The first few times your baby grabs food off her high-chair tray and throws it on the floor, you laugh, pick it up, smile and say in your gentlest voice, “No throwing, honey.” You might even snap a picture because it?s so adorable. But when the cuteness wears off, and food throwing becomes a game?one where you’re the loser?it can become frustrating (the mess!) and worrisome (there’s more food on the floor and wall than in your baby?s mouth!).

Food throwing is a popular topic in my nutrition counselling practice; most parents deal with it at some point with their little ones. I always reassure my clients that it?s normal?most kids go through a food throwing phase in their early years. Mine sure did. Just the other day, I lunged towards our highchair to catch a full bowl of uneaten spaghetti from my one-year-old?s hands (I was unsuccessful) while simultaneously exclaiming, ?Nooooooo!?.  So I definitely understand the frustration. In many cases, food throwing is a result of learning how to control and coordinate food, and developing fine motor skills. In fact, in babies ages six to eight months, food throwing is rarely intentional. For older babies (nine to 12 months), it becomes an exercise in learning cause-and-effect. What will happen if I throw this bowl full of oatmeal" Will it make a noise" Where will it go" Will it come back" Fast-forward to toddlerhood, and food throwing becomes an intentional attempt...