Holds Food in Mouth - Euless,TX

My nephew will hold food in his cheek for 1/2 a day if you let him. He looks like a little squirel. He also doesn't eat on a regular basis. It got to the point that his doctor said to let him eat ice cream for every meal if he wanted too. However he is now 7 and is fine. Another weird thing he did was he never slept much. He would go to bed at 8:00 and lay there until 12 before falling asleep then be back up at 6:00 am ready to go. He never did naps well either he would just lay in bed never falling asleep.

If it doesn't bother him to hold the food in his mouth I would let him. Apparently it doesn't bother him to be there or to be soggy.

my oldest used to hold food in his mouth too. I dont know why, his dad was always yelling at him to swallow. I think they get nervous and then if you continue to tell them to chew it up and swallow it that makes it more frustrating for them. Seems like it was a phase that lasted a good month. One of the frustrating dinner table moments at our house in the 80's. It's a choking hazard so it would always make me scared. This too shall pass tho.

They seem to be chipmunks around that age....normal.

A few questions:

How old is he?

Is this with all foods or just certain kinds?

Has he always done this or is this a new thing for him?

So I have a weird question...what happens if you let him hold the food for awhile? Does he spit it out?

Nothing wrong with soggy food. In fact we are supposed to chew our food so that the saliva mixes with it and causes it to be soggy. Digestion starts in the mouth.

I suggest you let him hold the food in his mouth. He'll eventually swallow it, especially if you're not right there telling him to do so. Two things you can't make you child do: eat and poop. Don't turn eating into a power struggle. Just let him eat at his own pace. It's good the food is well saturated not only for nutrition but also because it's easier to swallow.

Also consider that he's enjoying the texture and flavor of the food. It's a toddler's job to learn all he can about the world. Exploring the various sensations that his food gives him is a part of that.

Don't supplement with Ensure. He'll eat when he's hungry. Back off and let him feed himself. Make meal a pleasant and relaxed time. He'll eat. Some days he'll eat more than other days. That's normal.

My oldest did this as well. when he wasn't talking by 2 years old we had him evaluated to get into speach therapy through the state (its free) and the first question they asked me was does he hold food in his cheeks. It is something with the development of those muscles and most likely turn into an issue with his speach or tectile issues. My son ended up doing Ocupational Therapy (for sensory integration...all to do with tactile and textures). They helped with developing those muscles and it was HUGE! He stoped holding food and was able to eat and his fear of new foods disapeared (that took time but this therapy was the start).
If he isn't showing any delays with his speach then it is a sesory integatration symptom. Sure he could "grow out of it" but if he has other querks like he doesn't like to be dirty or touch sand or grass or doesn't like small spaces...anything like that it would be SO worth it to have him elvauated. Its free through the state (not sure the name here in Tx). If ignored it could turn into greater problems as he grows. Its best to catch this stuff early. You can talk to your pediatrician about it and they can shed some light on it (hopefully you have a good doc) :)

my son used to do that all the time.... he didn't have problems talking. but one time he had a bite of a fish stick in his mouth for over two and a half hours... he took a nap with it in his mouth, I didn't realize he still had it and after his nap he played for a while and then came and told me that he finally swallowed it. I was so grossed out. not to mention the choking hazard. but anyhow he has grown out of it at this point (he's 9 now) he is still a very picky eater though.

sorry I cant help other than to say you are not alone, we tried every thing we could think of to solve it but nothing ever worked, the closest thing that worked was to give him a potato chip to eat with it, it seemed to be the salt that gave him more saliva that helped so we also would give him a shake of salt in his mouth instead of the potato chip or a potato chip, but he hasn't done it in years. Good luck!

Send me a private message, our daughter was in patient for 4 weeks with issues like this and I will tell you what they had us do. :-)

Make sure he does NOT choke or aspirate on the food, while it is in his mouth... or he is then 'playing' while holding food in his mouth.

My son used to hold food in his mouth and he choked once.

I taught him to just spit it out, in a trash can, that it is "dangerous".... he can choke.

For my son, it was a phase.