How I Stopped my Toddler Throwing Food
Toddlers throwing food. This is such a common behavior and it drove me insane! So much food waste. My son had a huge problem with this. Nearly half of his food would end up on the floor at every meal. It got progressively worse between a year and 18 months old. I tried all the tricks people told me about: ignoring the behavior, being stern, taking the food away, and even ending mealtime. Nothing made a difference.
Every meal food went onto the floor and ended up in the trash or my dog’s belly. Now not only were we wasting food, my dog was getting a little chunky. I was determined to correct this behavior for my sanity and my dog’s waistline. I proceeded to examine how I was presenting the food at mealtime. I always figured he’d be more inclined to eat something when he was the most hungry, at the beginning of his meal. So, logically (I thought), I gave him his veggies first since he was least likely to eat those. He generally ate a bite or two and then the food throwing would begin and once it started it would continue through every food group that was put in front of him. We fought a battle for the rest of the meal between me trying to interest him in the next food group and him trying to throw the last one. This would repeat over and over for an hour or so until I finally quit and mealtime ended with me wondering about the ratio of food on the floor to food actually eaten. This was obviously not working. What was I doing wrong?
At this age, my son was starting to discover his own will. He found out that he liked some things more than others and he wanted to make that known. He wanted control. Feeding him in an order determined by me must have made him feel like he had no control at all. The only way he knew to express the fact that he was done with a food item (or didn’t want it all) was to throw it on the floor. Once I realized that he was trying to exert his will and wanted more control I decided to try feeding him differently.
I started to put a little bit (not too much in case he didn’t want any) of all the food groups on his plate at once. This way while I was still controlling what his options were, he had control of which ones he ate and how much of each. If he finished an item and wanted more, he got more. I had to let go of my hang-up about how he had to eat some of every food group. Almost instantly he stopped throwing food. Don’t get me wrong, he still does every now and again when he’s completely done, but it has been reduced by at least 95%. Now mealtime is a much happier time. I can stop pulling my hair out, my dog has lost the weight, and we are wasting less food (so saving money)!
For more on reducing food waste see my post about Reducing Food Waste with a Toddler.
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18 Comments
Brandi
We have been battling this with my son who is 12.5 months for quite awhile. I have also noticed a big difference in the food throwing when I give him several options on his tray at once as opposed to one item at a time. Often, he doesn’t want the first or even second thing and then when I go to give him the third thing, he has already found how fun it is to throw the food that he just keeps with that momentum. This post really helped me put two and two together though – so now I will make sure to provide those options all at once! Another tip I have come across is to make sure you always have at least one item that is a “no-fail” item for your child… that way he or she will always have an option available that you are confident he or she will eat. And once your child begins eating, that is the momentum that will continue for the meal as opposed to the food throwing!
Kat
That is great advice! I do the same thing with providing a favorite food (usually fruit) for my kids and it does help. I’m glad this post helped you.
Rebecca
I came across this post and wanted to thank you! We started this three days ago and went from everything we gave her on the floor to nothing this morning.
Kat
I’m so glad that it worked for you! Love hearing such positive news!
Gwendolyn Reinhard
Oh my goodness, my toddler was doing the same thing!! I started giving her a plate with a few bites of each option, without thinking about it, and now the food being thrown on the floor has significantly decreased! Your explanation of why this reduces food hitting the floor makes so much sense. I didn’t think of it that way.
Kat
Thanks! It’s amazing how simple changes can make such a huge difference.
Angel
Great tips! I wouldn’t have thought of that but will file in brain just in case!
admin
Thanks! 👍
Neshama
Awww! The toddler days. I remember my girls and the amazing messes. Good post with a helpful tip for mommies battling this stage!
admin
Thanks! It’s a fun yet aggravating stage. Haha
Chantal
I went through this with both of my girls. I used to make them clean their mess up when they were finished. They hated the cleaning part, so they eventually stopped making a mess with the food.
admin
My dog is too quick with for that one! I love that idea though.
LaToya
I had this exact problem with my 18 month old. Giving him smaller amounts of food at a time definitely helped with the issue.
admin
Good! It’s all about what works for your child!
Brandi
Wow, what a great way to combat the food throwing! It makes complete since to practice portion control. Thanks for sharing!
admin
Your welcome!
Diana
My daughter is only 1, but so far she hasn’t been bad at throwing food. She drops some here and there, but it’s not to this extent. We do give her everything at once though, and whatever she doesn’t eat goes in the trash (which isn’t a lot), so we still waste some food, but it’s kind of something you learn to accept when you have kids. She’s also not a picky eater, so far she’s eaten everything we give her.
admin
My son didn’t find his pickiness until he was closer to 1.5. He threw food more out of boredom and lack of ability to communicate his needs and desires.