1 Year Old Son Clearing High Chair of Food

I really enjoyed being a mom except for the high chair and floor cleaning after meals. Spinach on the floor and high chair had me in tears one day, wishing that I was back in an office. That said, I can see how throwing the food on the floor could be really funny from a little boy perspective, especially if Mom has a huge reaction. Kids understand so much more than they can verbalize back. So I would tell him that he cannot have his plate anymore because he made a mess. And that when he practices keeping food on the tray, he can have more. Then let him have a very small portion. He may like having a spoon or even a kid size fork and a tiny cup with a ounce of liquid. Just give him a little bit at a time. He won't starve but he may fuss and be mad at the loss of his big game. Don't give a snack later unless he sits back in the high chair. You might want to eat off a cute kid plate and let him know that he can have one too if he learns to eat neatly.

Also, toddlers really enjoy cleaning up - sometimes too much and will make a mess just to clean it. But try giving him a wipe or a well-wrung sponge so he can pick up after himself. He could sweep crumbs into a dust pan too.

Good luck and have fun with him.

First of all, try just putting 2 or 3 little bites of food on his high chair tray at a time, not on a dish. If he swipes it off at least it's not a whole meal wasted in the floor. If he swipes the bites of food off, say NO firmly and immediately remove him from his high chair. Do that consistently and he'll eventually make the connection that it's not ok to do that.

Both of my sons did this. They think it is funny to drop food and make a mess. Completely normal behavior for that age!! I would just give him a little bit of food at a time, and if he eats it, give him more. He won't starve himself. Is he snacking a lot? He may just be somewhat bored when it is time to sit down and eat. But at the same time, you will probably continue to clean up a whole meal off the floor until he decides to stop the behavior. We just took our 22 month old out of his high chair because he fought so bad to go in it. He does much better sitting at the table with his older brother and sister and parents and east more of his food. Maybe a booster seat (They have ones that attach to the table) would work better for him.

This behavior is completely normal and typical of a one year old. My son did the same thing and I was worried about him getting enough to eat as well. My son's doctor said he will get enough food. When he is hungry, he will eat. Don't worry about that. I would put less food on my son's tray and when he finished with that portion, I would give him more. That way, he didn't have a lot of food to dispose of. I found that my son was telling me he was finished. Good luck! It can be frustrating.

Get a dog! lol! Our dog cleans up after the baby :) Seriously though, I know that's not necessarily helpful, so I'll also tell you that the other moms have given you good advice so far. My youngest son is 17mo and still does this from time to time. We also have the plastic mat under his high chair. Most of the food ends up on that, so we just pick up the other stuff and put it on there too, then take the whole thing outside and shake it off over the side of the deck for the critters to have. The other mom's are right about limiting their ammunition and realizing that the food throwing is a sign that they're done. Remember that baby has a stomach the size of his fist and gets full on a LOT less food than we need. As long as the food he IS getting is balanced with everything he needs, then he's getting enough. He'll let you know if he's still hungry.

When my 2 yr old does this we take the tray away and let her out of the highchair. She's done. If he's doing it as soon as you sit him down, only put a few pieces of food on the tray at a time. Not a whole dish or plate.

M.

My son does the same thing too, but partly I think they get overwhelmed by too much food.
I give him one or two pieces at a time, and he generally doesn't start throwing until he's really done.

Try giving him only a few bites of food at a time. He is playing a game with his foods. AF

All of my kids(3) did this, it's normal. It's the continuation of the drop the toys from the stroller game, how many times will Mommy do this. He will eat when he's hungry, until then put a shower curtain on the floor under and around the eating area. He is old enuf now to help you clean up some of his mess. HAve fun, it will end soon enough.

hey M.! my daughter does this all the time, although now at 18 months she's starting to outgrow it. I only give her a little bit of food at a time (two pieces of something) and more when she's done. it's definitely more time consuming for me to do that, but it's better than cleaning the floor! Also, i talk to her a lot when she's eating, and ask her to hand me her plate when she's done- which hallelujah she's starting to do! :) hang in there, it'll get better!

Just put a little bit of food on his tray at a time. And if you look at what he's eating over the course of a week, you will see that he's eating plenty. He's not going to starve. Kids are amazing in that they know when to eat & when to stop. Its too bad we lose that ability as adults.

Hi. You might want to try what we do, which is to put just a couple pieces of food on our son's tray at a time. As he gets older, he'll do well eating when he's hungry, but as soon as he's feeling full, he'll play with his food and throw it down for the dog to eat. We're not believers in cleaning one's plate, so if he's satisfied, he's done with his meal. His weight and heights are great, so we know he's getting enough. We also supplement with healthy snacks between meals. Hope this help.

I would say get used to it. Now he is doing it for fun, but later when he starts to use utensils he will still drop food everywhere by accident. I finally put down a large plastic mat (the kind we use under office chairs) to make clean-up easier. Having children means having a mess. :)

When we feed our 11-month old we just give him one or two bite-sized servings of food at a time on his tray-- couple of peas, pinch of rice, lump of liverwurst (he loves liverwurst!)... We don't put food in his mouth but let him pick it up and eat it himself (or if it's something like oatmeal, hand him the spoon). When the food or the spoon start going over the side, then we know he doesn't want any more!

He WILL grow out of it. I don't think that any mom gets away with not doing the floor thing. The other moms already gave you the same advice I would give - less food on the table at a time, when the food REALLY starts to fly, just take him down. He is finished. In my house, my oldest was failure to thrive from the time she came to us at 15mos. If she didn't eat what we considered an adequate amount of food by the end of the day, we gave her a pediasure before bed (brush the teeth after). No one wants a hungry baby waking up at 2-3am...They are packed with vitamins and abt 200calories.

Good luck. New and equally fun things to follow...

S.