Introducing your baby to solids and teaching them to eat is one of the most fun parts of new parenthood.

Until you’ve got a baby throwing food on the floor…

When you’ve slaved away in the kitchen making your little one a nutritious meal, there’s nothing more disheartening than watching them throw it on the ground. Not to mention the cleaning up that follows!

So, why are doing this? (and what can you do about it??).

Why do babies throw food on the floor?

As much as it might feel like it, your baby isn’t trying to break you. They’re just being a baby and doing what babies do.

BUT, understanding why they’re doing it - or having at least some idea - can help you to respond more effectively and ultimately make meal times more enjoyable for both of you (and it might even save you some cleaning up!).

So, why is your baby throwing food on the floor all of a sudden? Here are some possible explanations…

They’re learning

Baby: “I wonder what happens if I throw food off my high chair? Let’s see!”

And thus, the principles of gravity begin to take shape in your baby’s mind.

We should be impressed really, right?

It’s a sensory experience

Babies learn through their senses - and mealtimes provide an excellent opportunity for a sensory learning experience.

They can touch the food, squish it in their hands and even try throwing it on the floor to see how that looks, sounds and feels.

What a fun adventure!

It’s their way of telling you they don’t like something

As babies can’t talk yet, throwing their food on the floor is a fairly effective way to say “Hey Mum/Dad, this one’s not really for me…”?

Again, we should probably be impressed by their non-verbal communication skills…

They want your attention

Did you get distracted while feeding them their dinner?

Well, guess what gets you to focus on your baby again? That’s it, throwing some food around the room!

And actually, the reaction they get from you is pretty fun too…

They’re overwhelmed

Having a big plate of food put in front of them can be quite overwhelming to a baby, especially if they’re tired.

An easy way to deal with this overwhelm is simply to throw some of that food on the ground so they don’t have to look at it.

They’re bored, tired or over it

Once again, as babies can’t talk yet, non-verbal communication is the only option they’ve got.

If they’ve had enough to eat, they’re feeling a bit bored or tired and would quite like to be done now, they need a way to tell you this.

So they could cry, or they could throw some food on the floor and hope you get the message that way.

So, with all this in mind, what can you actually do about it?

Use a splash mat
Before anything else, make sure you protect your own sanity by having a splash mat underneath your baby’s highchair.
That way, you can just wipe it down after meals rather than having to mop the floor every time.
Try not to react
Your reaction makes the whole activity so much more appealing to your baby. And what a great way to get your attention!
But if you stay calm and don’t react, your baby will quickly realise that throwing food on the floor isn’t a particularly effective way to get your attention and will (hopefully) stop doing it.
Start with small portions
To avoid overwhelm at mealtimes, try serving up a smaller portion so your baby feels more comfortable with what’s on their plate.
You can always give them more if they want it.
Limit distractions
Babies get very easily distracted during mealtimes - whether it’s the TV, the dog, or what others around them are doing.
Allow your baby to focus all their attention on eating by making their eating environment as calm, relaxing and distraction-free as possible.
Sit with your baby while they eat
Watching you model appropriate mealtime behaviour is an important part of your baby’s journey to learning how to eat.
Sit with them and eat together as often as you can so that they can watch you and learn from you.
This also allows them to feel that they have your full attention, so they don’t need to throw their food on the floor to get it!
Talk to your baby about not throwing food on the floor
While your baby might not be able to talk yet, they can still understand a whole lot! Talk to them calmly and gently about why we don’t throw our food on the floor.
Put the dog outside!
And finally, babies can quickly become a dog’s best friend by feeding them scraps off their plate. And it’s fun for babies to watch the dog wolfing down whatever is being offered up.
So, if you have a dog, try putting it outside for mealtimes :)

And finally, remember that as with many things with babies, this too shall pass.

It can be incredibly frustrating (not to mention time-consuming!), but it’s completely normal behaviour in babies that lasts for a while and then peters out or suddenly stops.

Try to view the behaviour with curiosity as to what might be going on for your little one and what they’re trying to communicate to you.

And make sure you’ve got that splash mat!