As our baby becomes more independent, their curiosity about the objects, people, and environment around them grows. They start to examine, try, and test everything like a "little scientist." 

However, this experimental spirit unfortunately doesn't stop at the dining table with the exploration of different tastes and textures, oh no! Lunchtime can also be a great opportunity to explore gravity - and mom's nerves!

Of course, there's not necessarily a problem with this, as experiential learning is part of our development. But what if throwing food serves not only as a learning experience but also as a way to attract attention? Let's take a closer look!

 

 

Development or Attention Seeking? 

As I mentioned in the introduction, at a certain age, it is completely normal for our little one to throw the carefully prepared snacks on the floor.

Under the age of 15-18 months, the little one discovers not only gravity but also cause-and-effect relationships through this behavior. If they drop the food, it causes some kind of reaction: the food splatters when it hits the ground, the spoon clatters when it falls, mom gets up from the chair, or the dog runs over hoping for a free bite, meaning something always happens in response to their little action. 

At a young age, this behavior is often motivated by exploration rather than attention-seeking or mischief. 

However, after a certain age (sooner for some, later for others), the little heads start to understand cause and effect, and the throwing becomes more of a self-entertainment. After all, it is very funny when Buksi (or mom) runs to the high chair every minute!

 

Encourage exploration!

When your baby is still in the exploration phase, the best thing you can do is not react to flying objects (and keep Buksi out of the way)! The goal is for the little one to learn and get to know their environment, and you won't achieve this by not giving space to behavior that might be annoying to you, but rather by doing the opposite! 

Let the broccoli or piece of bread fall! (Perhaps take preliminary precautions so you don't have to clean for hours after every meal.)

Don't give big reactions and gestures to the baby's actions, as this is exactly what encourages the throwing game to develop! 

If the whole plate lands on the floor (which can be easily prevented with suction cup silicone plates), then take a deep breath, gather the debris, but don't make a big scene - a face turning blue with anger is much more amusing to many babies than a relatively emotionless reaction. 

Try to really let your little scientist “express themselves.” Believe me, tomato sauce splashing on the tiles or a piece of bread floating in a glass of water is a very exciting discovery - but hopefully only for a short time. 

 

 

When Discovery Becomes a Game

As I mentioned earlier, there are cases when the conclusion of the learning process in the baby's mind is that a truly fun game can be triggered by certain actions.

If we feel that our child is playing with food more for attention or self-entertainment rather than for learning, the most important thing is to stay calm, as our baby is precisely looking for a reaction from us. The good news is that if they don't get it, there's a good chance they will soon stop testing our nerves. 

Of course, I know that it's easier said than done: after a long and tiring day, it can indeed be difficult to watch our child's latest antics with a poker face. 

 

Endure... but for how long? 

If the game is not canceled, we don't have to hold out in the hope that the child will at least eat something in the meantime! If after a few occasions we see that our poker face has not led to a solution, let's be consistent and end the meal! 

If we maintain eating in the hope (and tolerate inappropriate behavior) that our child will at least consume something in the meantime, we only arrive at a vicious circle: we will feel increasingly helpless and out of control, which will eventually - one way or another - rebound on the child. 

It's important not to compromise for a few bites, as there will always be a next meal where our child can eat properly (if they want)!

 

Distract Them!

Most "bad" behavior around the dining table stems from our baby being bored or unable to communicate properly. Therefore, in most cases, a great solution can be to not prohibit, but rather redirect their attention and energies into new channels!

I'm certainly not suggesting putting a tablet with a cartoon in front of the child, but rather being a bit creative and encouraging exploration instead of playing games! 

For example, if our little one particularly enjoys the clanging of a metal spoon on the tiles, place some upside-down pots in front of them, which they can drum on with the same teaspoon. Sometimes, however, it is enough to just talk while eating. We can tell a story, or even better, weave the food being consumed into an interesting tale.