I have a 12 month old that has melt downs every meal time any time I walk away from him. Once I have all the kids their meals, I usually walk to the dining room, where my computer is, to input the meal being served. He can still see me from where he is seated, so it is not a separation issue. As soon as I am back in front of him, he stops crying and starts eating again. This morning after serving breakfast, I moved him so he had a direct sight line of me and then sat down to input the meal. He immediately started crying hysterically clenching his fists and then started throwing his food on the floor. Once again, as soon as I came back to standing by him, he immediately stopped crying and started eating again.
Any other time of day he is totally fine when I walk away from him whether it is to walk into another room to grab something, go to the bathroom, etc. I am at a loss as to what is causing this to happen only at meal times. He just isn't happy unless I am standing by him the entire time he is eating. This is not realistic as I have other children that I need to attend to as well. I have children eating in both the kitchen and dining room. This has been going on for a couple months. Any ideas?

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