high-chair