How to deal with a 5 yr old who eats slow, likes to keep food in mouth rather than chew & swallow normally?

Question

My girl also does not stay put at the dining table. A meal can last 1 hr. Imagine eating out! However, when it comes to favourite food like fries, baked beans. Self service no problem. We can't give her these always. Although we always add sauce to her rice meals. Breakfast soft boiled egg can take 1/2 hr to finish.

Answer 1

Put hot sauce on their food.

Answer 2

I think first off just know that some kids take longer to eat, than others. It is how they eat and if you force them to eat faster, they don't do well. Our daughter had this slow eating, and one time we were in a hurry, got fast food, made her eat fast and she threw up everywhere! So don't worry, it'll all happen, in time. However, when you have a child who is keeping food in the mouth and not chewing and swallowing, well he/she may be playing games with you about controlling food to take up time. It happens but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. I would set the food out for whatever meal, put the timer on for 1/2 hour(or whatever you feel is acceptable, even up to an hour, if you have the time) and tell her when the timer goes off, the breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, is done, over! Stick to it, be strong and be consistent! Also, if she continues to have problems, you may want to have her checked by a speech pathologist. They can asses what is going on with the difficulty in swallowing,etc. That would be my last suggestion, try the others first. Does your 5 year old talk well?Doing everything else developmentally normal? I am sure things will be fine, be patient, and continue to be the good parent you are. :)

Answer 3

Give him a time limit...set his lunch in front of him and set the timer for an appropriate amount of time (20-30 minutes maybe)...when the timer goes off...the plate gets cleared whether he got enough to eat or not. Same thing for snacks (maybe only 10-15 minutes) and all other meals. He'll eventually realize he's gonna have to chew and swallow his food in the time allowed if he doesn't want to be hungry.

When you first start this,,,make sure you monitor him closely...how much food do you give him, how much he eats, in how much time...document all this in case you need to lengthen or shorten the allowed eating time...but most importantly...to make sure he is getting enough to eat and that he doesn't have a medical or psychological condition/behavioral disorder...if is a condition of some sort...then the documentation of what you fed him, how much and how much he ate in such and such amount of time is going to be very helpful should you decide to consult a professional.

Please note-this is not a method I have personally tried or read about in my early childhood studies...but it is something I would try with a child who 'plays with his food'...since the child you are talking about puts it in his mouth but doesn't seem to chew or swallow as much...I would monitor it more closely.

Answer 4

I had that problem when I was little, lol. Everyone would stay until all but myself had ate their supper, then they left me. I would hear the TV on, hear my family having fun, and was not allowed to leave the table until everything on my plate was clean. I learned two very good lessons:

-Stop playing around with my food and just eat it...that is what meals are for.

-And always take what you can eat rather then simply filling the plate.

Give it a try and I'm sure you'll be pleased. =)

Answer 5

omg i feel for you! my boyfriends daughter who is 3 does the same thing! the trick that seems to work (i'm the only one who does this, and it may seem mean) is being very strict with her when it comes to dinner. all she ever wants is juice (mommy doesn't make her eat and just gives her juice and snacks constantly) so when she is with us on the weekends, she doesn't get juice till she eats ALL of her food. i keep her on task every few minutes when i notice she isn't taking new bites she gets a firm "haleah eat your food". i've even gone as far as stating "we aren't going anywhere till you finish your food" and when she takes to long i will take her juice in hand and start walking toward the trash or the sink and she has till i get to either destination to be done eating. i let her know i won't wait all day, and EVERYONE sits and waits for her, the "peer pressure" to finish eating helps. she is slowly starting to realize who is boss, and dad is even starting to do this (i proved it worked). you can see when she truely is full so she's done, and let her stop only when she is full.
and to keep her sitting still will come in the firm "eat your food!" i do every now and then have to change it to "turn around and eat your food", or "sit down and eat". and when she doesn't listen i will get up and put her back in her seat.
i used to feel like a big meany in this practice but holding firm and doing what i say i will (she can't have what she wants till she finishes everything else) she doesn't always need the prodding now. right down to she knows she only gets snacks at snack time and she won't get snacks if she didn't eat the meal she was given.
give it a try, it might take awhile and a whole lot of patience, but i bet you will see your kiddo shaping up withing a few days or weeks!

Answer 6

Look in her mouth. Does she have huge tonsils? If so, it may hurt to swallow. Give her soft foods & see how she does. Is she losing weight? Talk to Pediatrician. Don't make meal time a living hell for everyone.

Answer 7

in my experience kids are just like that. they need a lot of time to learn how to eat and what the rules are around coming and going from the table, how to get the food in their bellies instead of all around the room, and explore the differnt flavours they are experiencing. Get them trained, but certainy don't rush them or starve them if their behaviour sometimes seems savage and uncivilized to you. Let them take the time they need to eat. this is important socializing time that you spend with your family and it's one of the most important things you are doing for them at this period in their lives. It's good time for you to get to know and enjoy your kids, too. enjoy it for what it's worth!

Answer 8

They stay at the table until they are done eating.

Answer 9

Motivate her with tibits and cartoons or challenge her to eat faster than you

Answer 10

that's what my kid does! she will be 2 in a few days