Parent Talk: Baby Food Fights
Question:
We’re having a tough time with our 21-month-old daughter, who loves to throw her food on the floor every night at dinner. We give her a time out after a couple of warnings, and then it starts all over as soon as she is put back in her chair. After going through the same routine the other night, one of us had a long conversation with her and she sat and listened, and then threw the food again as soon as it was in front of her. After one more time out she stopped doing it but definitely was not in a good mood for the rest of the night (not to mention that we were running later than usual due to the frequent time out interruptions).
Does this sound at all familiar? If so, do you have any suggestions?
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We got the cute pic from babble.
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I haven’t had to try this (yet) but a friend said as soon as food is thrown on the floor she told her child “mealtime is over” and took him out of his high chair. No second chances, that was it. She said it cured the problem in a couple days!
I just read the question about the food throwing and the challenge it poses, not to mention the mess! I’m a clinical social worker and this is what I tell my clients…. At 21 months, time outs and reasoning with our kids is tough. They aren’t emotionally ready for the time out or able to understand the conversation well enough. They just know that they sure did a great job of getting your attention and want to keep trying it out. Lisa’s suggestion, stating that “mealtime is over” in a firm yet gentle way and following through is great. Chances are, if your little one is throwing food she isn’t hungry anyway.
awesome suggestions, Ladies!
I am totally for timeout and started my children around 20 months or so (they are 2.5 and 3.5 now) but perhaps your child is enjoying/exploring his meal. He is young to understand that throwing spaghetti is a no-no but then again, its spaghetti! Its fun to throw it. Perhaps by the time your child is throwing food, his tummy is full? Nonetheless, its a perfect age to introduce timeout. My children at this age understand what it is and know the timeout routine.