The nine month old and the rocket launch spoon

Isn't it great when your kid can feed him/herself?  You hand them their bowl of food, their spoon, hook 'em up with a bib, and presto!  You can work on dinner, set the table, fold some laundry, all the while chatting with the nine month old as he eats his peas, chicken bits, and sweet potato fare.  But suddenly you look up and realize that after eating half of his dinner, the child has decided that the remaining food would be better served as a grenade and instead of winding up in the tummy, the sweet potato has wound up on the walls, floor and ceiling.  What to do?

TRY THIS:  At first launch take away the bowl of food and say, "we don't play with our food, we play with our toys.  Are you done eating?"  If he shakes his head "no" put the food back and say, "we don't play with our food, if you throw your food again, I am going to take your food away."  If another another pea is launched, take the food away.  There may be screaming and yelling but calmly say, "we don't throw our food.  We can try again later."

NOT THAT:  "Are you a little baby that can't feed himself? I guess I will have to feed you for a few more months."  And then feed your child for a few more months.

WHY:  Toddlers learn rules and appropriate behaviors from parents being consistent.  If their food is consistently being taken away after they throw it, they will learn to not throw their food or they won't get to finish dinner.  The first few times you do this there may be screaming and yelling, but if you are consistent, calm, and explain why this is happening, your child will stop. 

HOWEVER, their are two things to pay attention to: 

1) your child might be throwing food because it is their way of signaling that they are done.  So pay attention to how much your child is eating before they start chucking.  Knowing when your child is done is one step towards keeping the walls clean.

2) remember that a nine month old isn't playing with their food to be bad.  One reason they play with their food is that they are experimenting (leaning about gravity, physics, projectile, etc.)  They just need to learn when and where they should and shouldn't experiment.