DS takes SO long to eat.
VTbride05
member
Venting, but please tell me if you have suggestions.
DS is an amazing eater. He eats a well balanced diet and sometimes eats more than I do..... but it often takes him a very very long time to eat. He likes to chat, which is a good thing to do at the family table. He also chews each bite a LOT of times.
I have found that he cant watch tv, and can not have milk with any meals (milk fills him up too much). I am also cutting back on snacks. Instead of having a set snack time I am going to only give a snack if he asks for one. That seems to make him more hungry for his meals and eat a little faster.
DH and I struggle with this, b/c it's great that he talks with us at the table, great that he chews well and eating slowly is not really a bad thing. But there are times when we have stuff to do and can't spend an hour on a bowl of oatmeal.
Like I said, venting, but please share if you have ideas on this topic!
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I love these two beautiful children!
Re: DS takes SO long to eat.
I just remembered that I had this problem with DD a year ago when we started preschool (the 1st time). It may seem wrong, but I fed her in the car. She'd have milk and a cereal bar and usually something else. I had to leave the house at 7, drop her off at 7:30 to make it to work at 7:45am. All on the dot or I'd be late for work. I didn't have time for the variable of if she'd eat or how long it would take. It just wasn't a choice. I battled her enough on getting dressed until I started dressing her while she was still sleeping/just waking up. Many people are willing to get up before 6 to get ready for work. I am not
DD ate dinner in the car tonight because we needed to go feed my brother's cats, and DD was so tired I knew she needed to go to bed at 7. Sleep seemed more important than sitting down this time (esp since DH is working late).
I think it's great you have such a good eater! My kids are terribly picky. Plus, I can't get DS to WANT to stay at chat at the table. Enjoy that!
That being said, have you tried setting a timer? If you have 20 minutes for breakfast in the morning, for example, make that clear to him up front and set a timer for that long. Give warnings as you go so he can pace himself. It might take him a few days (and he might leave the table hungry a few times), but he should get the hang of the new pace. And it might be a fun game! And then maybe he can enjoy a more leisurely meal as a special treat on the weekends or days when you have more time.