I can't figure it out, it has gotten too the point where now I will try to feed him and he will chew his food but he will not swallow. What should I do?

i can't figure it out, it has gotten too the point ...

Maybe you could elaborate a little on when this started and how often it happens?

Kids are strange creatures! Lol

Kids go through phases in eating! Sometimes you can't stop them and sometimes you can't make them. They will eat when they are hungery, so I wouldn't really worry about that too much.

BUT
I would take him to the doctor if he isn't eating by tomorrow to make sure there isn't anything medically wrong.

Good Luck and God Loves You!

How long has it been? Is he drinking water? Does he have any other symptoms?

We do need more details.

You also can't make a big deal out of it. If he thinks he's getting a lot of attention out of the deal he might just be trying to drive you crazy.

Tell us how long it's been though, like hours... days?

Well its been about three weeks, yes he's drinking water and liquids. He kind of had a scare when a small piece of a hotdog made him choke, but now he won't swallow. How can I help him and myself? Should I worry or is this just a phase?

He hasn't eaten ANYTHING in 3 weeks?? I really hope that's not what you meant.

The choking incident probably scared him a lot. My daughter almost choked on and orange slice once and now she will not touch an orange. Try to figure out what he WILL eat. Try fixing him mashed potatoes or even baby food... that way he knows it will easily go down. Hopefully, he will forget about it sooner or later.

But if he really hasn't eaten anything in 3 weeks, you need to get him to the doctor! That is NOT healthy!

Well he will eat toast crackers so long as he dips it in liquid to make it mushy but to me that's not enough, I know kids are funny like that but when do you figure out when enough is enough I thought he would never eat hotdogs again but now toast and crackers is basically all he eats and even still he eats it very slow and with caution

Find out what else he will eat. Crackers are definitely not enough, and not very nutritious. Take him to the grocery store with you tomorrow. Let him pick out stuff he would like to eat (of course not just cookies and candy). I know as a parent you don't want to cave in with your kids but at this point you don't really have any other choice. He is traumitized by the hot dog incident and just needs a little time so he can forget how frightening that incident was... but until then you need to keep him healthy. Since he likescrackers maybe he will eat a Lunchable or something.

Hope I could help!

i can't figure it out, it has gotten too the point where now i will try to feed him and he will chew his food but he will not swallow. whta should i do?
Hi. I have a 2 year old and this has happened to me. Being 5 years have you asked if anything is happening at school? If you are unsure you can ask their teacher to keep an eye out a lot of children don't eat if they are getting bullied or teased at school. You could try and make their food fun. Cutting food into shapes. Use food colouring to colour spaghetti etc. You could also try. Have you ckecked his teeth?

i can't figure it out, it has gotten too the point where now i will try to feed him and he will chew his food but he will not swallow. whta should i do?
... Is he refusing to eat all food, even his one time favorite's? This can potential lead to real problems, my Goddaughter went through this, and had to be sent to a specialist. I think if it continues for sa few more days, tell him, he will need to see a Doctor, that might make him start again. If not

Poor little thing! Yes, I agree with Luv anything at this point with any sort of nutritional value. I wouldn't say it has to be spectacular that can come with his confidence in eating again. Try some chewable vitamins in the meantime. Maybe things like just peanut butter and jelly sandwich, spaghetti, maybe Chef Boy Ardee pastas, mac & cheese, applesauce, scrambled eggs. Those should all be pretty soft. I know those aren't the most nutritious but they can help him to get eating again and that's the point right now. And they aren't the worst either. But those would give him more than crackers at least. (A little meat, pasta, cheese, protein) He can get his veggies in fruit juices if he refuses those. V8 Fusion makes a very yummy fruit & vegetable juice kids really like. I hope that might give you some ideas anyway.

Get him some pedi-sure to drink... also the yogurt drinks... also you could make him fruit smoothies in a blender with bran flakes wheat germ... etc... also I would not make a big deal out of it... I would not discuss it in front of him or with him... and see what happens. My son has a kidney disease.. and got malnourished as a result of all the meds,, giving him stomach ulcers... you would be surprised at how long the little things can go with out eating. Or barely eating... good luck

If he won't eat at all, I would take him to the doctor.

I am in the same predicament. My daughter( 6) saw her friend choke and is now closing her throat when eating. I am making her drink things and that does work so far. I was told yesterday to blend up the protein and make that her drink. And still put the real food in front of her until she gets her confidance back. If she doesn't eat it, just throw it awa, but say you have eto finish your drink. The feeling is that, eventually she shoud start again, but who knows. It scares me. But you are a nicer mom than I ( 3 weeks), it has been 4 days and I have no patience for this!:(

I would definitely invest in the nutritional drinks right now. Or make him the smoothies.
Don't stop offering him food. Fix him a plate at each meal. If he eats, great - if not, well...
I would still call the doctor. It has been to long. This would be driving me crazy! But, at least you know what this is steming from, which a lot of times that is half the battle.
Good Luck and keep us posted.

I have been forcing my daughter to drink pedia care and drink juice. I tried the crackers you were having luck with but as soon as it gets going down she gags...

Have you done the nutriional drinks.. what does your pediatrician say.. mine was saying to ignore it for a few days... but I am having a hard time watching her tiny little frame wither away..

Tonight she asked for a popsicle , which was the FIRST thing she has asked for... and she ate it.. so I will take that as progress... is your son drinking?

Please let me know if you find a solution!
Katie

I agree with the posts here. I would keep using ensure or the like for nutrition and keep making meals for the family. I wouldn't make a big deal over it just offer and ignore. What has started as a scare can become a control issue if they see you making a big deal over it. Make some yummy deserts and just offer to everyone and see if they might take a chance on it. THe protein drinks are a great idea, easy way not to push but still getting some nutrition.

You should try the V8 Fusions. They have a variety of flavors. The kids have no idea that veggies are in them. So they are getting fruits and veggies. You could do peanut butter for protein. That is soft.
There is pediasure that has a lot of the nutrients - yogurt drinks for the calcium.
Have you tried soups that have the characters in them? Like Dora or Batman etc. I think it is chicken noodle.

My 6 year old will eat anything - so I would totally freak out if she stopped eating.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

That last post had great new suggestions! My daughter loves peanut butter, so YES I will let her lick a spoonful... I have been so nervous it is often hard to see the obvious solutions. And I will buy that V8 today! I have been putting regular food down too, as I agree to try and not make it a huge control thing... I feel much better about this since reading these posts and seeing even a little bit of progress... she finally said," mom what can I eat, I am really hungry"... and she had a yogurt and icepop, it's a start.
Thank you!

Why don't you just sit him down and have a talk with them. I have a5 year old a whenever I have a prob with her I can usually talk to her. Maybe lead by example, eat som e of the food and show them that it won't hurt you, so it won't hurt them.

Actually, that has been how our progress is occurring. I have been discussing things with my daughter and she has slowly eating more things. Validating her fear but then explaining the importance of being healthy, which seems to mean a lot to her! We have a deal right now, that I will let her eat the mushy foods until she is comfortable again, but with each meal she has to take at least one bite of something "normal"... so far that is working because the "normal" thing goes down successfully( which it has every time) she smiles and says that was easy...
The fear of discussing it too much is the control issue, so at this point the deal has been made and I am acting very casual about it, just doing it with little discussion.
I will tell you my biggest mustake was making a huge deal about it at the beginning... I now am suffering the consequence of that initial reaction...
But today she had a yogurt for lunch, a big spoonful of peanut butter and large glass of V8 fusion!! Her "normal" food was two goldfish and she didn't even mention she was nervous just chewed and chewed but then swallowed them! We are making great progress I feel and I cannot thank these posts enough. You all have been so helpful, thank you!! And that V8Fusion I bragged about at a party last night and will be a constant in our house for now on!:)

There are lots of mushy foods, like mashed potatoes, puddings, applesauce. Or buy one of those babyfood grinders or strainers and mush up his other foods if you have to--but only if you have to, since you don't want him to get so dependent on that kind of thing. Having him help you print a grocery list and then taking him shopping with you to find foods especially for him sounds like a great idea! Cooking and baking with his help (snapping fresh green beans, shucking corn on the cob, helping you make casseroles) will go a long way too.

Thank you! And yes, I took her yesterday and she picked out jello... great!

... And this is terrible, but my son had mcdonalds last night , while she ate her foods, and as "mean" as it could seem... not getting a happy meal or the TOY didn't hurt our goal... ;)
She said, " Mom I am pretty sure I am feeling better and better about swallowing..."

I said great... that was it... as she salivated watching my son eat his FF's...

Didn't want any as my son offered but she said maybe next time we go to Mcdonalds... ;)

What self control it took to turn down McDonald's! But, if she wasn't fazed by it - then I wouldn't be either.
If she is eating things that are good for her - regardless of the texture - that is good. Just keep up the good work - she will get back to the swing of things.

Those V8's are good. My daughter likes the strawberry/banana and was shocked to find out that there is veggies in them (darn commercials!) but, she still drinks them.

There are lots of mushy foods, like mashed potatoes, puddings, applesauce. Or buy one of those babyfood grinders or strainers and mush up his other foods if you have to--but only if you have to, since you don't want him to get so dependent on that kind of thing. Having him help you print a grocery list and then taking him shopping with you to find foods especially for him sounds like a great idea! Cooking and baking with his help (snapping fresh green beans, shucking corn on the cob, helping you make casseroles) will go a long way too.
To add to this great idea , maybe in a week or so start to leave the food a little bit chunkier each time :)

I gave her scrambled eggs this morning and she started tearing up... but she never eats in the morning, and I felt she was playing me a bit.. so I said take a few bites and drink your juice and she did and I didn't push it... she ate her vitamin and drank the drink.. but I will definitely do that with the foods... make them chunkier each time... thank you!!

I can't imagine that this will last forever. Just contiune to be patient with her. If she is getting her nutrients - what good does it do to push? She will come around when she is ready.
And she could very well be playing you - but as long as you can still get her to take a bite here and there of "regular" food and it is contiuned to be offered - she'll get the hint.

My 6 year old just told me she wants to be a vegitarian (sp?) because she doesn't like the idea of animals being killed. I am not sure if she is serious but - if she doesn't want to eat meat - I won't force it. I'll just have to figure out alternatives. But, I can tell you that we (me and Dad) will continue to eat our normal stuff. :)

I'm sure this has already been said, but you'll have to take it slowly. It is probably just a stage that your baby is going through. Just try introducing new foods slowly, and if you don't think they are getting the proper nutrients, try buying pediasure from the grocery store. It has the proper nutrients for children who don't eat well, and it also tastes sweet, so if your child is picky it will probably be some very easy to introduce.

I wouldn't worry about it. This is pretty normal for the age group as their growth rate begins to slow significantly compared to the first year, requiring less calories. Trust your doctor on this, as he will eat when hungry.

I'm no expert, so I could be giving the wrong advice.

I had to let you all know.. patience paid off.. today we were with a bunch of kids and my daughter FORGOT about her fear and started eating chips and hard cookies... after many bites she all of the sudden panicked when she realized, " oh my goodness I am eating.." and looked to me... I said NOTHING and went along like nothing was abnormal and she continued eating... HURRAY!! She then had macaroni and cheese for dinner and said mom I am getting more comfortable... I just want to say thank you thank you again.. because when I first wrote here I was really scared and all of your tips made ALL the difference!!

Hey, we are her cyber aunts and uncle, after all!

(Maybe you'll be advising us one of these days... )

It is very common for damage to be done to the throat when someone has a near choking incident and it can be extremely painful. Take the child to the doctor, explain all that has been going on. Also, just ask the child.

I do not think it's a good idea to start bribing him to eat. If it's not pain, then it may be a fear of choking, or he could be refusing food due to an emotional situation such as teasing or some other type of abuse. Do not get angry at him - you need to stay unemotional around him about it and take him to a doctor, and if they can't help, a child psychologist, to get to the root of the issue.

In the meantime, perhaps give him things that would not irritate his throat. Like if he will drink, give him soup. Another option is meal replacement shakes (ask a pharmacist to recommend the best option - diet shakes for adults are not what I mean - they have shakes for people who have difficulty eating). This will help you nourish him adequately while you figure it out.