Question
Hello there,
How much should you realistically expect out of a 17-month-old in terms of table manners? Our daughter still enjoys dropping food to the floor - sometimes it means "I am done with this food item for now until I really really want it again in four minutes" and sometimes it's just for the sheer cussed joy of it. We don't give her a reaction and she doesn't look to us for one, it's all about her relationship with gravity. At times she'll bang her cup or put her bowl on her head (they defeat those suction-bowl things early), at which point we'll give a calm, firm no and take the item from her if she persists (she'll howl for a minute but she gets over it pretty quickly). Is this just regulation toddler stuff she'll grow out of, or should we be more proactive in terms of nipping this behavior in the bud (time-out or taking her out of the chair and ending the meal, etc)? Thanks very much!
