My stepson is 4 (5 in a few weeks) and according to his father, has always been a slow eater. We consider this as a minor problem and don't really worry too much about it. He tends to leave food in his mouth (to taste the flavour) for a while and gets very easily distracted. We do not watch the tele and (usually) eat with all 3 of us around the kitchen table.
He can take up to a hour to eat and have tried lots of ways to get him to speed up. We have tried praising him, letting him have a go on the Wii (which he LOVES) or a small pudding. These sometimes have an effect but not often.
This is becoming an issue at school. His class teacher asked how he was at eating as he is coming back to class having not eaten all of his lunch (due to being slow!). He has half a sandwich, a small orange, a small yogurt (sometimes jelly/babybell) and some crisps. We don't want to take anything away from him to speed him up but we also don't want him sitting on his own in the dinner hall whilst the dinnerladies are sweeping around him (which is what is happening).
My partner and I have discussed a reward chart? If he eats his lunch quickly 4 times a week, he can have a magazine and if he eats his tea quickly for 4 nights a week (we will be lenient on friday & sats) he can have sweets on a sunday? Does this sound like a good idea? We don't want to make eating in to a race, or something that will make him poorly, but we worry that he is having no time to play with his friends and he has us nagging him to 'eat, eat, eat'!
Anyone with experience, please share ideas!!!!!!