How to Stop a Child Eating Too Fast
Once a meal starts, 20 minutes must elapse before the brain signals a feeling of fullness. Eating too fast can bypass this process and cause overeating. Eating too fast is a habit that can start at an early age. Short lunch periods at school, extracurricular activities, and busy family schedules contribute to the problem. Several measures can slow down meal time for children.
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Instructions
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Sit down at the table for meals. Don't eat fast meals in the car or while shopping. Establish a meal time that lasts a specified length of time for all family members, not just the children, regardless of whether they have finished eating.
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Converse while eating. Select topics children enjoy discussing. Since it is impolite to speak and chew simultaneously, the conversation will keep the meal from being fast paced.
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Implement a few rules that everyone at the table must follow. All must put down their forks while chewing. All must chew and swallow a bite completely before taking another. Everyone at the table must adhere to the rules or suffer the consequence. The consequence might be an extra chore such as scrubbing a pot or clearing the table.
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Serve foods that require some time and effort to eat. Try items that must be peeled, shelled, scooped, cracked and cut. Introduce new eating utensils such as sticks. Turn a meal into an opportunity for children to learn and expand their palates.
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Ask children to describe their food. Ask about texture, flavor and smell. Answering accurately requires taking time to analyze the food.
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Use some games that slow the pace. Try eating with the opposite hand or counting chews. Everyone at the table should participate. Reward the winner with elimination of a chore.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't use food as a reward or punishment. Food should not be associated with overly positive or negative feelings.
Don't nag children about eating too fast.
