2 1/2 Year Old Not Biting into Food

Hi J.,

I suppose on the bright side, he's less likely to choke on anything. Is he a dunker? Anna (my daughter) was that way with some of her food until she discovered Ranch Dressing. She soon would drop her "bits" into the tasty dip and couldn't get them out (she doesn't like to get her hands messy, yes, I'm blessed at least with that respect). So I convinced her to try larger pieces for "dunkin' bits". The only thing I have to cut now are carrots and other hard foods I worry about her choking on. Just an idea about what has worked for me. He'll probably grow out of it eventually. It will be interesting to see what the other mommies have posted.

Jen P.

Dear J.,

Two year olds can be so picky, can't they? But developmentally speaking, two year olds are learning to make decisions, so many picky eater issues are simply opportunities for them to assert their independence.

Maybe he can use a plastic knife to cut soft foods into pieces for himself. When I was teaching preschool (now I am a teacher of teachers) we had even the littler toddlers cutting soft fruits and steamed veggies to make salads for snack time. To start, maybe he cuts the pears and carrot and you cut the chicken and potato. You are probably already serving the foods already cut or small (frozen peas and carrots, kernel corn, bags of precut broccoli and cauliflower).

Good luck and have fun with food!

Have you checked his bite? Some children have crossbites or other dental issues that make it difficult if not impossible to bite off foods such as meat or even a slice of pizza. Two of my children used pacifiers for too long and it impaired their bites, causing a gap between the upper and lower jaws. After I took their binkies away it only took maybe six months for the gap to close. Until that time they were not able to bite foods with their front teeth. Hope this helps.

I believe this to be perfectly normal --- see this trait in many this age -- I was one myself! picky that is -- natural to be picky/discerning

why worry chewing well is most important helps rest of digestive tract do proper work
children have innate wisdom why question / learn from them is my motto

...for what it's worth
GodMother G.
50

My son doesn't do that but if I give him a whole something he'll just bite and bite until his mouth is so full he has to spit everything out! An advantage to cutting everything up is you don't have to worry about choking as much! I'm sure it's just a phase, hang in there!

Hi J.,
Two of my kids had that same issue and I remember also disliking chewing corn off the cob or steak off a bone, chicken off a drumstick, etc. My kids are older now and they still don't like to bite things off. They want cut their pizza etc. They don't like the feeling of food between their teeth (as in biting corn off the cob) or food on their face (steak, chicken leg). I would not worry too much about it especially at 2 1/2 yrs old. My kids are 14 and 11 and they still would rather cut it off. Although now they are old enough to cut it themselves. Have fun with your darling grandson. The twos are so much fun!

Picky eating is more of a problem than you are thinking it is, I'm afraid. Being Picky from a positive note means that the child is looking for specific foods to fulfill dietary needs not readily apparent to the caregivers. Unfortunately, this is not the most common cause, which is to get attention, and the child's refusal to bite into food. Getting you (and even being able to conceive that you would) to provide labor intensive preparation so that the simple act of biting isn't required is clearly an attempt at manipulation for "special" attention, assuming you have had the child medically checked to ensure there are no pain issues involved in biting (which is different than chewing). These can lead to serious adult neuroses and malnutrition, so are vital to address now. Unfortunately, this is a case for tough love, no matter how adorable the baby is, otherwise you (and he) will really regret it later. Make reasonably proportioned sizes for the boy's hands and mouth to comfortably manipulate and make sure it is food he really likes, then offer it. If you do not give in, the natural consequence of hunger will do wonders, you won't be the "bad guy", and your wonderful grandson will learn that he doesn't have to act out to be "special" to you, he already is. Encourage him to try new foods in a similar fashion. You'll both be glad you did, after all, he doesn't know what all foods taste like, and sugar or "junk food" addictions start young, and usually in picky eaters. You need to be his guide into the wonderful world of food, not the other way around.

Hi J. - My son was the same way, for quite some time. My son is now 4 1/2 now, and has had no problem biting into his food, for at least the last year.

I wholeheartedly disagree that at the age of 2 1/2, your grandson is somehow performing a malicious, intentional manipulation of you. This assertion does not take into consideration possible underlying issues/needs of his, and seems rather misguided to me.

He may be having an issue with sensory integration. If he exhibits other symptoms, such as not wanting to touch sticky or wet foods, you may try to get him to overcome these aversions by starting with finger-painting exercises (begin with just colored foam/shaving cream inside of a plastic zip-top bag, and then progress to actual paints).

I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point. It's far more important to ensure he's getting the right nutrition. You can slowly start working with him on biting things off (maybe start with things that break off easily at first - like crackers), and then he can work his way up to more "difficult" tasks. Good luck to you & I hope that helps! :)

Be glad he eats. Sometimes large portions of food can over welm a child. Cut it in small pieces. It is just a phase.

Our son had the opposite issue in that he would bite food (if it had a strong taste, e.g., smoked salmon) but he wasn't getting it to his molars. All we could tell is that, at about 18 months, he still wouldn't eat pureed food or baby cereals, but he did like smoked salmon!?! He ate very little solid food. We took him to a feeding clinic at Cal Pacific in SF. Turns out he had some oral-motor skil deficits. We had no clue! He spoke at an early age, and we had not even considered that he had weak cheek muscles, and his tongue didn't seem to be naturally programmed to move food to his molars. The kids in the group had a variety of issues with eating and the staff came from multiple disciplines, so they could figure out what was going on, whether it was weakness in a specific muscle group or an issue with certain textures (which you mention is not a problem) or something behavioral or something else entirely. I have to admit that I really disliked going to the group because it didn't seem like they were accomplishing anything. Then, after a couple of months, I realized that my son was eating much better. If you go the developmental clinic route (and our son had/has no other developmental issues of which we're aware and is eating like a "normal" 4.5 year-old), just be aware that it might seem kind of silly or useless at first, but, at least for us, it was helping in subtle ways that made a huge difference. Perhaps he has some difficulty using his front teeth or maybe he doesn't like change (like when my son nearly flipped about going from a bottle to a straw cup -- feeding clinic said no sippy cups because they don't use new oral-motor skills, plus I tried to use one and those valves are fierce!). Anyway, I would suggest talking to your son's pediatrician about getting a referal to a group like the one we described if nothing else works. Our insurance covered it.

He maight have sensory issues... you need to refer him to your local regional center or ask his pediatrician for a referal to be checked, by the regional, he can also give you the phone number and then you can refer him, they will come to your house and look it over, and if he qualifies for services, then they will be free!!!! Love,G.. :0)

I am a 49 year old female, with two of my own children who are 18 and 25. My brother actually would not eat his food unless it was cut into bite sized pieces and they could not touch each other as well. He has grown into a wonderful, healthy man with two children of his own. He did eventually outgrow this. I believe he outgrew it at an early age of 4 or 5. Once he was in school and had no one to cut his food, he was forced to either do it his self or he managed. I wouldn't worry too much. And to add to this, texture did matter with him and he would not swallow meat; he would chew it but spit it out! But as I said he soon outgrew this and has no issues with food. Hope this relieves your worries. Enjoy the age.

Hi J.

Im' also a grandparent with 2 grandkids. Our grandson is 9 and our graddaughter is 4 and I notice they had different quirks when they were younger. As long as he's eating I wouldn't worry about it.

gramma Anna

J. - We went through the same thing with our son when he was little. It turns out that his teeth weren't alligning properly so that biting things off was uncomfortable. He had a disproportion between his upper jaw and his lower jaw. Have your little guy evaluated by a pediatric dentist. P. C.

I tried to google and ask.com your situation and couldnt locate anything, however I would write to parents magazine and while waiting for an answer and I would call a local pediatric dentist it may be painful due to teeth problems.
let me know.
Good luck and God Bless
____@____.com

Call Alta California Regional to get an assessment. It could be something that Occupational Therapy could solve (it helps with textures and bodily responses to stimuli) or it could be something more serious like autisum. Or nothing at all. But they give a free assessment and it will put your mind at ease.

www.altaregional.org

Good luck!