My daughter is 1 year and 8 months old, and during meals she deliberately picks up pieces of food and throws them on the floor. I don't know how to react anymore - I scold her, take away her plate, but she just keeps doing it. Is this a developmental phase or am I doing something wrong with how I'm raising her?
This is a completely normal developmental phase - toddlers at this age explore the world through experimentation, and falling food is just an interesting object to study for them, not misbehavior. The best approach is to simply clean up what's dropped calmly, without making a big deal out of it or scolding - if your reaction becomes part of the game, her interest in it only grows.
At the same time, you can offer her something more suitable for throwing instead of food: soft toys, foam blocks, balls. As your daughter gets a bit older, this habit will go away on its own because her interest will shift to something else. And scolding usually has the opposite effect - the child sees that you're reacting emotionally and keeps experimenting. So staying calm and patient is your tool here.
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