5 Ways To Keep Food on the Table and Off of the Floor

Splat! Once again, your little one threw their tasty meal straight onto your freshly cleaned floors. Once again, you'll be spending the evening mopping instead of relaxing. Mealtime with a baby growing into a toddler can feel like a constant struggle and an inevitable mess. It doesn't have to be, though. Although you can't prevent the possibility of some spillages with a toddler, there are solutions available to prevent your baby from throwing their entire meal on the floor, including amazing kids’ plates with suction.

5 Solutions to Keep Food Where It Belongs

If you're dreading the daily spills of mealtime, there are many things you can try to mitigate major messes.

Put Less Food In Front of Them

As babies explore their world, it's natural to want to play with everything–including their food. While you won't be able to avoid goopy hands and faces entirely, you can control the mess on your kitchen floor by avoiding placing your child's entire meal in front of them. Use a suction plate to prevent them from throwing it, and slowly put food in front of them, just a few pieces at a time. This method eliminates food waste, and you'll know they're probably done eating when they start throwing things.

Stay Calm

Even if you're annoyed or frustrated by the mess, maintain a calm composure. Big reactions to certain behaviours may encourage a child to continue the action, as they know they get attention when they do it. Keep your tone even and quiet. You may consider repeating a positive, clear phrase such as "We keep food on the table."

Purchase Suction Kids Plates

The best kids’ plates are designed with powerful suction to avoid wasted meals and chaotic messes. A plate with suction is difficult for a baby or toddler to remove, which can be helpful if you're accustomed to hearing your plastic plates clatter to the floor.

Designate a Specific Place for Unwanted Food

If your toddler is old enough to understand simple instructions, you can designate a specific area to put food they don't want. This can be a particular area or a separate bowl on the highchair, or you can decide on a specific section of one of our suction-divided plates.

Figure Out Why

If you've tried everything and you're still having trouble with this behaviour, it may be helpful to get to the root of why your child is throwing their food. Some common reasons include the following: 

• Learning cause and effect: For toddlers and babies, throwing food may be a way of testing the waters of cause and effect. It may be frustrating and annoying, but it's completely normal, and they should grow out of it. Kids plates with suction can help them (and you!) through this phase.
• Getting attention: As discussed earlier, some children exhibit this behaviour because they know they'll get a big reaction from their parents. Stay cool and remain calm to fix this issue over time.
• A coping mechanism: If you try to force your child to eat unwanted food, they may throw it as a coping mechanism. Try to readjust your approach to mealtime to break this habit. Letting your child decide how much food they eat is empowering and leads to better mealtime practices. 

While it's easy to feel frustrated to see your child throw food, it may be a normal part of their development. Investing in a suction plate from Brightberry is a great way to mitigate your daily mealtime messes.