# How can I encourage my 16 month old to stop spitting out whatever she is drinking?



## mamasaurus (Jun 20, 2004)

She just spits it out all over the place!

What is going on is this - she will be sitting in her high chair, drinking milk or water out of a sippy cup. She gets a nice, BIG mouthful... and then looks at you like, "Get ready!" And SPAAALOOEY!!!







It all comes out - and then she laughs!









Ok, so what can I do to discourage this?


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## Shaunam (Oct 8, 2004)

I don't know. My 16 1/2 month old does that too. He's just mastered drinking out of something other than a boob and he thinks it's cool to let it all dribble back out on his shirt. He only drinks water, so I don't really worry about it all that much. I'm sure it'll pass quickly. Just try not to laugh or she'll probably keep it up longer because it's funny!


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Don't laugh







and ignore it. It's just a phase. I wouldn't say a word about it and would just distract when it happens.


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## janerose (May 9, 2004)

My DD still does this occasionally. I agree about not making a big deal out of it. I did start gently removing the cup from her & saying something along the lines of "Oh, you must be done now..." Stay casual & don't get worked up about it. If my DD is thirsty she will ask for the cup back & I give it to her. If she does it again I remove it again & try to distract her with something else.

She has also started taking a piece of food, chewing it up, deciding she doesn't want it after all, and then spitting it all back out. I handle that in a similar way.

In fact I've found that a lot of the time she's doing it because she is done eating or drinking & has moved onto the playing phase...

Holly


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

When ds does it, I try to redirect him to water play with a couple of buckets. (obviously, watch closely if you have buckets of water)
I might say "Don't get juice on the carpet, it makes a mess. If you want to spit juice, spit it into this cup. Or we can go put water in the bucket and you can pour it from bucket to bucket."
Oh, I should say that ds very rarely has juice. But if its made up in the fridge because we have company, I don't say no if he asks for it. If he's just drinking water, I usually don't mind that he's spitting it out. I might tell him that I'd prefer for him to not do it, but then I'd let him choose whether to continue or not.
If he's spitting on the bed and I don't want it wet, I'd redirect with the buckets, or a cup or something.


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## pianojazzgirl (Apr 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cutie Patootie*
Don't laugh







and ignore it. It's just a phase. I wouldn't say a word about it and would just distract when it happens.

















:

I've used that technique to help my dd get quite a few "annoying" habits out of her system. You can also show her where it _is_ ok to spit (outside, in the bathtub, etc). But I think at this age if you just ignore it she'll get past it quickly enough.


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## speairson (Jul 25, 2005)

My almost 17 month old dd does the same thing with drink and food. I also try to ignore it and redirect her. It is hard not to laugh sometimes though


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## SerafinasMommy (Dec 18, 2005)

my 13 month old does this except she doesnt laugh when she spits it out....she does it the most when its a cold liquid.

Maybe whatever she is drinking is too cold for her. Just a thought, I'm still trying to figure out why my dd does this too


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## ilikethedesert (Feb 4, 2004)

My 16 month old does this, too. I just try to ignore it- or at least turn my head and try to keep my lips closed as I laugh. It's hard though, when the 3 year old sitting next to her starts doing it too.

You've got to choose your battles, you know? This one I know will pass, so I just ignore or redirect.

At least the weather is getting warmer!


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## Yo Becca (Apr 17, 2005)

My DD went through this phase. What was most effective for me was a 3 pronged approach.
1st: With a calm, unamused look, I would say "I don't like spitting" or "I don't like what a mess that makes" or something along those lines - to communicate that I didn't like it.
2nd: totally ignore it, act like nothing was happening. She might try it one more time to see if she could get a reaction from me, and I wouldn't give one
3rd: if she did it again, I would take the cup away. I would usually say something like "If you spit, you can't have your cup" - not angry, but to make it clear that the spitting meant no cup.

Then, after a bit, I'd let her have the cup back and we'd see how it went. She figured out quickly that while she thought it was funny, it didn't pay off b/c she lost her cup and I never laughed. She also was very verbal and understood what I was saying, so talking about it was more effective for her than just taking away the cup or ignoring her - but I made sure to not express any emotional reaction.

Even more fun: spitting out food.


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## Truvie (May 4, 2004)

My 16 month old loves to spit her drinks too (especially since her older brother eggs her on). I say, "Oh, you must be done", put the cup in the fridge, and then hand her a towel to clean up the mess (we have wood floors). She loves doing the clean-up, so maybe that encourages her to spit more, I don't know


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