My son is a great eater - eats often and isn't usually very picky. But his manners are terrible! He is constantly thrpwing his sippy cup on the floor after he takes a sip and usually throws his food on the floor, too. Obviously, he throws the food down when he's had enough but will even do it just to get my attention at times. He eats with us at the table in a clip-on seat and doesn't use bowls/plates or utensils...every time I have tried they end up on the floor within seconds. Is this typical? My daughter (now 4) didn't behave this way and I'm not sure how to correct his behavior. Thanks in advance - Mamapedia mamas are always so helpful!
Thank you ALL! I feel so much better knowing it's typical behavior :)
My daughter was a thrower too. I just stopped giving the stuff back, I wouldn't even take the time to pick it up. I ignored it. I wouldn't even give her another chance. After the first throw it was on the floor the rest of the meal. It stopped when I stopped responding.
yep, for a 13-month old - typical:) Each kiddo is soooo different in development, personality, etc. I am impressed if he is using bowls, etc. it was not until 18 months that my children didn't view a bowl as an object to hurl - LOL.
They do make some bowls, plates that suction to the table. That could be an opportunity to start deter him from this behavior. the fun is in the trowing, but if the object doesn't move - no gratification. .
Good luck! He'll grow out of it soon enough:)
Put him outside to eat with the animals and tell him when he controls himself and behaves he can come back inside and eat with the rest of the family.
It may sound extreme, but you may only need to do it once. Of course, if he
prefers to eat outside and make a mess in the yard, you could let him.
If you do nothing, he will eventually grow out of it.
Good luck!
"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA
P.S. All these other answers sound great. I had three under four with no help and I don't remember the throwing, if there was any, but I do know I wouldn't tolerate it.
I think its pretty normal too. Arent boys fun???
I'd call it typical.
You need to have a lot of hands on work. Sippy cup out of reach, EXCEPT when he's drinking. Help him put it back on the table after he drinks.
The plate and stuff same thing, be right there, pay attention and don't let him fling the plate to the floor. Or just literally give bites off of your plate for another month and try the self feeding again.
The easiest way to correct this behavior is to prevent it in the first place. Keeping his food on a plate, even if you have to move it after every bite will make it easier for you to move the food out of his reach when he's full.
He doesn't know the plate etc isn't a toy, so remember that as well.
JP,
I would be really surprised if anyone else has an answer that says 'x, y or z will get you table manners'.
Your child will exhibit 'manners' when he learns them. That may not be until age 8 or 9, and mostly will be learned by his observation of you and your husband.
Good luck!
M.
Definitely typical. Just keep picking the items up, say "we don't throw spoons on the floor," etc. Do not get upset. He is acting normally. Don't reinforce the behavior by laughing or smiling, but of course don't yell or anything like that. He needs to learn to eat the proper way, but on the road to getting there, at this age, he will throw things on the floor. Sit tight, he'll out grow this.
Perfectly normal. Welcome to the world of boys. Very different than girls.
Keep in mind, he is ONLY 13 months!
I'm so glad everyone else said this is completely normal because my daughter is 1 today (YAY) and she does exactly the same thing! I figured it was normal, but then read your post and thought... maybe not. She refuses to use a spoon herself. She prefers to self feed (with hands) and usually pushes a spoon away, unless it's yogurt which she loves. I'm curious to see how she tackles her smash cake later this evening.
At just a year, he can't be expected to have much in the way of table manners yet, but it's not too soon to teach. My first suggestion is to eat meals together as a family, don't feed the baby separately, so he can see how people eat nicely at the table :) If he does not use utensils and only throws them, don't provide them yet. If he throws the food to get attention, then it's time to end the meal. Take his food away and turn his chair around to face the wall for one minute. Eventually if you are consistent, he will learn that an unpleasant thing will happen if he throws his food/plate and stop doing it. I promise that he wont' starve to death during the learning process. It would also help to teach him to say or sign "All Done" so that he does not need to throw his plate on the floor to let you know that he is done eating. At a year, babies don't know how to tell mom and dad that they are done. Good luck!
I put his pacifier on the tray and he eats happily. But occasionally he'll not want to finish. When he is full, he just pops his paci in his mouth like a plug. I say "all done?" and he says "down". So we wipe his hands and face and put him down so he can play while we finish up. I would say "No" to the throwing food, but at 13 months I wouldn't give him his own bowl (just started being able to do it when mine turned 18 months without him throwing it). At 13 months, hold the bowl and give him bites, and in a bit you can let him hold the spoon or fork and you hold his hand and guide it to his mouth for practice. At 19 months, mine can eat mac 'n cheese from a plastic bowl with his child's spoon and not spill it everywhere. But it's a process. A slow one. Your son is normal. But do correct the throwing behavior. It's normal to do it, but he's not too young to hear "no" and start learning to not do it. But we DO have a rule in our house that if you throw it you lose it. If it's the kind of food that you put on his tray and let him eat with his fingers instead of feeding him off a fork, then once he throws it, it sits there until he's finished eating. When he wants down, pick up what's on the floor, clean him up with a wet wipe, and he's either hungry or he learns soon to stop throwing whatever he wants. (We don't just have that rule at the table---if he throws his paci in anger, or a crayon, or whatever, it just goes away).
