2 1/2 Year Old STUFFING His Face

I think you need to give him his food one tiny bite at a time. You are right, it is time consuming, but stuffing it in his face is a choking hazard and it is almost impossible to reason with a 2 1/2 year old. Gradually you can give him more than one piece at a time and coax him to put only one bite in his mouth at a time. Hopefully after a while he will get used to taking his food one piece at a time.

My middle son always did this and kept doing this until he was about 9 years old. He only quit then because he choked on a mozzarella stick. He was fine but he was scared to death and was more careful from then on. My son is over 6 feet tall and he is only 14 years old now. He is a big boy and still eats a lot. I think that maybe this is the case for your son also. They are just so hungry and they need to stuff their mouths. I think all you can do is watch him and just remember that intelligent people learn from their mistakes. Meaning-your son may just have to learn the hard way.

Oh, but it's so much fun to stuff your face and get so much attention! This is what 2-1/2-year-olds do so wonderfully well. And he got the attention, so he'll think, "That was great! I'll do it again!" It's not so much a habit as a theatrical stunt.

Giving him one bite at a time may be time-consuming, but you might try it. However, you need to do it in such a way that your son doesn't get a rise out of you. Stay friendly, but say something like, "Oh, it's not good to eat more than one bite at a time, so I'll just give you this. When you want more, ask me." Then do what you usually do while he's eating. Try not to notice too much. If he doesn't ask for more, then he's not very hungry. Don't worry - he won't starve. You can give him a little extra at snack time if you think he needs it. But if he wants to stuff all the snack in his mouth, do the one-bite-at-a-time thing again. Be assured you won't be doing this forever... just until he gets the idea.

The idea, of course, is that he doesn't have an audience for this sort of show. A two-year-old's job description is to test the boundaries, and he likes feelings of power (who doesn't?). His food intake is something he has power over, so you need to pick your battles carefully. When the stuffed-face performer realizes the act isn't not so much fun when it doesn't get a rise out of Mama, he'll let it go. He may go find something else to try, but that's another matter!

My son had some sensory issues at this age, so he also stuffed his face. He needed all the food to satisfy the feelings and pressure he wanted in his mouth. But I noticed if I gave him something cruchy or sharp like dried cereal or chips before the soft food like sandwiches, it satisfied those sensory feelings and he tended not to stuff his face as much. I would also suggest maybe brushing his teeth before eating to rub the bristles on his gums, cheeks, and tongue and that will also stimulate some of the pressure he needs. It doesn't always work, but it helped most of the time. I don't know if this is the real issue or not, but it may be worth a try before you start the fight to feed him yourself (I know my kids would not be cooperative in letting me feed them at this age.).

Tiny bites at a time will prevent him from choking, so I see no other choice other then to sit there and monitor his bites. Give it out sparingly, have him take a bite, then wait until he chews well and then another. It will take some practice but he can choke even on a sandwich!!! It isn't a matter of what to do but if you stand over him or just give him a bite at a time.

Grab a book while you feed him.

It's a stage. Our son went through it. We were told to give him something crunchy like Pirate's Booty (I now use natural Cheetos because they're cheaper) before giving him anything else to eat. You want something crunchy that dissolves easily. It fixed it really fast for him because he was able to feel his mouth and teeth better. Just keep reminding him what is a normal size bite and tell him not to put more in when he gets too much. You do have to monitor every bite, but not necessarily only give him one at a time. He'll learn it. I don't think it took very long for our son to catch on.

maybe making up a game or a little song for him about eating? little bites little bites...big bites big bites! oh NO! where did----go?
there is a boowah and koala song (uptoten.com) that we use
crunchy crunchy crunchy I munch and crunch my lunch
munchy munchy munchy I crunch and munch my lunch

maybe making it fun can teach him while taking the stress off of it for you? I don't know but it's worth a shot...

It always bugged me how fast boys generally eat. My dad would ask for a "bite" of my candy bar, and one "bite" for him was half of it! All the boys I've seen will pop one of those snack-sized candy bars in their mouths, chew it 3 times, and swallow. I have forced myself to eat treats slower, so I get more enjoyment per calorie. Because can you imagine the calories they inhale if they eat that way? It's not healthy!
I swore I'd teach my boys better eating habits. So I was diligent with my oldest about teaching him "one at a time." One goldfish at a time, one piece of popcorn, one jelly bean.
My second son looks at me when I say "one at a time" and I can see in his eyes that he has no intention of complying. So I literally dole out his treats one at a time. He's finally gotten the idea with most things, like goldfish, and he gets a reminder if he stuffs his mouth with them. With new, super-yummy things like candy, it's harder to restrain himself. But I think that if my son has learned it, your son can, too.

I'd cut up his sandwich into pieces and give him one at a time at first. Say, "we eat one at a time." Then start giving him two on his plate, but still say, "one at a time." I bet you could end one meal giving him 3 or more small pieces of sandwich, and he ought to understand one at a time. That doesn't mean he'll remember to do it next time. After many meals with you saying "one at a time" he'll start to realize this is a rule, not just a weird game mommy made up with sandwiches.

Good luck!

Sooooo normal.

Really, the best thing to do is give him small bites at a time. Time consuming? Yes. But what is more important to do with your time? Especially if there's an actual danger, like choking.
Eat your meal when you feed him. Make sure that you take small bites and chew well and not talk with your mouth full. That's how he will learn - by watching and mimicing mom and dad and older siblings. Make meal time a social time as well, it's a good habit to be in anyway.

I have a 16 month old and a 3 year old and both of them have always stuffed their mouths at times. My 3 yr old doesn't so much anymore, but when they stuff their faces I have never made a big deal out of it and just kept an eye on them to make sure they don't choke. If you are concerned about your son choking, I would just maybe keep all his food out of reach except for one bite at a time and don't give him another bite until he has finished the first.

Hi M. - this is VERY normal behavior and you should ignore it over all. My 3yo has been doing this for a while now but not as much as at first. I cut his portions small and I give him smaller portions at a time. It usually happens when he is really really hungry or when he is still hungry but eager to move on to the next thing.

The thing I hate is that if he gets his mouth full, he spits it all out.

Are you telling him to take smaller bites, chew thoroughly, slow down? Are you eating with him and showing him how he should be eating?

You can always pull the plate away (of smaller pieces) if he continues. Let him know that if he can't slow down and eat like a big boy, that YOU will have to feed him again.

Don't reward him with your (over)reactions though. If he can't eat properly, the food should be removed. Choking is a hazard, and if he is stuffing his face like that, and you let him continue it, you need to be monitoring him anyway, so I wouldn't worry about the time consuming aspect of an alternative.