My boy is 18 months old and he has 16 teeth. But he didn't like to chew. He always keeps his mouth full! Help?

Question

He only chews something that he love (candy). I didn't see anything wrong with his teeth. What should I do to get him chew? Thanks,

Lei Yang

Answer 1

You might try just giving him one  small bite at a time and wait until he swallows it before giving him another.  Give him child friendly foods that are easy to chew and swallow, like bananas, apple sauce, cereals like Cheerios or Kix, soft cooked veggies, scrambled eggs, etc.  Stay away from meats, breads, (it gets stuck to the roof of the mouth) peanut butter, and other sticky foods that would make it hard for him to swallow.  Don't give him the candy or other junk foods just to get him to eat. Apparently he knows how to chew! He will eat when he's hungry.

Answer 2

I'm no expect but i've seen the following technique used with younger children who seem to suck their food rather that chew it.

You get them infront of a mirror and practice biting, making it as fun as possible, pretending you are a lion or a shark, make chomping noises and make them show you there teeth with a big grin biting down hard. Remembering to keep it fun and happy. progress to handing him a potato chip and continue showing examples of BIG bites on the small chip. It gets a bit messy but they are children! A little mess never hurt anyone!

Good luck, hope this was remotely helpful!