2.5 Year Old Holding Food in His Mouth Without Swallowing

We just finished going through this. My son did it for about a month at random times...even when he would be eating his favorite foods. I ended up using a baby spoon to take it out of his mouth (so he wouldn't bite me) and then I would excuse him from the table if he didn't want to eat anymore without a big deal. Then one day....he just stopped.

If he is not hungry why make him swallow?
With so much of America fat- if he stops eating when he is full for heaven sake let him stop.
And now you are in a power struggle , and about his body.
Would you do this to a friend?
Check out YokaReader,com- she has made me saner about what to impose on kids, and also WestonPrice.com for food ideas.
I have had to work hard at not doing things the way I was raised- but for me I am glad to have worked at it. best, k

Sometimes a variety is too unpalatable for a young child. Sometimes we grow up not liking certain foods. I could never eat meat, unless it was a hamburger...and my brothers would trade me their plates of veggies they didn't like for the plate of overcooked beef or fried chicken...as I would eat them any veggie - that was cooked. I still cannot eat raw.
I agree it's good to have a variety of protein and veggies.
So, what does he like besides pudding? At a young age, the food needs to be palatable and colorful, like tiny peas, corn, cubed roasted potatoes, cut up meat; and like we all like: salt and sugar.
One way to get my kids to eat fruit, which they wouldn't eat except for a banana, was to cut up a variety of fruits, distribute them into baggies to freeze, (then you don't have to add ice to warm fruit)...remove a baggie, place in blender, add a cup of plain yogurt (they don't know it's there) and even a tbs. of flax seed oil and apple juice to get it running. They loved a "smoothie". I also bought popsicle molds and made smoothie pops. As fruit or any sugar will digest quicker, I would give out the pops a good hour before dinner, which they were hungry for. And dessert was something they didn't find out about until a birthday party...
But the fruit will supply the sweet and vitamins we all love and need; and maybe a little salt in the meat for protein. A fun chewable vitamin also may entertain his taste buds. If he likes milk, ask your pediatrician or the health food store for an enriched product. And you can make popsicles out of that, too. It's just fun to eat them!
Meanwhile, you youngest may turn into the bottomless pit and love everything you put in front of him!!!

I had a friend who's child would hold his last bite of food until the NEXT MORNING! Ugh! I don't have any answers for you but wanted you to know you aren't the only one :) Best of luck!
Jen M.

ITS JUST A PHASE!! My son is 28 months and he eats by himself.since Last week everytime he would give me his plate, he would have a bite in his mouth. I didnt think much of it. I got him ready for daycare and when we got to the daycare I noticed he still had food in his mouth. He holds it for over an hour. It has nothing to do with making him eat food he doesn't like or making him eat when he is not hungry. Like i said, he eats by himself, so when he is done he just gives me his plate and I dont question if there is still food in his plate. Its just a disgusting phase I would say, because after holding food in his mouth for over 1 hr he starts getting nauseous and throws up. Just hang in there, it will passed! Like every other phase. I cant wait for it to be over!

I need advice on this topic too. My daughter is only 3 months older. she only does this with grapes. She will sometimes keep them in her cheek like a hamster. Why???? I have no clue. I can usually get her to spit them out before she goes to bed, or if I offer another item or go to brush her teeth. I keep hoping she will outgrow it.

My son used to do this when he started eating solid food. We used to call him a chipmunk. We just told him you need to swallow and explained that trying to swallow all that stored food at one time could cause an ouchie. Our word for things that could hurt him like choking on food. After awhile he will grow out of this on his own in the meantime just make sure he swallows each bite before he gets another bite.

My son will be 2 in Feb. We noticed that he liked to get M & M's and hold them in his mouth and would later spit in the trash. Then this past week it was cookies he would put in his mouth and hold for awhile then go spit. Then today he wanted a coke can and spit in it. Guess what!!! My husband dips tobacco.....he was imitating him this whole time! So when we would say spit it out he would not. We just ignore it. Im sure it is a phase although a funny yet gross one!

Hi, E.. Well, it sounds like he's doing this for attention. Has it been just since the birth of his new baby brother? When a child feels his position in the family is taken away or threatened, he will often go to really bizarre lengths to recover his sense of importance. This leads to a huge amount of negative attention. At least he hasn't reverted to lots of infantile behaviors...but it sounds like he's noticed that an awful lot of attention is paid to his baby brother at feeding time. It sounds like he's trying to steal back some of your feeding-time attention.

I think that the remedy for his strange behavior might be to place less emphasis and stress on mealtimes. In other words, give him lots of attention at times besides mealtime. If that seems to be the only time the child's parents spend with their child, then all the child's attention needs are filled at that time -- and eating times become critical because that's the only time parents are available to give him attention.

So #1, give him attention at times when no food is involved, unless of course it's a family outting and he's getting some ice cream or popcorn or whatever. But give him attention for doing other things besides eating.

#2 -- if he were truly hungry, he would not be holding the food in his mouth. You may be trying to feed him when he's not hungry. I understand that kids need structure, and they need to get used to regular mealtimes, but trying to feed him more than he actually needs will cause not only behavior problems, but physical problems as well.

#3 -- give him smaller portions. You can always give him seconds if he's still hungry, but let him eat a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and when he starts acting badly at the table, take the food away. If necessary, let him sit there and watch everybody else eat and socialize with the family, but if he's actually full, then trying to make him eat a few extra bites is unnecessary. He may be trying to tell you that he's full, and eating more makes him uncomfortable.

#4 -- if you're worried that he will need a snack in between meals because he's not cramming enough in at each meal, please remember that a child his age NEEDS SNACKS ANYWAY. No matter how much he eats at regular mealtimes, his metabolism and his activity level (if he's a healthy and active 2.5 year old) makes it absolutely necessary for him to snack here and there. So let him eat the small meals that satisfy him at regular mealtimes, before he starts doing the grotesque holding behavior... and then a few hours later, he can have, say, 1/2 an apple or 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich. Don't let him get away with leaving the table and then 1/2 hour later, "Mom, I'm hungry," but he wouldn't eat with the family.

I'm not suggesting that you allow him to demand food at all hours of the day and night, but you have to understand the size of his stomach and the way it fills, and the speed at which he uses up this food. He may just be a human being who needs to eat 4 or 5 small meals a day rather than 3 rigidly-set meals. An adult can cope with 3 rigid mealtimes, but very few children can do this.

I hope this is helpful, and that your son and you can resolve your power struggles at the table. Basically, these kinds of power issues are resolved by taking away his reward for doing the bad behavior and offering a positive alternative instead (like good attention away from the food issues).

Peace,
Syl

My daughter did that when she was younger. She is 8 now, but still is the pickiest eater in the family and is loathe to try anything new. My 11 yr old son is willing to try anything once, and enjoys a tremendously varied menu, but he has always been more willing to try new foods.

It sounds to me like she is using one of the few ways she can to control her environment. When my daughter was full or didn't want to finish her meal (whether because she was told to eat, or rushed to finish - always has been the SLOWEST eater-, or just didn't like what was served), she would hold food in her cheek. We first noticed it with grapes. The first time I found her walking around with one, it was WARM. (ugh!) She has done it with other foods too... but not usually with anything she doesn't like to eat. In other words... it was like she was holding the things she liked in her mouth to avoid having to eat something else on her plate. She doesn't do this anymore, but we try to avoid power issues with food. And I recommend you try to do the same.
Give him a plate of a variety of food (maybe 3 things, in small portions so he is not overwhelmed) and then sit and eat as a family (or you and him both sitting for lunch if you are the only ones there). Talk about other things and ignore the food. When you finish eating, wait a few more minutes for him to continue eating while you talk about your plans for the day or whatever, then give him a warning that in a couple more minutes lunch will be over. He will have had sufficient time to eat. Then remove his plate. If he didn't eat much, you may want to offer him a HEALTHY snack in the afternoon. If it was dinner time, then he can wait until morning.

With some kids the "one more bite of__" works really well. With others it just escalates the power issue. You don't want food battles. There's another saying: "No child starves where food is served." So long as you serve a varied diet he will learn to eat a wide variety of foods without forcing him.
Best of luck.

Hi E.,

I will be following this post to see what sort of feed-back you get - you are not alone! :) My daughter has been doing this since we began offering her solid food. She legitimately had/has feeding issues that began with her first attempt with a nipple. We were in therapy for it until we were dismissed because the therapist said that my daughter just needed time and there was no sense in charging us for that if she had done all she could. So, here we are with a 4 year old who can hold food for hours upon hours and HATES to swallow. As you have learned, making them take a drink does sometimes help, as do the bribes and all that. But doesn't it just make you sick that you have to force your child to do one of the simplest and potentially enjoyable functions there is? I go crazy with it sometimes. I don't know about your little one, but we go through this at every meal and snack time. I can count the amount of times she has eaten voluntarily on one hand. From what you've provided, I would say your son has a behavioral issue and not a physical one (thank goodness!) and for that I say fight fire with fire. Let him sit there and be miserable for as long as it takes, to swallow. Get hard core and camp out on the dinning room floor, if need be. Trust me when I say you don't want this habit to linger, and whatever you have to do to eliminate it - I would. The difference in our situations is that I can't be sure my daughters' is behavioral. She really does have the physical issues, so I hate to be too hard on her, if she can't control it. If you are certain your son can - be as firm as you need to be. If you need motivation, keep in mind that the longer he holds his food, the more likely he'll choke. That has happened so many times in my house, I don't panic anymore, not even close. But it is dangerous and he has to swallow. Keep it up Mom - you'll win out

Hi E.! That is so funny...my daughter did the EXACT same thing...but she would hold it for a whole morning. Literally I would see grape skins, etc, still in her mouth hours later. You know, until I read your message, I didn't realize that she pretty much outgrew it on her own. She just turned 3, and I don't think she does that anymore. So, my advice is that it is just a phase, and as long as there are no real choking hazards, don't stress it. I wish I had better advice, and I will check back to see if you get any!

My pediatrician explained it well: a 2 year old only has 3 things they can control - eating, going to bed and potty. You control everything. Don't turn it into a power struggle, you'll just create food, sleep or constipation issues. It's your responsibility to provide healthy food. It's his job to eat it. Take the focus off and let him follow his natural body cues. Let him eat until he's full and don't have lots of snacks around that make up for not eating at meal time. Also, provide plenty of water to help swallowing. My youngest did the chipmunk thing until I stopped obsessing over what he ate. I also separated desert from meal time since I didn't like force feeding if he's full just to get desert. When he gets home from school, I'll make a milk shake or healthy desert instead. Best wishes to you - raising 2 boys is amazing.

Hi E.,

I suggest that if he is doing this because he is no longer hungry then do not force him to finish his meal. This will cause over eating and could turn into weight problems in the future. However if he has food left on his plate save it until he is hungry again and do not allow him the ice cream, pudding or treats until it is gone.
Hope that helps! God bless!

E. I did that when I was a child and now my son does it too. It's eating food we don't like or being forced to eat. It will pass as you offer more alternatives. My son holds his for hours and I did too, so I can't complain or fuss with him...my childhood has come back to haunt me..lol