I have a problem. My 2 year old son has completely quite eating the last few days. Hes not sick or acting abnormaly. Hes still his happy rambunctios self but he just all but quite eating. He will take a bite of food but instead of swallowing it he packes it in his cheek. He had been packing the lsat bite of his meals in his cheak for the last month or so and weve been trying to get him to stop doing that to no avail. He would eat fine but his last bite he would pack into his cheak and we would have to dig it out before bed. Now he takes and packes his first bite in his mouth and refuses to take anouther bite. If you try and force him to eat he bites his teeth together and turnes his head and throwes a fit. Its been a couple days sence hees eaten much of anything. He drinks fine and we are trying to make sure he gets plenty of milk but that only goes so far. My mother in law babysits him durring the day and she said today he ate a little pudding this morning and some potatos at noon and thats it for the day. Tonight I tried to get him to eat some hamburger( he loves it) and he just stuck it in his cheek and refuses to swallow it. He was just complaining that his summy hurt but still refuses to eat anything. I tried to explain that if he ate something his tummy would feel better but he just wont.
I can only asume hes not the first 2 year old to refuse to eat so I am hopeing some of ya have some words of insight and an idea of what to try to get him to eat. What have you done to get your kids to eat.

 

Being the father of a 2 year old myself. The best thing I can tell you is he'll eat when he's hungry.. My son will do this as well (not eating) for a day or so. Not sure on the whole food in the check thing? Is he teething at all? Maybe chewing is hurting his back teeth?

 

oh just wait till he goes thru the jelly sandwich phase...
I was buying a loaf of bread a day and a jar of grape jelly a week for a couple months...

I dunno. give him a couple days if he doesn't start eating (and the other end working fine too), talk to his doctor.

 

I am no doctor but I have heard that it is not unusual for a young child like that to go 2 or 3 days with out eating. As long as he is getting plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, he should be OK.

The one thing that would bother me is the cheeking of food. Is that a comfort thing or an underlying sign of a problem?
If it were me I would give it another day or two as long as he is hydrated and then take him to a pediatrician.

 

Get him a can or two of Skoal and then the cheeking will be normal.

Did I help?

chaikwa.

 

dont worry... we know exactly what your posts mean..

 

Agreed. My 5yo is only eating a couple of bites now and then these days. As long as he's healthy and acting normal otherwise, he'll eat when he gets hungry.

 

Ya weve never woried before if he dont eat a day or so here and there as thats not been uncomon for him but this has been several days now and he still wont eat. I dont know we will see if he dont eat tomarrow then we wil ahve to take him in and see if he has a sore throat but he isnt acting like it at all. As for the cheeking of food thats not uncomon for a child. We have freinds that said there kids did it when they were younger and they had no idea why and had a hard time breaking them of it.
Thanks for the input. Ime just starting to worry and am definatly getting sick of the cheeking of food. Ime sick of having to dig it out before bed every nite.

 

then stop digging it out.. he will either swallow it or he will droool it out all over his face...

 

Careful with this approach. There is still the chance of choking on it in his sleep. It may be soft and nasty but still not too safe.

 

Ya we leave it in while hes awake but I dont want him choking on it at nite so it comes out before bed.

 

you aint right! LOL

all my kids did the same thing. Turned 2 and it was like their stomachs quit working until they were hungry. Now I can't keep enough food in the house. Glad my oldest is gone. The Marines can feed his **** now!

 

I wonder if his problem eating is a "Control" issue? He wants something to be in control of perhaps....and HE is definately in control of what he swallows (or cheeks).


http://life.familyeducation.com/todd...ems/41736.html

I found this article in a quick search that mentions it.

..

 

http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/mo...ot-eating.aspx

and here was a possible physical problem.....enlarged tonsils.

..

 

My three year old does this ocassionaly. Sometime he wont eat for a day or two, other times hes like a garbage disposal.

Like said before, when hes hungry, he will eat.


chaikwa, you just aint right!