Throwing Food...UGH!?

Question

How do I get my 27 mo. old to stop throwing or mashing her food into the tray of her high chair? If we're right there, she's not as tempted to do it. We don't have a kitchen table, so she eats in her high chair and we eat in the living room, but we can still see her as they are adjoinining rooms. She thinks it's hilarious to whip her food when she's done eating or if she doesn't like what was served. We've tried time outs where she has to sit in a chair and just scream it out and then when she's done screaming we talk about it, we've tried gently tapping her hands and firmly telling her "NO...no throwing food!", and we've also put her to bed. I'm at my wits end...I'm tired of washing my floor five or six times a day as she also uses her high chair for snacks. Help!

No smartasses please.....legit answers!

Answer 1

She wants to eat with you. Pull up a little chair to the coffee table, or eat in the kitchen with her.

Answer 2

TIP: there are large plastic mats that you can place under your child's seat. This is alot easier to clean however children can and proberly will throw further then what the mat covers.

A good smack on the hand and tell her no would let her know she is not allowed to through her food. DO NOT BE A PUSHOVER, I know it is hard but you can do it. Keep in mind that she proberly feels lonely with you leaving her in the kitchen and you and papa are in the living room. Yeah you can see her but she still feels far away.
Another idea would be to take the food away and send her to her room without dinner. I know it seems mean but she will behave.
Also have you tried to reward her when she does good. People tend to forget that a sweet or a small bowl of ice cream is a good reward! Let her know that if she drops ANY of her food when eating then she will not get any dessert. You can buy some ice cream waffle bowls, chocolate syrup, and SPRINKLES!
The first night she proberly will not get any ice cream that night you and your hubby have some and make it seem like making the sundae is oh so FUN! You two sit relax and enjoy your dessert because mamma and papa did not make a mess at dinner.
She will want some, if she never had ice cream let her have a taste but that is it! DO NOT GIVE HER ANYMORE let her see what she is missing out on.
Also make sure that you are serving her small portions for dinner so that when she is finished there is nothing to play with.

best of LUCK!

Answer 3

Its hard becasue she has already learned the bad behavior - so now you have to retrain her, which means restricting her behavior in addition to guiding her to appropriate behavior. So you will need to sit with her and restrict her from performing the bad behavior and enforce good behavior. This could also be part of the problem- the fact that you are eating in two different rooms (even though they are adjoining)... she might be acting out to get you into the room where she is eating. Maybe you guys can buy a cheap fold up table and chairs and eat in the kitchen to help create a more family atmosphere at mealtimes while enforcing good behavior.

Answer 4

first, you need to all be eating in the same room together. she's only going to learn table manners from watching you. dinner should be w/o TV and around a table.

chances are she's too young to knwo why you're putting her in a time out or to bed. you'll get further with slapping the hand RIGHT when she does it (not later on after you've discovered the food on the floor). you have to be consistant and not tell her it's bad just some times. you'll have to sit and watch her eat snacks for a while to be consistant.

Answer 5

first, stick a high chair mat under her high chair.
second, she is doing it for the attention. she wants to eat with you. my daughter does the same thing. we eat in the living room too, and I put her high chair in the living room so she feels like she is part of the family at meal times. you could also try getting her a "big girl" table and chair to have in the living room for meal times (also great for snacks, coloring, etc) or sit in the kitchen with her until she is done.

Answer 6

Well maybe it's time to "feed her like a baby again". Make a big deal about how she's too little to feed herself because she throws food...maybe when she is 3 she will be a big girl...etc. Then sit in front of the high chair and control the food. I BET in no time she will insist she isn't a baby and can feed herself ;) If she throws again, take the food away immediately and feed her yourself.

Answer 7

I feel your pain, but your baby is not 27 months, SHE IS 2. They aren't called the "terrible twos" for no reason. I agree, she may not want you to just abandon her, dine together.

This daddy doesn't do timeouts, I smack hands and yell until the walls rattle. She cries and feels the sting, but she learns. ;)

I hate being "bad daddy", but sometimes you just have to be. We all love each other, and she is 3 now.

I remember spaghetti was the worst projectile and mess. You could always try putting down some old bed sheets under her highchair to catch the mess.

Answer 8

Feed her and only give her dry clean snacks. A very few at a time.

Answer 9

Like she comprehends "no throwing food". What she comprehends is that when she does it YOU react. She gets your attention. put a plastic garbage bak under her highchair when she eats.