How do I break and 17 month old from throwing food down on the floor, then throwing her plate down full?

She likes the attention she gets when she does it... even if it is bad attention.

Also, she is "snapping gaps" with this behavior. She is learning about "cause & effect".

Don't give her a whole plate, just pieces... if she continues, just get her down & try to feed her a little later.

First of all, stop giving her plates. They're just frisbees to a 17-month old. I'm only just now occassionally giving my 20-month old son plates, but usually I just put the food directly on his tray.

Secondly, don't give her too much food at once. It's too overwhelming to her. Just give her three or four bites on her tray at a time, maybe one bite from each food you're feeding her at a time.

Thirdly, teach her to say "all done" or use the hand sign for "all done" to ensure that she can communicate to you clearly when she is finished. Never force a child, especially at 17 months of age, to finish their plate. They know when they're full and have very small stomachs. It's a bad habit to make kids finish their plates when they aren't hungry and could lead them to unhealthy eating habits (imagine if you were into the habit of finishing your plate whether you were full or not -- and you had no control over how much food was put on your plate in the first place!)

And finally, when she starts throwing food, don't get upset and make a spectacle. Just assume that she's done eating and clean her up and get her out. When my son starts playing with his food, it's almost ALWAYS because he's done and he's bored with eating. If she isn't done eating, she'll quickly learn that you won't allow her to sit in her chair and throw food around, and if she wants to eat she has to stop throwing food.

I hope that helps!

At 17 months she learns through consequences. If she throws the food on the floor then she is telling you she is done. Once the food hits the floor everything gets taken away.

If she is playing and throwing the food, then take everything away and take her out of the high chair. You need to be firm and as soon as the throwing starts breakfast/lunch/dinner is over. Say "No throwing" and remove her from the table and she does not eat again until she gets a snack.

Eventually she will be hungry enough not to throw food on the floor(I'm not saying starve her, but she is causing the consequences not you). She will learn that throwing food is not acceptable and gets her removed from the table.

I find parents do not like to see their children unhappy(of course), but it is necessary to teach them that their action have a consequence, as young children do not understand reason. So saying "no throwing, please eat" means nothing without a consequence to go with it.

Just giver her smaller quantities of food at a time, and probably skip the plate. She will outgrow this eventually but for now many kids throw food because 1) its fun 2) they are overwhelmed by the food in front of them 3) its really fun

don't pick it up and don't give more right away. it is an attention ploy. just say calmly 'we do not throw food to the floor' and continue eating. baby will get hungry and when you are calm you are not giving the type of attention the baby has learned to depend on. when baby and you are calm, give another plate of food. the baby has learned to manipulate you and push your buttons.

my youngest used to throw himself down at the checkout of the grocery stores because i would not give him the candy he desired. Calmly, i would say to him, 'go ahead and get mad, but you will not get what you want. i will be right here checking out, so come here when you have finished.' it only took a few times and then he realized that his actions were not helping his cause so he gave up. hang in there it gets better.

Can I first begin by saying HA HA HA HA. There is no chance in getting a even a two year old not to throw food. The best thing I have heard so far, is to just put down a plastic covering on the floor. They will eat what they need. What they don't need they play with. At this age they have no control over impulsive actions, they don't thnk they just do. Just keep explaining it to her nicely and show her how you are setting the example.

I have heard of placing the child on the floor on top of the tarp and letting them eat off their plate while sitting on the floor. That way when they do throw it, it doesn't travel as far.

My daughter is almost 13 months and she doesn't start throwing food on the floor until she isn't hungry anymore. Could your 17 month old not be hungry at the time or not hungry anymore?

Smack her hands a little harder and firmly tell her no no thats bad we dont throw food! By the way if anyone hates me it does say in the bible to spank your child which is differnt from abuse (never spank when your mad)

That's actually the first thing my daughter did that began our "time-out" punishment. After a few times in "time-out", she stopped doing that. Yes, it was a hassle to get up in the middle of dinner and deal with it, but she finally stopped.

It's a game that most kids that age play. If you don't appreciate behavior, don't respond to it (unless it will cause harm to the child or others). They learn that it is not a good way to get attention.