Anyone else have a human juicer?

[rattling]

Don't really know how else to describe it. DS (nearly 2) seems to be averse to the normal bite then chew system. Instead he grabs enormous chunks of food and continually tries to force it into his mouth while chewing on whatever he has managed to get in already.

If things come pre-chopped he'll just keep ramming them in until there is no more space, hand over open mouth to prevent escape.

He didn't seem to have much of a gag reflex as a baby - often there would be a bit of a cough, his eyes would water a little, but nothing ever was forced back out.

He is pretty good with a spoon and fork, the problem just arises with finger food, but that is quite a high proportion of his meals and snacks.

DD is 23 months and she is similar. Not quite so bad, I think, but if, for example, I give her halved grapes as a snack... She'll pick one up and put it in, pick up another and put it in, pick up another, put it in and then hand over mouth while she chews.

The only difference is that she did have a gag reflex as a baby - if something went down the wrong way or was too big she would vomit copiously! Not so bad now (thank goodness!)

I guess it's a phase which they will grow out of. I have noticed she's beginning to bite off with certain things now.

I remember DS1 going through a phase like this around the time he turned 2. Once he rammed a whole banana in before he started chewing!
He'd also very often get too much in and spit the whole lot out again.

It did pass however, he'll be 4 in May and he eats normally.

I guess it's just part of learning how to eat, how much can fit in their mouths etc. Really annoying, but a phase that passed quite quickly I think.

Yeah, regularly does whole bananas. More worrying was the whole sausage, but he coped with that too. He signs for more food while chomping furiously on a whole mouthful.

Obviously hoping he doesn't choke is the major issue, but I am also worrying about his future table manners

Ditto of DS! (23 mo). He just keeps shoving stuff in until it gets too much and then he spits it out. He doesn't seem to get the idea of biting bits off yet, except for things like toast (where he avoids the crusts! ).

Hopefully they'll grow out of it and won't choke in the meantime.