He takes AGES to eat

Jeska

my son is the same, he is thriving on the attention he is getting for not eating.
i set a time limit and if he hasn't finished by then he can go to bed hungry, he loves his food so going hungry is a scary thought. 90% of the time it isn't too much of an issue as long as i am consistant

texasaudrey

the reality is everyone eats at a different pace. i went thru this with my daughter - it was more pronounced when she was a toddler and still getting coordinated. i would fix a plate for her first as soon as the food was cooked. i would call her to the table first. then i would dish out the other kids plates and call them. i would give her a count to ten - i just kept an eye on her as she ate. when she took a bite, she had to the count of ten to take the next bite. i counted slowly and as long as she was still chewing i would sometimes make the count take a little longer. but it helped her keep focused a little - afterall everything's a toy to an imaginative child. i would do everything needed in the kitchen then sit down and eat myself. the kids (4 other kids) and i always finished first. then i would let the other kids go off and play. i would do the dishes and tidy the kitchen before 'closing the kitchen' and turning off the light. if she was still eating i would sit with her until done - this rarely happened. she eventually improved and i stopped doing the countdown... but she still finishes last and i think she always will. it's tricky trying to make sure you don't give your kids a complex about food or meal time - especially girls. we tried all the usual things as discipline goes - but this isn't a discipline issue so none of that worked - it only created tension. another thing to consider - is there any medical or physical reason for the slow eating? it's rare but it does happen - a good friend of mine went thru this. when i started the countdown thing and pacing her and pacing mealtime - she was relieved and so was i. the tension around meal time disappeared and meals became great family time rather than a battle. she always was well mannered and i rarely had to say more than count outloud as she was usually chewing just fine - she just liked her food well chewed lol and i controlled when she drank anything as well - i found a full cup in front of her (and the others!) at the beginning of a meal would disappear quickly and then finishing food became 'difficult' so drinks were mainly for after meal time until the were older. another thing i did was every time she finished a meal withput any dramas - she would get a star on the calender. this then became if she finished all meals in a day without dramas the star would go on the calender. and after so many stars she received a treat - number of required stars changed over time and all evetually faded away as she would forget to ask for her star. i've had other bahaviours here and there pop up and the stars always worked for us. i strongly suggest NOT using cheese sauce etc to make food 'taste better' - unless of couse its part of the normal recipe served occasionally. this only introduces bad habits you'll regret later. good luck!

can88

Hi, I understand how frustrating this behaviour can be. I would still suggest you let your son finish his food in his way and in his own time. There are enough people who have eating difficulties, either over eating or anorexic behaviours, and to suggest to a 6 year old he needs to hurry his food could be problematic. You do not want your son believing he needs to eat quickly as this may have the unintentional outcomes for him.It takes some time for the human body to register fullness. When we eat quickly our bodies still register hunger even if we have eaten enough. You also do not want your son to feel eating under the pressure of a time limit my push him to see food as something difficult and stop eating all together. Food is to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. I am sorry to hear your feel stress over this but I urge you to let your son find his own eating rhythm. He will over time conform to the family norm if left to do this in a non judgemental environment. I wish you all the patients you may need to see your little boy through this.

Qsita

That's what has been working lately! As I said to Jen, I set the kitchen's timer and if the alarm goes off I take the meal away and he can't have anything until the next meal, although sometimes it's exactly what he wants, to have the meal retire. I also send him to bed early. I have had to do that only once, the time setting has worked better than waiting with him for hours.
Thank you for your advice!!

Captured

As frustrating as it is, sometimes you have to be strict. Your son will not starve to death, if he doesn't eat his food within a set period of time, take the meal away from him and don't let him eat until the next meal.
Our 8yr old daughter is going through a similar stage as your son- she's seeing how far she can push us and what she can get away with. Even with her favourite meal, she will often say that she doesn't like it and will refuse to eat or play with her food, pushing it around her plate for an hour or two. At first we tried to do things her way- just sitting with her until every last mouthful of food had been eaten but this would occasionally take 2-3 hours. Now our children are given 15-20mins to eat if they want dessert afterwards, or up to 30mins to finish a meal of they don't get dessert afterwards. This has been working quite well so far and may be an option you'd like to consider trying. if the meal isn't finished within the time you set, take the meal away.

Your son will quickly realise that his meals must be eaten and that his nonsense won't be tolerated.

Good luck.

jen2973

hi qsita, i have a 5 yr old boy who is the same like your boy, as he has just started eating what we are eating as well as hes going to kindy next year and i have told him that he needs to start eating like a big boy now as he needs all the energy to grow and get stronger for school, as matthew has meat potatoe peas and corn but i make it easier for him to eat the meat with by including cheese cut up into little squares and place the meat on top of the just like pizzas and he eats them that way also try sprinkling some grated cheess on top of his veges it may help him eat them quicker, ive also had races with my son when were eating dinner to see who wins first and i also have made a winner badge for him who eats their dinner first gets to wear it till the next meal time maybe try that thats fun, ino its hard and frustrating just have a break when you need too while hes eating and go back when your reading letting him no that your upset with him but you can just keep prasing him for every piece that he eats then maybe he will get quicker as with my matthew cheers jen :)

Qsita

hi qsita, i have a 5 yr old boy who is the same like your boy, as he has just started eating what we are eating as well as hes going to kindy next year and i have told him that he needs to start...

Thank Jen for your answer. I did that when my son was younger but he likes veggies more than helikes cheese LOL He's now in year 1 so what I did was (by suggestion of a friend) put the kitchen's timer in front of him during his meals. I give him 15 or 30 mins and that's the real game for him, he has to beat the clock! Have been doing this for a few days and has worked, maybe it works for you, too =) Cheers! Cat