"She Won't Chew Her Food"

Hang in there mommy. She'll learn before you know it. Her teeth and gums may be sore and that's why she doesn't chew. If she chews sometimes, she knows how to; just let her and if she chokes, be with her and go over it and over it again. Repetition is what teaches. Keep it up. You'll both be o.k. Remember to cut the things big enought to chew...too small could make her swallow automatically.

You may want to talk to a speech pathologist about feeding issues. They have all sorts of tricks to use. My daughter had an issue at 6mos with drinking. One visit with the speech pathologist and she was fine.

You might want to call Early Intervention to have your child evaluated- eating issues such as the type you are describing can be helped with speech therapy. EI will evalaute your child for free. My 19 month old son goes to speech and physical therapy. He was a late walker- and late talker...It has been wonderful!

Just letting you know that you're not alone. My 26-month-old STILL does this. I think they're just used to baby food, milk, etc, and it's easier to swallow without chewing. I'm just giving it time, and trying to be patient!

talk to your ped and ask for an order for OT

She could need Ocupational Therapy for swallowing issues. My niece did, but her trouble started earlier, when she was an infant. She is doing great now.

It's important to remind kids at this age to chew their food and swallow it before shoving more into their mouths. Sometimes I still feel like it's a contest with my 2 1/2 year old son to see how much he can stuff in his mouth at once. Best remedy I think is to give her only one piece of food at a time. Remind her to take bites, chew each bite, swallow each bite, before she takes another. She'll get it eventually.