How to Stop Toddlers From Throwing Food

Are you tired of cleaning up the food your toddler throws on the floor, but not sure how to stop it?

During infancy, you might have allowed your baby to dig in and explore the texture of food, no matter how messy it got. But, now that your infant is a toddler, perhaps the food throwing seems less about food exploration and more about defiance?

So why is your toddler throwing food? And should you be worried about this meal time behavior?

Understandably, you might be worried that your toddler’s food throwing is the beginning of a behavior problem. A great first step toward stopping a toddler from throwing food is understanding why it’s happening.

Keep reading to find out how toddler developmental stages affect eating behaviors, as well as seven tips to help stop toddlers from throwing food.

Why do Toddlers Throw Food on the Floor?

During the toddler stage of development, 1 - 2-year-olds move around independently, show more defiant behavior, and have an increased interest in exploring everything and everyone around them.

Kids have desires and preferences, too, and they’re more aware of them at this age. Toddlers still can’t fully grasp cause and effect at this age, but they’re beginning to understand they have some power to persuade their parents and caregivers through different behaviors.

Around 2 to 3 -years-old, toddlers start wanting even more autonomy and independence. This is when power struggles can really start becoming a problem! (I learned this the hard way with my oldest).

Exploring their independence and pushing their limits is exciting for little ones (and parents - even if it’s exhausting).

So, why do they call it, “the terrible twos?”

The combination of defiance, mobility, and the desire to be independent are a recipe for tantrums, picky eating, refusal to clean up, refusal to try new things, and food throwing.

A few reasons your toddler throws food on the floor include:

Picky eating

Fussiness or picky eating is one of the most common reasons for problematic eating behaviors.

In an analysis of parents' seeking online support for their child’s fussy eating, 28.5% complained of eating behaviors, including pushing the plate away, spitting food out, and throwing unwanted food on the floor.

Not hungry

A defiant and autonomous toddler that’s not hungry might think throwing food is the best way to tell you they don’t want to eat right now.

Fun

Let’s face it. Throwing food might be fun for kids who are not bothered by the mess. As toddlers become more interested in the objects around them, they enjoy exploring and making objects do things. Food may be just another toy to them.

Bored

Young children can only sit patiently for short periods. After that, they’re bound to get restless and frustrated.

Independent and mobile toddlers may not like being confined to a high chair or booster, especially when they’re done eating. Playing with food keeps them occupied during meal times.

Or, swiping the food off the tray is your toddler’s way of telling you they want to get down NOW.

7 Tips to Stop Toddlers from Throwing Food

Most toddlers should be able to follow easy directions and learn how to behave by imitating the adults and kids around them. They’re starting to notice cause and effect and learn by watching how you react to both desired and unwanted behaviors.

By this age, most toddlers can sit for only short periods without being destructive, so it’s important to have realistic expectations. No matter how long they sit, there will likely be a mess to clean up after meals, and that’s all part of normal development. But there are things we can do to help curb the food throwing.

Here are some strategies:

1. Short mealtimes

Stay positive, but end the meal when the food throwing starts.

This teaches kids that they need to stop throwing food in order to continue the meal. It’s not a punishment, but rather a consequence. If you stay positive and explain why the meal is ending when the food throwing starts, kids will learn that meals and food throwing do not go together.

If you suspect your child throws food because they want the meal to end, respect this sign of fullness and allow your child to be done.

If you worry that they haven’t eaten enough, you can always gently remind your child to check in with his or tummy before they leave the table.

2. Play food games (without throwing)

As a pediatric dietitian, I encourage parents to have family meals without distractions and to teach kids to enjoy their food and connect with others at mealtimes. But as a single mom of three, I know from experience that expectations for mealtime behaviors need to be age appropriate.

Food play activities like counting or sorting games with food or playing peek-a-boo behind the bread can not only help keep toddlers engaged during a meal, they also help increase a toddler’s comfort level and curiosity around new foods. This helps increase the likelihood that picky eaters will accept new foods as well.

3. Suggest what they CAN do with unwanted food

Instead of responding to the unwanted behaviors, give your toddler an alternative behavior they CAN do instead of throwing or dropping food. Then be sure to reinforce the behaviors you want to see by praising toddlers when they do them.

For example, offer an empty bowl with the meal and tell your child, “...we put the food we don’t want in the ‘no, thank you’ bowl.”

Or say, “...food stays on the table.”

Or, “...when you’re done taking a sip, your cup goes right here, on this special spot.”

4. Playtime before eating

Change up the routine so your little one can get some energy out before sitting down for meals. Fresh air and an opportunity to be active and run around can work wonders. Some toddlers benefit from doing “heavy work” before meals - lifting heavy things, running, jumping, etc. It also helps to add a quieter transition from playing to meals, so they are calm and ready to eat when they sit down.

5. Show your toddler another way to express that they’re done

Many toddlers can communicate verbally, at least a little. So they can learn how to express that they’re done with words. Baby or toddler sign language is helpful as well. Teach them one or two words to help them communicate that they’re not hungry, done eating, or don’t want a certain food.

6. Teach table manners

Early childhood development is a critical time for developing healthy eating behaviors.

At around 2 to 3 years old, kids learn by imitating the adults and kids around them. They’re old enough for simple tasks like setting out the napkins, and they are old enough to learn some basic table manners like saying “please” and “thank you.”

The more you role model, teach, and expect table manners, the more toddlers tend to rise to the occasion and use them.

7. Get some help with clean up

After meals, have your toddler help you clean up. Give them developmentally appropriate kitchen jobs that they’re able to easily accomplish. Fortunately, young kids generally like to be helpful.

By three years old, young kids are learning cause and effect. Clean-up after meals is an activity that teaches kids what happens next, after the food is thrown on the floor.

Final Thoughts

Raising a toddler takes patience and energy!

Understandably, parents want their little ones to grow and develop into healthy adults with good habits. Sometimes when we’re only concerned about nutrients, it’s easy to overlook that eating behaviors are a crucial part of both cognitive development AND nutrition.

As parents and caregivers, we play a major role in cultivating positive feeding behaviors. 

Food throwing isn’t just a big mess to clean up. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate appropriate meal time behavior and an opportunity for your little one to learn.

Which strategy works for you? Let me know in the comments.

For more tips on feeding kids, grab my FREE guide to reducing picky eating, and if you are looking for help navigating picky eating behaviors in your toddlers, preschoolers, and school age kiddos, check out my online course, Solve Picky Eating, a self-paced set of 12 modules that are delivered quickly in 5-15 minute videos. 

And if you're looking for personalized nutrition support for yourself, your babies and/or your kids, I am currently accepting new clients in my virtual private practice. Looking forward to meeting you online…