Holding Food in Mouth at Every Meal

how old is your daughter? We experienced something similar. Turns out it is related to speech and language development. Our daughter required extra stimulation in her mouth because she wasn't speaking yet. So she'd overstuff her mouth and then leave the food there for hours. We didn't know any of this til we talked to her pediatrician who asked us specifially about eating issues. I'd bring it up with your doctor to see if s/he has any ideas. We ended up giving our daughter lots of chewy foods/hard foods/cold foods so that her mouth was sufficiently stimulated.

You've probably already thought of this but just in case...
Limiting her liquids for at least an hour or so before meals and then offering just a SMALL sip after each bite will definately encourage swallowing since it's hard for a little one to hold food in their mouth while swallowing a drink. If choking is a concern, the drink could be offered after she shows you her empty mouth.

If she's old enough to understand the concept, a timer or hour glass could be set at the beginning of meals to show how long before desert/fruit/treats will be served. Make sure you allow enough time so that she doesn't have to rush too much. When the timer goes off, the table is cleared and the treat is served to those who are done eating. Left overs are immediately put away and the kitchen is "closed" untill the next meal. Explain that this is not a punishment, but rather a neccesity since you can't get on to other things if you have to spend hours manning the kitchen. You may encounter some crying, pleading and requests for a second chance at first - but if you hold your ground that should quickly subside.

If you're out and about at meal time and maybe running through McDonalds, you wont be able to use the "closed kitchen" explaination. So if she likes gum and is old enough to have it, a piece after meals will encourage a final swallow.

Keep in mind that some people are just slow eaters. Others are "grazers". Myself included. I'm generally full after only a few bites. I sit with everyone untill they're done then usually put my plate in the microwave - knowing I'll be hungry again in an hour or two and not wanting to pull everything back out of the fridge. Is it possible that your daughter is losing interest in swallowing because she's full?

I think that the biggest thing to keep in mind is that it probably isn't really a long term problem and you may not even want to address it unless it's creating other issues for you (like being on time to after meal events). Most likely, she'll just out grow it. When she starts school, she'll quickly realize that she can't chat with the other kids if she's holding food in her mouth. For now, if you have her brush her teeth after meals (or you can use one of those rubber infant brushes if she's really little) tooth decay won't be a concern.

Best of luck to you!
C.

hi im not sure how old she is but when my daughter was two she did the same thing and it used to drive me crazy! it was just a phase, a short phase and now she chews and swallows. :) good luck

Sometimes swallowing difficulty can be a sensory issue and somestimes it can be Iron deficient anemia or magnesium deficiency. Magnesium controls the nerve and muscle responses.

Putting a cup of epsom salt in nighttime bath water will help her absorb some magnesium. Check with your pedi.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. As long as she's doing this during the meal, and eventually swallowing, I don't see it as much of a problem. If she's trying to just hold food in her mouth and go on about her business even after she's 'done' eating, then the only thing I can recommend is that you establish a policy that she doesn't get up from the table until her mouth is empty. That's a safety issue to help prevent choking as well as an issue of the health of her teeth. I do think, as others have said, you try to brush her teeth every time after eating (isn't that the dental recommendation for all of us anyway - even though most of us probably don't brush after every meal in reality?) It is a phase that most children go through, and will pass... probably more quickly if you don't make too big an issue of it.

How old is your daughter? Some children do this because they are learning and like the feel in their mouths. If she's a baby, sometimes they then spit it all out and laugh, If she's older, could you have her wash her mouth out or brush her teeth right after dinner and then again when she goes to bed? If she's old enough you can explain why to her. Either way she may grow out of it. Take care, some of these behavios seem to only exist to drive parents crazy ;-)

LOL! That made me think of my stepdaughter. From a very young age she would hold food in her mouth, especially if she didn't like it. My husband finally got to the point where he would say "Christina! Open your mouth!" and if she had food in it he would make her swallow it or spit it out. It became a daily event.
Well, that little girl grew up. On her 16th birthday we had a big group of people celebrating, including her boy friend. My husband waited until she put a fork full of food in her mouth, then he said in his best dad voice, "Christina open your mouth!". The reflex kicked in, she turned and opened her mouth with this huge bunch of food in it! She realized what she was doing, blushed, swallowed and yelled "DAD!!!!!!!". Priceless. =)
Try to encourage her to swallow it. Be willing to brush her teeth immediately after eating. I would bet she is less willing to swallow veggies than she is sweets so she should be at less of a risk from damaging her teeth that way. Be patient, she will grow out of it.

Gail B is right. I am a speech language pathologist and holding food in the mouth can be a sensory problem. Your child may stuff her mouth and or leave the food in there (pocket it) so that she can feel it there. She may not feel her mouth and the things in it (tongue, teeth, palate, etc.) like you or me. She may need extra stimulation. This will also help with the development of speech and language.

Maby she's just a slow eater, if she eats too soon, it hurts, or chokes, or whatever. My 22 M old Niece does this with drinks. After every sip nomadder what it is, she holds it in her mouth for 1-2 Min. Sometimes swishes it around, sometimes just holds it there. Her mom does the same thing tho. LoL. Just a habbit, she likes the taiste of certain things like juice, so she savors it longer. She even does it sometimes with food. She def.is a slow eater too! She speeks just fine, infact the ped. is quite impressed with how well she does speak! I say your dd's teeth are not going to decay because she holds food in her mouth for a few Min. If she's holding the same bite for an hour, maby... Just makesure to brush her teeth good after every meal, not to let her hold sugary or acidy foods in her mouth for long periods of time, & she'll be fine!