Ready? Aim. Splat! How to cope with your child's passion for flinging food. What it is: Your little one views mealtime as playtime — after a few slurps of spaghetti or sips of milk, she tosses her bowl to the floor or empties her cup with glee. ("Hey, gravity works! Let's do it again!") Why it happens: It may be maddening to watch food fly (and even more frustrating to have to clean up for the umpteenth time), but don't take it out on your toddler. She isn't misbehaving on purpose. She's just discovered the fun of picking food off the plate and watching what happens when she throws it clear across the room ("Hey, Mom, pasta sticks to the wall!"). In the process, your young scientist is busy learning about cause and effect. What you need to know: Toddlers, especially early in their second year, have a hard time controlling their impulse to touch, poke, grab, and throw. But you can take precautions to minimize hands-on behavior (and its effect) d...