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gumdrops 06:34 AM 03-13-2018
DCG 12 months and DCB 15 months love to throw their food on the floor. DCG is still a little young to understand so I just give her small amounts of food at a time, but DCB completely understands and when I tell him "no throwing food", he knows exactly what I am saying. This DCB is out of control at times with throwing toys, tackling, even trying to bite, which luckily I've stopped him every time from that...he's just a bruiser and I think at home it's "cute". DCM posted a pic on fb last week of him sleeping in his high chair with food all over the floor around him. How do you stop this behavior when at home "he doesn't know better"? I feel petty making an issue over throwing food on the floor, but it's getting old and I think it's a combination of everything he does and the extra attention he requires.
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Blackcat31 06:57 AM 03-13-2018
Originally Posted by gumdrops:
DCG 12 months and DCB 15 months love to throw their food on the floor. DCG is still a little young to understand so I just give her small amounts of food at a time, but DCB completely understands and when I tell him "no throwing food", he knows exactly what I am saying. This DCB is out of control at times with throwing toys, tackling, even trying to bite, which luckily I've stopped him every time from that...he's just a bruiser and I think at home it's "cute". DCM posted a pic on fb last week of him sleeping in his high chair with food all over the floor around him. How do you stop this behavior when at home "he doesn't know better"? I feel petty making an issue over throwing food on the floor, but it's getting old and I think it's a combination of everything he does and the extra attention he requires.
Who thinks "he doesn't know any better"?

By 12 months all my kiddos know not to throw food or cups.

Throwing food/cups/utensils = you're done eating; get down from table.

I start using that natural consequence the minute they begin sitting in a highchair and eating foods.

I'd tell them firmly that you don't throw food.
If they do, they are done, get down.
Rinse and repeat. You'll be surprised how quickly they figure it out.
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Pestle 06:58 AM 03-13-2018
You can't stop him from choosing to throw the food on the floor, unfortunately. I have a couple of kids right now like this. I've tried offering sensory activities and pouring/scooping activities, but they just immediately get dumped, too. One of my kids is nearly 2 and the parents are doing the same thing I do--immediately removing the tossed food and telling him it's a problem--but the other is 14 months and the parents aren't as good about modelling appropriate behavior.

I just take the food away and don't offer a replacement, although I keep them in their seats until everybody else is finished because I don't want them flinging food in order to leave the table early. I figure it'll eventually sink in. Might take many months, though.
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gumdrops 07:08 AM 03-13-2018
Many parents don't give their children credit for how much they actually understand. They are the ones who think "he doesn't know better". If he throws his cup, do you just take the cup away or everything on his tray? Is this something you discuss with parents or just work on it at your house and not worry about what they do at home?

I love this forum! I can ask questions that most people think are common sense and I always get honest, helpful responses without judgement!
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Blackcat31 07:24 AM 03-13-2018
Originally Posted by gumdrops:
Many parents don't give their children credit for how much they actually understand. They are the ones who think "he doesn't know better". If he throws his cup, do you just take the cup away or everything on his tray? Is this something you discuss with parents or just work on it at your house and not worry about what they do at home?

I love this forum! I can ask questions that most people think are common sense and I always get honest, helpful responses without judgement!
If parents are genuinely interested in curbing the behaviors, I will absolutely share with them but if they simply do what works best for them then I just do what I do here and don't worry one bit about what they do at home. Most DCK's do so much better her than home anyways.

Yep, I will remind them we dont throw food and in the beginning stages of learning this will remind a couple times before taking anything away but once I am comfortable knowing they know better, I remind once and then remove them from the table if they repeat.

I know it "sounds" harsh but like I said, once you do that one or two times they know you mean it and once they know you mean it, they stop testing (throwing) so it's a win-win for both.
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Pestle 07:25 AM 03-13-2018
I take just the cup or just the plate. If they are frequent offenders to the point where they're not eating/drinking, I mention it casually to the parents--"Johnny wasn't interested in keeping his plate right-side up today, so most of his food went onto the floor instead of into his mouth."

And I don't worry about it. The food is already paid for, whether they eat it or not; I compost all the fruits and veggies; the kids will eat and drink if they actually are in need of it. My worst offenders tend to guzzle their beverages once a day and pitch the cups the rest of the time.
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CalCare 07:57 AM 03-13-2018
Continuing on what others have said, they really wouldn't be hungry if they did that anyway. They would totally be chowing down, right? After a bit they get bored and they can't go anywhere or do anything else so they try that out. I would imagine it got them some fun reactions at home and became something interesting to do when stuck in the high chair and not hungry. So, in my opinion, i don't think it's harsh at all. Just a normal response for the adult to remove food from a child who basically said, "no thanks!".

I don't take any offense to it or consider it anything I would mention to mom and dad because I would feel it's the same as saying, "Johnny wasn't hungry anymore at lunch so I put his food away and got him down." Like, why even mention it haha If mentioning it to DCM and DCD because you think it would change DCK'S behavior, I doubt it. Mom and dad do whatever they do there and I do whatever I do here. The kids come to have a relationship with the providers and know what to expect. I would verbalize to the child as I remove the plate and take them out of the chair, "oh, you're showing me you are finished eating. I'm going to put this away and take you out now." For me I don't have high chairs, but toddler chair and table. My sort of similar situation is they want to get up and play, but they still are eating. So I say, "Are you all done? Should I put the food away?" And they then sit down or say "all done". It's just they need to know what is expected and how it's got to be for everyone's health and safety!
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hwichlaz 07:43 AM 03-13-2018
I have a stubborn one. I kept her in the highchair until she was 2 years old because of it. She didn’t stop until I put her at the table. NOW, she’s been at the table for a year. And EVERY time she gets up out of her chair, I dump her cup and plate, and she cries that she’s still hungry...yet she still does it at every meal every day.....
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Jdy2222 07:59 AM 03-13-2018
I restate that food does not get thrown on the floor, take the plate and tray away and they sit in the chair, without food, until the meal is over and the floor is cleaned up. Same with cups, shake it, pour it, or drop it and it's gone.
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Pestle 08:46 AM 03-13-2018
I have had several kids who seem compulsive movers, and they get up even while still eating. All of these kids, judging by what I can see of the parents, are allowed to cruise their own homes with food in their hands. They all also steal food from other kids' plates. I can't tell whether the chicken came first or the egg--I'm sure they have a higher energy level and less-developed empathy and social skills than the other kids, but I don't know if the cruising and theft comes from lax parenting or if the parents are just being lax with a child who was challenging to begin with.
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Leigh 10:46 AM 03-13-2018
"I see that you are throwing food. That tells me that you are not hungry anymore. I'll put your food away for you" and then remove the food. It will stop. Eventually.
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daycarediva 10:54 AM 03-13-2018
Originally Posted by Pestle:
I have had several kids who seem compulsive movers, and they get up even while still eating. All of these kids, judging by what I can see of the parents, are allowed to cruise their own homes with food in their hands. They all also steal food from other kids' plates. I can't tell whether the chicken came first or the egg--I'm sure they have a higher energy level and less-developed empathy and social skills than the other kids, but I don't know if the cruising and theft comes from lax parenting or if the parents are just being lax with a child who was challenging to begin with.

I should have majored in psychology and not development/education.



I give ONE bite at a time to 'repeat offenders'. Eat nicely, you get another bite. THROW? no more bites. Gradually increase it to a few on the tray, until they're eating with all of their food, and then I add a plate. I've only ever had ONE tossed plate, and that child was a chicken/egg situation I ended up letting for for the various other pecking behaviors.
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HappyEverAfter 12:52 PM 03-13-2018
Originally Posted by Jdy2222:
I restate that food does not get thrown on the floor, take the plate and tray away and they sit in the chair, without food, until the meal is over and the floor is cleaned up. Same with cups, shake it, pour it, or drop it and it's gone.
That’s exactly what I do and it works like a charm.
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Josiegirl 02:49 AM 03-14-2018
I used to have a preschooler who thought she was being smart by 'dropping' her food accidentally on the floor. Course it was always food she didn't care for. Then I had another 4 yo who would get mad about what I was serving and he'd throw his stuff across the table onto the floor. Kids are so much fun, aren't they??
Currently I have an 18 mo who plays the drop the food/cup/plate game because she gets tons of attention for it. If that happens, I clear her tray off and give her 1 bite at a time because I know she's still hungry and would drive me crazy the rest of the day.
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