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son takes 2 hours to eat any meal

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leapixley On October 28, 2011




Cordes Lakes, Arizona
#1New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 20:55:32
Ok people i need help, my son is 4 years old and no matter what we feed him it takes him over an hour to 2 hours to eat. Any advice to speed up his eating????
davii On January 14, 2013
I'm Awesome


Deleted



London, United Kingdom
#2New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 20:57:15
You're probably better off asking someone who's qualified to answer...

...this lot can barely feed themselves without need of a bib!
someone_else On August 30, 2012
Not a dude.


Deleted



American Alps, Washington
#3New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 20:59:57
If he's not eating, he's not hungry so feed him less food but feed him more often. A child's stomach is roughly the same size as his own fist. A good guideline to how much to feed them is 1 tablespoon of food per year of age. If you're expecting him to eat more than that...it's no wonder he takes so long.
leapixley On October 28, 2011




Cordes Lakes, Arizona
#4New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:02:48
A peice of bread folded in half takes him about 45 min to an hour.
Sparklegirl On December 13, 2019
LL.M





Cumbria, United Kingdom
#5New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:03:11
i was the same. in all fairness i still am a very slow eater but if it helps, its not really a bad thing. its a bit of an inconvenience yes hugely but the best thing for me at that age was to give me a couple of small meals rather than a large one with most of it 'easy' to eat, less chewing involve like mashed potatoes etc
leapixley On October 28, 2011




Cordes Lakes, Arizona
#6New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:10:00
No matter what he eats it takes him forever, ive tryed letting him just snack through out the day but then hes to full for dinner and thats the family time. i dont know what to do he starts school next year and i know he wont get to snack all day there.
Rehabilitation_Please On May 20, 2016
Has Tiger Blood





Peterborough, United Kingdom
#7New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:16:26
Smaller portions?
jonnythan On August 02, 2014
Bringer of rad mirth


Deleted



Here and there,
#8New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:19:21
Don't let him take so long. Give him access to food for 30 minutes and whatever he's not done with goes away.
treebee On April 13, 2015
Government Hooker

Moderator




London, United Kingdom
#9New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:23:51
I am not qualified to give advice.

However if this was my child I would try giving the child only water and taking him/her out to the park to run around or swimming and then sitting down to have lunch for 30 mins.

Then more activity, only water, no snacks, until dinner time and the same, sit down for 30 mins.

You can get the child involved in making food which often creates interest. You can explain to the child that the food will go bad after 30 mins.

Otherwise take the child to a paediatrician to make sure he/she is gaining weight and developing well.
Silly_Me On April 22, 2020




In a cave, United Kingdom
#10New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:24:34
First thing I would suggest is to make sure there is no physical reason why he takes to long, might sound silly, but maybe pop him along to your doctor to be sure and also speak to your health visitor, they would be better to advise and refer if needs be. After that I would get a timer and maybe allow say 3o mins to eat a smallish amount of food, I wouldn't overwhelm him with a large portion and when the time is up, clear away the dishes.

Do you sit and eat with your son? I'm asking because if not, maybe doing so would help him with his pacing
treebee On April 13, 2015
Government Hooker

Moderator




London, United Kingdom
#11New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:24:40
I forgot to say - this is common among children who have soda or milk based drinks. Hence only giving water from herein out.
someone_else On August 30, 2012
Not a dude.


Deleted



American Alps, Washington
#12New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:25:52
@jonnythan Said

Don't let him take so long. Give him access to food for 30 minutes and whatever he's not done with goes away.



This is a good idea. Sounds like something out of "Parenting with Love and Logic", which teaches you how to help your children learn things by allowing them to deal with the consequences of their actions.

In this case, it would be teaching him that there is a time for eating and if he wants to eat, he'll get it done in that 30 minute window. The alternative is to go hungry. It's not a punishment because he had the opportunity to eat, but didn't take it. Eventually, he will learn that if you don't eat 'dinner' at 'dinner time', you will be hungry by the time you go to bed. Or something along those lines.
Lili On July 12, 2019
....................





Sunshine Land,
#13New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:28:33
@jonnythan Said

Don't let him take so long. Give him access to food for 30 minutes and whatever he's not done with goes away.


This is exactly what I was going to say.

He takes that long because he *can*. No, you won't be a terrible parent who's starving her child. You acknowledged yourself that this behavior will cause him problems outside of your home. A parent's responsibility is to teach their children how to succeed in the real world. He will learn to eat faster, and he will not starve. He may eat less initially, but will figure out soon enough that he needs to eat when it's time to eat.
Lili On July 12, 2019
....................





Sunshine Land,
#14New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 21:31:04
I did something similar when my oldest was a baby still in her high chair. If she started dropping food off the side into the floor, I took her food away. It was very effective, and I didn't have much of a problem with it after that.
Eaglebauer On July 23, 2019
Moderator
Deleted



Saint Louis, Missouri
#15New Post! Oct 28, 2011 @ 22:03:51
This first

@Silly_Me Said

First thing I would suggest is to make sure there is no physical reason why he takes to long


Then this

@jonnythan Said

Don't let him take so long. Give him access to food for 30 minutes and whatever he's not done with goes away.


Also, someone a while back posted with a similar concern and treebee actually made a really good suggestion of involving your kid in the preparation of the food...let him/her help you make the sandwich or hot dog or mac n cheese or whatever. It gets the kid a little more excited about eating the result. It's worked with my kids.
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