Help! My 4 year old won't chew

Laynee

New Member
Hi Mummies,

I'm kinda desperate for new ideas & suggestions.

My 4 year old boy does not chew his food. All he does is use his tongue to press on the food then swallow. He'll swallow 1st then mimik the chewing motion.

We've tried scolding, massaging his jaw, chewing to show him, making his food more coarse but nothing seems to work. If he tries to swallow coarser food, he'll vomit.. sigh..

His diet now consists mostly of semi-solid food eg. porridge, mee suah w soup, yogurt, 'toh hua', jelly.

Can anyone help?
 

annie03

Member
Hi Laynee,

Hmmm, since he's 4 years old now. Did you only face this chewing prob recently or all along he's like this? Maybe you can bring him to the pd for a chk and see what the pd suggest or advise after checking. Maybe he can help to improve ur boy's current situation. Or could he have any prob with his gums or teeth? Is he facing any pain or swell tats y ur boy dun wanna chew? And is his character impatient kind? Cos some kids tend to gobble & swallow their food without chewing when they are super hungry cos they just wanna fill up their stomach faster. And if they are not super hungry, they will tend to eat more slowly than when they are at the super hungry stage.

Cos my girl is also not chewing too when she eats. She swallows more than she chew when she's more hungry than usual, and she will only chew when she is abit hungry and her pattern is also cannot wait one.

And in the meantime while you are seeking for more help, maybe you can try to make his food into smaller pieces for him to consume as improper chewing of food can cause indigestion n its not good for his system.

Hi Mummies,

I'm kinda desperate for new ideas & suggestions.

My 4 year old boy does not chew his food. All he does is use his tongue to press on the food then swallow. He'll swallow 1st then mimik the chewing motion.

We've tried scolding, massaging his jaw, chewing to show him, making his food more coarse but nothing seems to work. If he tries to swallow coarser food, he'll vomit.. sigh..

His diet now consists mostly of semi-solid food eg. porridge, mee suah w soup, yogurt, 'toh hua', jelly.

Can anyone help?
 
Last edited:

jasobias

Well-Known Member
Cld be something u probably have to live with.My eldest son was like tht.Never chewed.Just swallowed stuff so the food tht we had to give him was "softer". But my time they r in P1 it shld sort itself out as they r surrounded by frens during recess who eat more "solid"food.Just hang in there.
 

Laynee

New Member
Unfortunately, it's hard to just sit & wait for this problem to sort itself out :07: (Not to mention stressful!)

My boy is already 4. He is not able to eat anything provided at Kindy so we have to pack his snacks & lunch everyday. His semi-soft diet is also very limited & he is usually unable to eat out with the family.

Chewing should be a normal reflex. Just dunno why he's not doing it :(
We've already taken him to an ENT. No problem physically.
 

Ting

Well-Known Member
how long has he been like this?
since he started on semi solids (meaning abt 6 mths old) or just recently?
from the moment he started on semi solids to solids, has it always been soft food that is easy to swallow w.o chewing?
if tts the case, it means from young he alr cultivated a lazy behavior for not chewing.


imo, i think if u continue to give him such soft foods, his bad habit will NOT change. he will continue to just swallow instead of chewing..
like this, u r actually encouraging him to swallow n not chew..


i would think it might be better for him to eat kindy food, so that if he eats the same food with his peers, he might be encouraged to eat properly.
secondly, IF i m in such a situation, i will do it the HARD way n also the reward way.
hard way being, if he doesnt chew, i dun give him food. if he is hungry, i will only offer the kind of food that requires chewing.. whether he wants to eat or not, up to him.
but do provide him a glass of water/juice when he is eating, tell him by drinking water, it aids the food to be swallowed though he HAS to chew.
reward way is to give him his fav snack/sweets/toys if he does a good job in finishing his meal (which require chewing).
if u dun encourage giving sweet, can be fruits/snacks/toys tt he likes.

also, maybe u wanna bring him to a dentist to check on his teeth n gum, might be bcos it hurts when he chews thus he refuse.
but imo, if there is nth wrong after consulting doctors, only one reason which is he is just lazy to chew.
 

Laynee

New Member
I remember him eating things like baby biscuits & 'bao' when he was younger. Somehow along the way, he just chose not to chew anymore & we didn't catch it until about a year ago :(

He brushes his teeth everyday so I don't think there's a problem with his mouth/teeth. Already checked with ENT, no problem with throat & ear either.

I have considered the 'hard' approach but being his mum, it's just difficult for me to put him through that. I'm hoping that there are other ways.
 

Ottermum

Member
try giving him cereals like KoKokrunch/Frosties? without milk so that he has no choice but to chew?

my boy also swallows his porridge but when i give him Healthy Times Teddy Puffs he has no choice but to chew them as they are crunchier than other baby biscuits...

but don't give your boy Teddy Puffs cos he's already 4 years old...might find the puffs tasteless...it's really yucky actually...it's organic cereal...
 

Laynee

New Member
Thanks for the suggestion Ottermum.

I have tried giving 'baby' biscuits but my boy just spits them out! He doesn't like or eat biscuits, cake, sweets, chips etc.

If I get firm with him & insists that he chews & swallow anything coarse, he'll gag & vomit :(
 

AugBoyz

Member
4 yrs old n still eating semi solid?
i agree with tinggie.
and wat has brushing teeth gotta do with linking it with problem with mouth n teeth?

From wat u say, tt u did not realize tt he's not chewing since a yr ago, perhaps initially when he refuse to chew, all of u stil think he's a baby, unable to chew thus gave him softer food. Then no one monitor him n offer him variety of "hard" food such as rice or bee hoon. Thats why he has already got used to soft food tt does not need much chewing.

I will do wat tinggie suggest too. Offer food tt requires chewing, perhaps give him rice with soup as a start then move on the jus rice without soup on it. Or start off with mee gia or kway teow tt requires some chewing, or fish cakes, etc. then move on to tougher food. use the "eat or it will be taken away" or "finish in 15-30mins time or it will be taken away" rule. Its tough but u have to persist. Getting soft hearted will land u with a big boy who only eats porridge or soft food, and whole lot of trouble when u have to specially prepare his food separately. Not to mention you cannot even enjoy a family dinner outside in a nice restaurant etc.
 

Laynee

New Member
Yes, Augboyz.. some of us don't have 'perfect' kids :p

Anyway, thanks for your input but hubby & I have decided that we will not [/I][/I]subject our son to the 'hard approach' in trying to force him to chew. There are other ways & we will certainly try those 1st.

Thanks to the other mummies for your input & suggestions. Please continue this thread if u have new ideas to share. They are much appreciated :notworthy:
 

jyotshna

New Member
Hi Laynee,

I have exactly the same issue with my 4.5yr old daughter..Tried everything 'hard approach' n 'rewards approach'...nothing is working..
Just eager to know what is your boy doing now? Has he started chewing?

Thanks

Yes, Augboyz.. some of us dont't have 'perfect' kids :p

Anyway, thanks for your input but hubby & I have decided that we [you]will not[/you] [/I][/I]subject our son to the 'hard approach' in trying to force him to chew. There are other ways & we will certainly try those 1st.

Thanks to the other mummies for your input & suggestions. Please continue this thread if you have new ideas to share. They are much appreciated :notworthy:
 

quincy1986

Active Member
yes i agree you can consult your doctor on this.
i think doctor will advise you to give him some tidbits that trains chewing.
so note that by trying to force your baby to eat lumpy food, or displaying anxiety when he refuses
you can make mealtimes traumatic for your child and greatly increase the problem.
 
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