How do you get a child to eat with their mouth closed? my 7 year old son is told about 10 times each meal.?

Question

How do you get a child to eat with their mouth closed? my 7 year old son is told about 10 times each meal.?

Answer 1

you shoul model apporprate table manners...sit right across from them....tell him this important for saftey from choking.

praise him when he does it the right way.

Answer 2

Maybe he has a breathing problem.I did that until I was 9 because I couldn't breath though my nose and had to get my tonsils and adenoids removed so I could  breath through my nose.Now I can breath through my nose.You have to breath when you chew.

Answer 3

I agree that the most important thing is to make sure he can breathe.  My brother has never been able to chew with his mouth closed or breathe through his nose and he is 21.  He never closes his mouth because he can't breathe. Sometimes its anatomy not manners causing the problem.  The worst thing you can do is punish a child for something they can't control.  you wouldn't punish a deaf person for not hearing what you said would you?  if breathing is not the problem, the he needs to understand that there are rules and they must be followed.  discipline may be nessecary, but i agree that sending a child to bed without dinner is unacceptable punishment.  the child will have trouble sleeping because of the hunger, then the next morning you have a cranky, sleep deprived child to deal with.

Answer 4

Let your child know that at the dinner table, only children that eat with their mouth closed are able to eat with us.  

If he still does not keep his mouth closed (which surely the first time, he won't), he will have to wait until everyone else has finished their meal and left the table to continue eating.  Now wouldn't that be unfortunate, he'd have to miss his television or play time after dinner to eat his own dinner.

Then the next even, remind him at the start of the meal again, "Only children that eat with their mouth's closed can eat with the rest of the family."

How many nights of missing play time and eating alone do you think it would take before your child starts eating with his mouth closed?

And remember, tell him ONCE, no warnings! Will this cause a fit, sure, but hopefully after the first or second time, he will get it.

Good luck!

Answer 5

It should have been an ongoing manners lesson since he started feeding himself. Now you'll just have to keep repeating yourself til it sinks in.

Answer 6

ask first if he can breath through his nose. It is possible he can't and needs to learn that first

Answer 7

The question is, can he breathe through his nose yet?  Most children are "mouth breathers" until they start getting closer to puberty.  If he is eating and can't breathe through his nose how is he supposed to breath with his mouth closed?  Insted of btching at your child during each meal ASK him if he can breathe throug his nose...or if his nose is "stuffy" if he says he has trobule then he needs to see a doctor.

Answer 8

If it is a matter of he just chooses not to listen, which is what it sounds like, then you need to quit talking.  The first time he eats with his mouth open say "Please keep your mouth closed while you are chewing." Say it politely, but firmly, and make him respond so he can't claim he didn't hear you.  The second time, say "Do NOT chew with your mouth open.  The next time I have to speak to your about this, you will leave the table."  Say this firmly, but don't raise your voice.  The next time he does this, send him away from the table, to his room for the rest of the evening.  His behavior either stems from an attention seeking motivation, which needs to be discouraged, or it is just selfishness on his part.  Either way, he needs to understand that he has to be respectful of the people around him.  I know I'll get thumbs down for this, but a few nights of not eating all of his supper, and spending the evening alone will cure him of his rudeness.

Answer 9

Can he breathe though his nose? If not take him to a doctor.

EDIT: I really like Heather's idea.

NEVER EVER SEND A CHILD TO SLEEP HUNGRY!

Answer 10

You just have to keep enforcing the issue.  The more you tell him the more he will get tired of hearing it, and eventually will quit.  Or at least we hope how it will happen.  This is what I did with my daughter who is 6, it worked well with her, but she still does it occasionally....but not daily.

Answer 11

tell him you are going to start a new rule at the table, that everyone (and that means mom and dad too) will use better manners.  And tell him what that menas

no eating with your mouth open

no talking with food in your mouth

using proper utensils

keeping finger off of non-finger foods and using please and thank you

that can then be translated into other places once we catches on