How do I stop the meltdowns when he sees or is waiting for food???

[Millie3030]

Hi, I have a 13 month old little pickle, that loves his food. He has always had an appetite. On waking he has7/8oz milk and then usually breakfast at 8am which is porridge or Weetabix and fresh fruit. Then a small snack at 10:30 rice cake/banana bread then lunch at 12 fish cakes/chicken casserole/ lasagne etc. then snack again at 3pm then dinner- jacket potato/shepherds pie etc. 7/8oz milk at bedtime 7pm. He is 75th percentile for weight and very active.

The problem is whenever I am preparing or heating any of these meals he sees and has an absolute meltdown! He is the same with his milk, hubby and I literally have to hide his milk whilst taking him up to bed because if he sees it he will scream as he wants it immediately, he has had a big dinner where he has said 'done' and pushed away any extra or 'seconds' yet 45 minutes later he sees his milk and screams until he gets it.

Is he just hungry every hour? Or is this a behaviour/control thing?

It's so frustrating as I would just like a calm start to the day where I can prepare his breakfast while he either waits or plays until it is ready. But he on my heels screaming for the 4/5 minutes it takes me to prepare it, he is not interested in playing with any toys or being anywhere else. It's becoming so hard to cook anything fresh.

Am I being ridiculous thinking it could be calm??

[mrsminiverscharlady]

Can you give him a small rice cake or similar to distract him while you do his meal?

[JimmyCorkhill]

Maybe give him something small to eat whilst you prepare the meal. A rice cake or bread stick.

[mineymo]

Mine does this. I found that bringing him up to the counter to be involved with what I am doing made a huge difference. When he was smaller, I'd pull his highchair up. Now he is bigger I pull a dining chair right up to the counter for him to stand on. I talk him through what I'm doing, give him a job (putting something into a bowl, stirring etc), show him things as they are cooking, let him taste things.... I find that even putting a few raisins into a mixing bowl and handing him a wooden spoon will occupy him long enough for me to get the actual cooking done.

[slightlyinsane]

Agree to everything others have said, have you tried letting him carry his bedtime milk. Ask him to carry it up ready for story or whatever your routine is. Mine were fine once they had their mits on the bottle even if they weren't meant to drink it yet.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

You say he's on the 75th for weight but that does tell us much unless you tell us his height too Millie

Agree with Miney he's more than old enough to be with you in the kitchen and might find this a good distraction.

I'm not a big fan of rice cakes as they don't seem very calorific for a hungry baby. Try giving him one of these instead. They will freeze or keep in an airtight container for a few days. You could try them as a snack or give him one whilst you prepare some food.

Would he be distracted with some cutlery to play with or something he has to pick up with his fingers like raisins or Cheerios?

As for the bedtime milk, could he just be really tired and associate this with sleep?

[givemecaffeine21]

It's not a long term solution, but my DD did this at 13 months (now 2) and so is DS who is also 13 months now and basically I don't let them see me prep food. In the morning milk is brought to them, and at night we've changed the bedtime routine to all taking place upstairs so once they're ready for bed DH or I go and get the milk. In the evenings at tea time they watch Mr Tumble whilst I prep their dinner. At lunch they oddly seem able to wait. I have dinner ready on the side, sit them down, then bring it to the table. Before they were able to entertain themselves trotting around, I used to give a breadstick or rice cake in the high chair.

I also do baby signing with both so anytime DS whines I prompt him to sign 'more' or 'thank you' which has eliminated a LOT of whining, crying and screaming.

I batch cook to so often it's simply reheating and cooling which can be done subtly. DD around 17 months would go and fetch her bib and put it on at dinnertime then stand looking at me if I wasn't fast enough, which always made me laugh!

At this age I know they struggle with waiting, and I struggle with the whining, so I've found a way to stop either of us getting stressed.

[givemecaffeine21]

(With breakfast they used to stay with me upstairs getting ready whilst DH prepped it but breakfast is also no longer a problem)

[CripesItsTheGasMan]

11month old dd does this. A rice cake does the trick normally. She has a total meltdown if it's her milk so we have to hide it.

[YourKidsYourRulesHunXxx]

Watch out, there are people who have claimed ownership of the word 'meltdown.' You may get an undue flaming

I hope things work out soon . Is there a way of getting him pseudo-involved with prep so he is distracted/ feels needed? Obviously not an ideal long-term thing, especially if you just want to sling stuff into the oven on a Friday, and also he is very little so I'm not really sure what a kid that age is capable of helping with tbh.

[YourKidsYourRulesHunXxx]

I'm rethinking my post, tbh. I'm struggling to think what a newly 1 year old could do in the kitchen. Sorry, I just wanted to help

[Woodenheart]

Im thinking of getting one of these, Tesco Direct did them & Amazon, I think they convert into a highchair as well.

They are height adjustable as well, it might stop the dramas

[CripesItsTheGasMan]

Oh yes Yourkids I seem to have forgotten about that

[Bedsheets4knickers]

I remember standing on my doorstep frantically stirring my sons dinner trying to cool it down. It does pass. Him having a paddy won't hurt him let him carry on x

[LittleLionMansMummy]

Rice cake or raisins always worked for us!

[Toowittoowoo]

it will pass! I remember it well!.

I used to put DD1 in the highchair and give her a mini breadstick while I got everything ready. Not ideal but as I said it will pass!

Hiding milk is also the only way too...

P.S. we have one of those pod things for the kitchen and it is great. DD1 is nearly 4 and still using to help as it is safer than our chairs. DD2 is 8 months so I reckon it'll be about 6 months or a year before DD1 will have to use a chair and DD2 gets the pod. I hope DD1 will be more careful by then!!!!!

[Millie3030]

Sorry for late reply, my internet was changed over so back again now.

Thank you all for the helpful responses, it feels sooo good just knowing I'm not the only one! I thought I was the only one that had to hide the milk!

I give raisins and blueberries/rice cake etc whilst he is waiting for things to be heated up/cooled down etc but then I always think if you don't eat your fish pie or or mini roast dinner because your full on raisins I won't be happy! But him waiting doesn't make him happy, so it's a bit of a mixture.

He has started going to his highchair and shaking it now when it gets near lunchtime or dinner which is quite cute as at least he likes his food. I weighed him again the other day and he has actually gone back up to 91st percentile for weight and he is over the line for height so I imagine he is about 105th percentile.

Those box things to stand them in look great I think that will be a good idea in a few months as he will feel more involved and can nibble bits while we go.

I'm trying to get him to sign for done and do it after every meal and he says 'done' but doesn't sign it. I have forgotten the sign for more though. You are all so helpful.

[mineymo]

Sign for more is right hand closed in a fist and held vertically, and bring your left hand down flat over the top of it. Like this (sorry for crapness!)

__

[Iggly]

He's hardly like to be full on raisins. Maybe he's just too hungry. There's no need for him to be starving enough to finish a meal. Just give him a smaller portion a bit earlier.

[Millie3030]

Wow those funpods are expensive, was expecting them to be £30/£40 but seems they range from £80 upwards, just checked ebay and have my eye on one for 50. I think one of those could be really good, as whilst he does have a ridiculously big appetite I think some of it may be he wants to see what I'm doing.

Just got convince DH to put a massive expensive funpod box in the kitchen now.......

[FreeButtonBee]

You could give hi a small bowl of veg (peas are good) or cherry tomatoes or cucumber, insead of fruit. Or even just a crust of bread and butter. I make my twins move their highchairs over to the table/ get bibs and bowls out of (low) cupboard, carry their sippy cup to the High chair. Things like that can buy a valuable 30 secs!

Also put a plate in the freezer as you cook, then decant the dinner on to the plate so it cools down ultra quick.

[Millie3030]

Plate in the freezer, great tip!

Today whilst making his breakfast which probably took about 4 minutes he ate 4 strawberries, 2 chunks of banana and a breadstick just to get the bloomin screaming whines to stop, after having 8oz of milk. Might as well just give him his entire breakfast bit by bit on the kitchen floor!

[Woodenheart]

Kiddicare have a red funpod £58 - free delivery.

[Millie3030]

Thanks woodenheart kiddicare is going online only now as well, so might even become cheaper. I have seen some on ebay and think I'm going to get one on there, when my kitchen is sorted in the next 2 weeks.