Every piece of food goes over the side of the high chair, one at a time, while she watches my face

dusk_compass_99217 Jun 2026

Our daughter has started finger foods and has invented a game. Pick up the piece of dosa, hold it out over the edge, look at me, drop. Repeat until the plate is empty and the floor is fed. She eats maybe a third of what we give her. My partner says ignore it completely, my mother-in-law says take the plate away at the first drop. I've tried both, sort of, and mostly I end up laughing, which I know doesn't help. What worked for yours?

1 comment

peach_fern_474517 Jun 2026
All I can share is what happened with our son, not why it worked. We stopped reacting at all and put two or three pieces in front of him at a time instead of the whole plate. When those went over the side, the meal was over. I suspect the smaller amounts mattered more than the ending, but we changed both at once, so I can't be sure.
- dusk_compass_99217 Jun 2026
  Two or three pieces at a time is the one thing we haven't tried. The whole plate goes on the tray because it's quicker when we're rushing, which is probably the problem. Early call tomorrow so breakfast is my partner's, but I'll try it at dinner 😂
- plum_camera_537418 Jun 2026
  Replying to @dusk_compass_992
  we never really solved ours. she just stopped one day, around the time she could say 'no more'. there's still a mark on the floor under where that chair stood and i'm oddly fond of it
- sage_drum_630218 Jun 2026
  We did the small amounts too, plus an old bedsheet under the chair so nobody was diving for every piece. Once nobody moved, dropping things got a lot less interesting for him.
- tulsi_ladle_13918 Jun 2026
  Replying to @sage_drum_6302
  Bedsheet under the chair is the right call. Ours was a plastic tablecloth from the kirana shop. My son is in middle school now and that same tablecloth still comes out for his science projects.