What To Do When The Baby Throws The Food

When parents start complementary feeding on the baby, especially solids, situations often occur in which the baby plays with the food and throws it on the floor or everywhere.

This usually happens with all children, at the beginning there will always be a stage in which they will play with food, but perhaps as a mother you do not like it very much or you think that the behavior extends longer than your patience can bear .

Before deciding any action in the face of such behavior by the baby, you have to understand what is behind it and reflect on what you are trying to achieve with this behavior; Is he trying to communicate something?

Children have their brains programmed to learn. They are little scientists doing experiments of all kinds and constantly. When he begins to knead the food that you have lovingly prepared for him, he is experimenting; yes, you are knowing textures, temperatures, resistance to pressure, that is to say if the food falls apart or crumbles, if it stains the tray or the plate.

When you throw food from the top of your chair you are experimenting with gravity, you are discovering that things do not float, that they fall, you are discovering the speed with which it falls, if it expands, or if it breaks when it hits the ground , if you stain it, if you wet it, among other things.

Sometimes the baby throws the food because he is playing

Playing with food is basically a very complete activity for babies. But sometimes he may do it simply because he is not hungry. Perhaps because you have had milk a while before or because you are going through a stage of poor appetite. If eating is a secondary activity for the baby to play-learn, it is probably because he is not hungry, or at least because he is not very hungry.

It must be clarified that this behavior in itself does not hide any problem, it is perfectly normal taking into account child development. The only problem really is when parents react so badly to this behavior; And thus, without realizing it, they feed it, making what is a stage lengthen more and more and they are also turning the time of meal into an unpleasant time for the whole family.

If we convince ourselves that children do indeed learn thanks to our example, we will have the patience and tranquility to let them be children and learn what they need to learn.

Tips in case your child throws the food

Putting a plastic under the baby’s chair:

A large open plastic bag under your baby’s chair or highchair will make cleaning a lot easier for you. If what you want is that the food does not get lost or dirty when it falls to the ground. This method of the bag will help you a lot since the food will not reach the ground.

Offer very little amount of food:

You can administer or put the food little by little, start by giving only one piece or portion at a time. When he starts to throw it away you can start to decide whether to give him a little more or if he will offer him again later. Even take this as a sign that you are satisfied for the moment.

Putting food on the chair or highchair tray instead of using a plate:

With this you are avoiding the risk that comes with leaving a plate full of food within reach that can be thrown through the air like a frisbee.

Avoid all kinds of forced behavior:

If the child refuses to open his mouth, in no way, under any circumstances, should you force him. Feeding by force or distraction brings a lot of trouble with eating later, as well as being quite a traumatic experience.

Set the limit:

If you have a strong reaction to dirt or food waste, no matter how valuable it is as a child’s learning activity, it is preferable to set the limit with complete confidence. Of course this does not mean that you are going to deprive your child of learning and exploring, but that he will simply have to learn with other things or in another way.

In this case, it would be nice to be aware of the value of a sensory activity like this and find a way to allow it to have similar experiences in a way that is acceptable to you. The limits depend on each family and must be designed to facilitate coexistence between each of the members.

So if your child throws the food away, you have to decide if it bothers you enough to set the limit or if you can find a way to allow it without causing resentment. Playing with food is an invaluable activity from a learning point of view.

Ideally, you should be able to see and allow it, at least in a controlled way, as such. But remember that you can also set the limit and that you can do it in a respectful way. Without losing your temper, without getting angry, without invalidating your baby’s emotions. Confidently, safely, calmly and lovingly.