Or maybe a cow would be the better analogy. Here's the deal: at dinner time, my 4 year old will take a bite, chew it up, take another bite, chew it up, and so on and so on. However, what he doesn't do, is swallow! So, before long, he has a huge mouthful of food, little cheeks puffing out, and he still won't swallow. He doesn't do this for any other meal of the day. Just dinner. He has learned to talk around the food and has even fooled us on occasion. (once, 2 and a half hours after dinner, I caught him chewing Chicken-broccoli alfredo! NASTY!!!)
I am not concerned about his health, yet. He is very healthy and isn't losing weight or anything like that. Mostly, it just makes me want to throw up. I have a weak stomach when it comes to stuff like that. (how is it that I can clean up vomit with no problems, but anything with the mouth gags me? But I digress...) His two older siblings have been instructed to ignore him when he does it, to avoid giving him any attention for it. I also avert my gaze, and my husband simply instructs him to go spit it out. He gets no special attention for this, so I just can't see his reasoning behind this revolting habit. Has anybody else ever dealt with this? Any ideas on how to put an end to it?
My 1yr old does this! I will be interested in some of the advice you receive, just in case it persists in my boy. :) My thought is that he's just not hungry and/or likes the texture...just a guess!
this all seems very normal, but make sure he is brushing his teeth well! It can't be good for his them!!
Godd luck,
S.
LOL that was so funny. LOL Maybe he just likes the taste of mom's cooking. LOL I have no idea what to say to that. I'm sorry but give him a kiss because that's just so cute to me. LOL
J.
My 3 year old son did this for about a year. It was very bad. He would hold the food in his mouth all day. He even went to bed with the food in his mouth. I wouldn't know about it until the next day, when I would see him moving his mouth. I would tell him to spit it out and it would yesterdays din din. I am the same way. I can clean up vomit in a second but the other juices in the mouth makes me .......UUGGHH!!! But anyway....My son does not hold the food in his mouth anymore. I think it is something they will grow out of. And also, I'm not sure if it is a boy thing or not, because both of my girls never did anything like that. I hope he gets over it soon for your sake.
C.
My Nephew did this. We would catch him with food in his cheeks 4 hours later at bed time. We had to constantly check before he went to bed so he wouldnt choke. We never figured out why he did this but it was also only at dinner time. We thought maybe he just wasnt hungry but we never forced him to clean his plate he just stored it in his cheeks. he did grow out of it and I am with you that you cant make a big deal out of it. If he is storing and you notice just make him spit it out and hope he outgrows it. Good luck.
My mother says that I did this as a child, and I vaguely remember it as well. Unlike now, I ate to live back then. I didn't eat much at the end of the day. I snacked and ate larger breakfasts. By dinner, I wasn't interested, but my parents were part of the "clean your plate club". I did it because I wasn't hungry and my parents were making me eat. That simple. Maybe he isn't hungry. I am trying not to repeat everything my parents did with my own children. My daughter, however, will not want to eat her fish because "her belly hurts", but then ask for a treat after dinner. I say, "No" to that. I try to make them eat (swallow) the protein and veggies and everything else only needs to be eaten if they are hungry. I can usually tell if she is full or just being picky. I wouldn't worry. He will definantly grow out of it, but in the mean time....... I have done this with my daughter... I count backwards from 10. If she hasn't swallowed it, she gets a time out.
Both of my kids do this, they are 2 and 4 not sure who learned it from who.... And it's not everynight, and it doesn't seem to matter if they are hungry or not either. My son (4) will actually fill his mouth till he hits his gag reflex sometimes, and i will never understan why, but here is what we do. As soon as we see them, we take the plate away and feed them. It kinda makes dinner a bit longer and more frusterating but they don't get another bite until they swallow the previouse bite. Then right after dinner, brush teeth!!! Hard to save food in them cheeks if after they have been scrubbed out.
Good luck, like all things I"m sure he will out grow it, I'm banking on it... I"d really hate to see my son doing this sort of thing on his first date.... hehehehe
H.
