2-year old eating problems...?

Question

My 2-year old niece has a few eating problems that I am concerned about...

First of all, she will not stop eating if she is not stopped by me or my husband or parents or anyone like that...she will eat and eat and eat.

She stuffs so much food into her mouth that she can't even chew it anymore and I have to have her spit it out.

And, she will chew up her food, and spit it out on her plate...it's not that she doesn't like the food...she usually eats it, but sometimes she spits the whole thing out...

Any advice for this?

Answer 1

Get her evaluated.  There are a lot of good occupational therapists out there, and after a referral from her pediatrician they are far better at determining if there is an oral disorder.  Sometimes kids, like my son, have a high threshold for oral sensation - that is, their mouth and it's use is under sensitive to oral stimulation (eating, chewing).  Often they will over stuff their mouth, and then gag when they try to swallow because they didn't chew and try to swallow too much.

Meanwhile, try hard crunchy foods like jicama, carrots, frozen fruit.  Give her only a little bit of food at a time.  And get her evaluated, she's 2 - she could just be testing her own body and not necessarily have an issue.  Oh yeah, if she does need OT - it does work, and it works quite well.

Answer 2

haha.....my 28 month old is doing that.

It looks terrible.

I first tell her to spit it out, or I'll take part of it out of her mouth.

I then give it back to her in smaller portions, so she eats it slowly.

You get to control 2 things...when she eats and what she eats.  She gets to control how much she eats.  

Give her about 3 or 4 different things at each meal.  That way, if she says she doesn't want something, she still has the other 2 or 3 things to choose.

If she starts spitting everything out, saying she doesn't like it, then calmly take the plate, and let her go.  She obviously isn't hungry.  Keep it around, so if she does get hungry again later, she can still eat that.

My daughter says:  "ewwwww!  thaaats Naaaasty!"  Even though she loved it the week before.  I take it away, she goes and plays, and eats it later, happily, once she is super hungry.

About filling the mouth too much, she is just trying to see what happens, and how you react.   My daughter also likes to jam her hand into her mouth until she wretches.  She actually made herself vomit in a grocery store doing that.  Try not to let her know it upsets you very much...or she will do it more.

Answer 3

Give her small portions to monitor what she eats and try to give her portions recommended for her age.If you have to cut her off during a meal dont feel bad you are doing whats in her best interest. Smaller portions will help with the overstuffing of her mouth and she may be chewing up the food and spitting it out because she has too much in her mouth and her gag reflex is kicking in.

Answer 4

If she's not overweight, and she's not CHOKING, then WHAT is the PROBLEM??

And she's your NIECE, not your problem!

She's TWO YEARS OLD!  Do you have kids of your own?  They go through phases where they do strange things that don't make sense to adults, but they ARE LEARNING.

Answer 5

At that age they are little scientist.  They want to experiment with every thing.  It will pass!  If she knows it gets you riled she will keep doing it!

Answer 6

Persistance.

Get a routine set: Breakfast at 7:30am morning tea at 10am lunch at 12pm afternoon tea at 2:30/3pm dinner at 5/6pm then nothing unless you do desert then that must be 30 mins after dinner.

Don't let her snack in between these.

Answer 7

shes 2, just let her enjoy it, but when she gets older theres a roblem, but when you sit down for meals, make sure you dont like put all this food out, just enuff for everyone and no more.

So if she asks for more.. u say, theres no more, and then like an hour later if she wants a snack be like.. well you already ate.

Answer 8

fix the food for her put only 1 scoop of what ever it may be put locks on the cabinets if swhe keeps stuffing tell her that she will go to time out or that i will start feeding u but if u give her spankings then everytime she does that wip her or threat be saying i will wip u r butt with a belt and u will not eat for a hour so i suggest u do as i say where ever u are no junk food for u to day and u will go to bed 2 hours early u don`t believe it then try me my parents have done that to me i will not be afriad to do it to u so please i daon`t want to have to do it but i will do wat ever i have to