I know most babies do this, but it's driving me nuts! Jack flings food he doesn't want onto the floor. And I don't know how to stop him.

I know what you are going through!!! It's such a mess. When we go out to eat we ask for a broom to clean up his mess!

SO FUNNY you say that! We took Jack out to eat last night at a nice restaurant and the floor was a mess when we left. I almost asked for a broom! However, we just put a little extra $$ in our waiter's tip instead.

So you've actually asked for a broom? What a thoughtful mama you are! Now I feel bad that I didn't. Hee hee.

I have left big tips over the years when we've left a big mess but then I wonder if the person cleaning the mess is the one getting the tip?

With the LO, we've been lucky in that not much ends up on the floor--other than a spoon or fork. One thing that I have been using for the table top is a stick-on disposable placemat. I love these things. I keep them in the car. You just stick them on the table and put food down on it for them to pick up. When you're done, just unstick it and roll it up. No evidence is left that pigs ate there! LOL

Last night at dinner Jack was flinging again. We tried to be firm with him, but he just doesn't get it. He laughs and does it again. And it's not that he hates what he's flinging. Last night he was flinging his favorite - cauliflower.
Ugh. This is frustrating.

We've been dealing with this with Amelia too, so we have been VERY firm about it. Not mean, but if she throws something once we ask her if she's done. If she signs "all done" we take her food away. If she just laughs and does it again, we take it away anyway. Whether it's her milk, her dinner, whatever. We are teaching her that if you throw it, it is GONE immediately (after that first warning that is).

We get pretty embarassed by the mess in restaurants too. I've never asked for a broom - great idea - but one of us always gets on hands and knees with napkins and cleans as much of it up as possible.

One last thing - we bring this with us everywhere: http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_tiny.php It's $9.99 at rite aid. The disposable ones are probably more convenient b/c you don't have to clean them, but this seems more economical in the long run.

I usually just use a wipe to sterilize the table as far as he can reach and put the food right on the table. I should invest in something like this. Thanks for the link.

Yeah, my DH tried to be firm last night by saying NO and holding his arm a minute. He got a little upset. But he was over it soon enough and flinging food again. Man, he really knows how to work us, eh?

We didn't take the food away from him. Would that work at this age (14 months)? Or would it just make him go to bed hungry? I guess we're at that age where you wonder just how much they can understand when it comes to consequences...

Kristi - definitely get one of the table mat things I linked to. We didn't have one with our older daughter, and just put the food on the table too, so there's nothing wrong with that. But MAN this thing is convenient. And I've seen it on sale for $8 there recently too.

In my opinion, he can definitely understand at this age what it means if you take his food away for flinging. And he won't go to bed hungry, at least not more than once.

I really do understand how you feel though. I had such food anxiety when Anabelle was this age. I worried if she didn't eat enough, that she would be hungry if she didn't like what I gave her, etc. And my ped kept telling me, over and over, that they WILL eat if hungry, they will not starve, and they do understand more than we think.

So, I have tried to let go and trust that. Amelia, who is just about 14 months, now has the same rules as our almost 4 year old. Either eat what the family is eating for dinner (cut in smaller bites obviously, and I don't make them eat it if it's something I know one doesn't like), or just don't eat dinner. They catch on really quickly.

I bought one of those table mats that moozle linked to at Rite Aid. I have to admit that I only used it once or twice.