Some toddlers are notorious for throwing food or snacks while eating. It makes a messy situation on the floor and on the table. The only way to prevent the kids from such a practice is for one of the parents or an adult to sit with them. Stop them the moment they are about to throw by firm words of disapproval or by holding their hand if necessary.
Talk to them gently and divert their attention. Also, encourage them to talk and in this way parents can use the mealtime to develop the kids’ language skills. Parents also can make sure that the kids chew their food well before swallowing to prevent any incident of choking.
Using unbreakable plates, glasses and cups to serve the food for toddlers is another way of preventing loss by breaking in case these are thrown down. There are special unbreakable toddler dishes that could be stuck firmly on the table or any flat surface. It is difficult for the toddlers to pry them off and throw down. However, if these are easy to pry off then the toddlers will have extra fun removing and throwing them down on the floor.
Serving them less food at a time is also helpful. In this way, they will have less food or nothing left to throw down after eating. More could be put on the plate once the first serving has been finished. Kids usually throw unwanted food or the leftovers when they had their fill. Unless recommended by the doctor, give only that much food the kids want to eat.
Forcing the kids to eat may result in giving the kids more opportunity to throw food. When food throwing commence, parents can take it as a sign that the kids have finished with their meal and are getting bored. However, food can fall from the hand by accident or by purpose, which should be considered differently.
Some hints for stopping other types of throwing:
Some kids throw things at others with an intention of hurting. However, most of them stop this practice when parents firmly and consistently try to deter them. But some may persists with the behavior and then parents have very little option but to monitor their movement always. If they throw their play things such as toys, then fasten these to their seats with short pieces of strings after trimming both ends in a manner that these cannot wrap around their necks.
When things lie scattered around, try to involve the kids in the cleaning. Use gentle words to persuade them instead of forcing them. Also, make them understand that tossing some items such as a pillow on the bed or a packet of tissue paper is alright. This can be done by taking them around the house and showing them how you toss such items harmlessly.
Posted on May 26th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Behavior, Diet, Toddler
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