Seeking Help with 2 Yr Old's Eating Habits

My son does the same thing. It seems to be when he's taken too large a piece of something for him to deal with comfortably in his mouth. Try cutting up his food a little smaller. He may be getting tired or just wanting to play w/ his food. I don't make a big deal out of it, I just monitor his bite sizes when he begins to do this. That usually helps or he just moves on to a different food on his plate for awhile. He's still discovering things through food play so I won't worry about it until he gets older or if he stops eating.

Hi S.,
I just would like to share something with you. No, I don't have any advice for you as I have almost the same thing with my 2.7 years old son. He used to be a very good eater until he was 13 months old. He went to France for 3 months and since he came back from France (at 16 months) it's been a battle. In the beginning my husband said that he was used to good French food - just give him a time to re adjust. He never did!
Well, he isn't picky at all. He eats just about anything when he feels like it such as all the veggies, meats, rice, pasta, etc. It's just that that moment doesn't happen often enough. He'll eat one good lunch or dinner and might not see him eating well again until 2,3,4,5 days later. When he isn't in the mood to eat we can't force him. No matter what we do,e.g. punishment, bribery he just clams his lips and covers them with his hands and hides his face while crying. He wouldn't eat and wouldn't want to try anything - even cake, cookies, ice cream, etc.
If he gives in and or reluctantly willing to try he will not let us put the food directly in his mouth. He looks at it first, touches it and smooshing it with his fingers(imagine doing it with yogurt or ice cream). If he agrees with how it feels in his fingers he'll ask me what it is then he'll put it in his mouth and slowly chewing it once, twice and keeps it in his mouth. 1 minute or two later he'll spit it out. Then I have to start over the process.
However, when he's in the mood to eat he only asks me what it is before I put it in his mouth (even though he knows what it is he still wants me to tell him the name) he chews the food, swallows it and gives me his empty mouth wide open for more. If I don't tell him what I am going to give him he'll have his mouth wide open with the food inside and wait until I tell him so. If I don't tell him he'll spit it out. Mind you, he knows what it is yet still needs me to tell him over and over during the feeding. Corky, huh?
His pediatrician says it's ok (all the tests show that he's healthy otherwise)as long as he drinks enough. He does drink - 2% milk and juice mix with water(1/3 or 1/4 of juice and 3/4 or 1/2 of water). He doesn't look like a starving toddler at all. He is 361/2 Lb and 41 inches. Pretty tall for his age and not skinny at all - my husband thinks that he's fat.
To this date, he still does the same thing. By the way, he never eats breakfast (not our choice). He drinks hot chocolate (in his bottle) upon arising and juice mix with water until lunch time (when the battle starts).
I am sure you've tried anything out there in the market and cook the meals anyway you can possibly create - still no success, huh?
I think the only good thing about it is that Jordan doesn't snack or eat junk food either. He wouldn't even want to entertain it. I still have no clue how to solve this problem. His dad and his doctor keep saying: "he'll eat when he's hungry" As a mother, it doesn't sit well that he only eats well once every 2,3,4,5 days. Hope someone out there has a solution for us.
P.S He doesn't go to day care or any other play group. He is very active - never stops moving and running, climbing, etc when he's awake. He has 1 of 2-3 hours nap everyday.

HMMM...maybe he has a cavity that hurts, and it feels better this way?...maybe an overactive gag reflex...or something caught in his throat.
We have a friend who's son swallowed a nickel at 15 months. It was in his throat for 3 days before they took him to the Dr. for repetitive vomiting. It was food getting stuck on the nickel and gagging him. If the nickel had turned in his throat during his sleep, he would have died.
Not to scare you (but be careful) it is probably just a bad habit... we all have them!!

I am so glad that I am not the only one. My daughter does that. She will eat something chew it up and then spit it out then go to the next thing. In the end everything ends up back in her mouth. We think it,s because there are to many choices on her plate. I also think that she likes to investigate what kind of food she has. When we give her one thing at a time that seems to help the problem. So funny and SOOOOOOOOO gross. Good luck and keep on laughing if that is all we have to worry about then we are lucky.
Liz

I would definitely talk with your pediatrician/doctor.

One thing I have learned, S., is that women have intution like no other and if you are a Mom, we call it your "Mommy meter!"

Your Mommy meter is dead on right. If you do seek help, don't stop until your child has stopped spitting out his food. Doctors have different opinions, so keep going until YOU are satisfied.

S.,
Why not call your pediatrician. It may be nothing and then again it may be something. They can let you know what they think it means. This could easily put your mind at rest.

E.:)

My 14 month old started doing the same thing just a few days ago! She was chewing pieces of watermelon and spitting it out. She would proceed until she worked her way through the entire serving and start all over again. At first, I though it was amusing but then I was worried she wasn't eating enough. The next time she did that, I took the food away and she cried. I distracted her but she asked for food (via sign language) just 30 minutes later. I let her eat again and this time she ate it all. No spitting out. She does it occasionally still, and I immediately ask her if she is 'all done' with her food. I think she might have picked up this habit at her daycare watching some of the older kids. Anyway, this is what worked for us. I am sure it is just a phase. Good luck!

does the child do this with ALL the food? my brother did that with meat until he was almost 12 or so. just chew all the juice and nutrients out and then spit out the rest. it wasnt something he learned from anyone in the family it was just something he did. the doctor had told my mom that he was still benefitting from the food and that she needed to make sure he also had a daily vitamine. i have two children (19 and 12) neither of them did this however they BOTH had this wierd period where one would only eat bread with mayo and the other would only eat bread with ketsup and NOTHING else!! i wouldnt worry too much unless the child becomes ill or starts showing sypmtoms of malnurishment. some kids have strange eating habits when they are young and then outgrow it.

Before seek medical help, maybe you should try mashing his food or cutting his food into really tiny pieces. Essentially, that is what he is doing when he chews it up and spits it out. He's probably teething or something and the food is easier and faster eat mashed up.

Sorry to tell you this is totally normal. My daughter does the same as do all of my friends kids. It's part of their exploring and testing boundaries. "What happens to this when I chew it up?" "Mom reacts a certain way when I do this" My daughter will often chew her food, drop it out of her mouth, pick it up and offer it to me. Yucko! Just keep reinforcing to him in a pleasnat way that we want to keep our food in our mouth, chew it up, and swallow it. But don't worry so much on it that eating becomes stressful for him. Chances are if you just ignore it, it will start trailing off a lot sooner.

He may have reflux. I had always thought it was just a baby thing but I have seen it in kids your age as well. If this is something new then it probably isn't reflux. But it is something to consider. if you think it is reflux, you should see a doctor.

My two year old does this, too, though usually towards the end of the meal. He, too, cries if I take the food away from him, cuz he's usually not done when he does it. I try to encourage him to at least let me "have" the food so he doesn't spit it out all over himself, and that seems to help. I don't know if this helps, but at least you know you aren't the only one. Good luck. R.

Let it pass, they learn by watching, so set the example of how to eat.

When it is time to stop,if it does continue, DO take it away, let him cry, let him have as much food as he wants to eat, but when it gets spit out, it's garbage. Eventually he'll keep his food.

Sounds like you have a curious little man there. I would bet money that he's just wondering what happens when he chews his food, and that it's a phase that will pass. Check with your pediatrician if it'll make you feel better, but I bet it's temporary. Hope this helps!

Yeah, it is different, but every child is different. Discuss it w/your pediatrician, but in the meantime, don't make anything out of it for now. If it embarasses you, don't take him out to eat in public for awhile. It's probably just a phase and if you ignore it, it will in all likelihood go away on its own. If you make an issue out of it, he may hold onto this unpleasant little trait even longer. If he's still doing it in a couple months, definitely take it up w/your pediatrician. They've heard everything and usually have so much good advice and tips.

my second daughter did this. I began chewing solid foods for her till sort of soft & putting in her mouth.some of it was texture issue some was adnoids & chewing.she outgrew it soon enough. me chewing harder foods cut down on the yuck factor at public table. good luck : )

I would observe to see if your child does this at every meal and with every food. It could just be a habit or a mouth problem. What does he do with liquids such as soup? Good luck.

I have seen this one other time. There was a 2yo who had had really bad reflux and got to the point of not swallowing her food for fear of it coming back up and hurting. Occupational therapists worked with her to get her to swallow her food and she was put on a food pump to ensure she was getting enough nutrition during the process. It may be different for your little guy and just a personality trait. However, I would talk with your doctor just to make sure there is no medical explanation for your sons behavior.

That is so interesting. And they say being a mom is ho-hum drum. My first reaction would be so say "eew, honey, that's a bit gross (or unpleasant)." I have found at times when I just don't know how to handle something, meaning how to modify a behavior, that just an honest reaction is helpful. For one, they see how they behavior affects someone and it also gives me a way to respond even if I don't know what to do about it. And even sometimes, they get that it may not be something they should be doing. Being mom also means being human and I give myself permission to react in non-destructive ways, of course.

He might need more digestive enzymes. Even chewable papaya enzymes might help. He's obviously doing this intuitively. We all know what we need to do - just some of us stop listening to our bodies.

For example: our dog use to eat rocks, so we started giving her minerals and she stopped eating rocks, which were ruining her teeth. She knew what she needed, but couldn't tell us, so we had to figure it out.