How long does it take your child to eat a slice of toast? Help!

[tigermeow]

AIBU to think that an hour for a slice is toast is a tad too long?!

DD (age 3.5yr) suffers from constipation quite often. She has made the connection that food=poo and poo=pain. She is now starting to lose weight- she is slipping under 28lbs now. How do I break the cycle she has gotten into. She is back on lactolose to help shift the 'backlog' and to help keep her more regular.

She has never been the speediest of eaters so any tips on how to get her to speed up would also help. She doesn't care if she feels hungry so the old saying of 'she'll eat when she is hungry' is not working here. Snacks are fruit/veg so she isn't filling up on other stuff in the day.

All tips and suggestions please...we haven't made this into an issue but would like some subtle help. Many thanks.

Does she have to have toast? I'm thinking, swap toast for something else she prefers, just to get her eating up and running again. Not the healthiest breakfast choice in the world but what about a croissant or pain au chocolat? Like I say, I'm thinking short term solution, just to motivate her again.

She asked for toast this morning. She likes to alternate (and nibble) at toast, brioche, croissant and fried eggs! I give her a choice at breakfast in the vain attempt it will inspire her slightly more.

Well then, my next suggestion - if she has toast, have you tried cutting it into soldiers or tiny squares? Don't ask me why, but it worked for my son for a while!

DD used to have constipation as you describe. She only got her appetite back once we sorted it out. Get the doc to give her some Movicol, that will sort her out. Lactulose ime not very helpful in more extreme cases.

At 7 she now takes less than 5 mins to eat two slices of toast!

oh this sounds so familiar! Slow eating DD1 used to drive me to distraction. She chewed her food so much I swear she used up more calories eating than she consumed!

I found that the more I rushed her, the more uptight and slow she got. One trick that often worked for me would be to say "after breakfast we can play this game/go for a walk/do painting" and temptingly put the game on the table or pop her coat on the back of the chair. Often she was so keen to get on with doing the next activity, she would speed up herself.

With toast, have you tried serving it up in smaller bits? I find a large slice of toast heaving going too. If cut into shapes with a cutter, or even little slices, it might help. Get her to help and talk about how yummy it looks, how lovely it smells etc and it should encourage her.
Toppings are pretty good ways of helping a fussy child. I have even resorted to warming a little jam up (not boiling, just enough to make it runny) and allowing DD1 to "paint" her breakfast strip by strip. Not allowed the next strip until the first is eaten. Now that was very successful and fun way to eat brekkie!

I think having fun, not getting too stressed and be as relaxed as you can might help
Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be and you have my total empathy.

Thank you all. I should have put toast as an example...I could have used the word pasta, croissant, cucumber, cheese or any other food! She is slow to eat anything not just toast.

I have done the cutting things up into small pieces, cutting into funny shapes etc. So far we haven't got stressed or even mentioned it, but after several months my 'hppy relaxed' exterior is showing a few cracks!

Maybe a trip back to the doctors to sort out the constipation is in order.

Ready to eat prunes help my daughter - they are soft and sweet! They have made her no2s soft and not ouchy. She has 3 at breakfast as well as her cereal (weetabix and the weetabix mini bites with chocolate can be eaten quickly, and chocolate Wheetos are in fact healthier than some other cereals!). She now eats more now she knows prunes do the trick and food is OK (except peanuts - has an allergy).

You may find she prefers a certain brand of prunes! eg Neals Yard from Holland and Barratt. It helps if you eat the prunes at the same time!

ps my son is "a slow eater" at school as he is hypermobile (eg in his jaw and elsewhere) - www.hypermobility.org. I have a history of my jaw slipping. Not sure if this is at all relevant to you. fmi www.hypermobility.org

About 2.2 seconds, he's a greedy boy with toast

Not had the problem with him, but suffered on and off since was a child myself, often results in a bleed. I'd swap white for brown if you haven't already, more fibre but you know that I'm sure. I get it less if I have high fibre cereal for brekkie instead of toast. Also thing like apricots and prunes helped me, but only if I drank extra fluid or it could make the problem worse.

Poor little thing, it's not nice at all!

It depends if it has Nutella on it... me bad mother...

DS1 is slow eater, for no obvious reasons, so I just let him eat wherever, whenever. I'm a very relaxed parent, DH is a bit overwhelmed by how laid back I am. I end up picking crumbs, bits of cereals, raisins, etc all over the floor in the evening. It will pass...

Is she drinking lots?

we've had same problem with ds.

The constant constipation has caused huge problems with his eating because of the food = pain thing.

The constipation is now sorted, mostly (he is 4yo now) and the food thing is getting there but is taking a long time. Though this constipation thing has been going on since he started solids, so taking a long time to 'deprogramme' him.

Don't put any pressure on her while eating.

Use small amounts of food, cut up small. You can give more if they finish it but too much is overwhelming.

Use pre-schoolers contradictory nature to your advantage - 'I bet you can't eat that', 'don't touch that it's mine' (when you put a plate of food in front of her) - but make sure she knows you're joking . Leave small amounts of food in front of her 'those are the best ones, I am saving them till I finish this, I hope no one eats them'. If she does eat a bit do your best 'wailey wailey wailey' voice.

Don't pressure her to finish food, or negatively comment on what she has eaten.

Always offer any of what you are eating.

Keep eye on diet - too much milk can make constipation worse, and I've found the worse ds is the more he craves the foods that will make him worse.

Thank you for the further replies.

We are very relaxed with the eating right now, we really dont want 'power battles', but I ma now beginning to get a little stressed as she is losing weight.

We have tried the 'I bet you cant eat that' approach, her reply "no, I bet I can't, so I wont, you're the winner"

Armadillo- some excellent advice, a few things we haven't tried yet.

Tonight she ate 4 bits of pasta and then nothing. She declared she was finished but would stay with us whilst we finished ours.

She drinks quite a bit throughout the day.

Thank you for all the tips, they have been saved.

ds also drinks alot, adn I mean like a fish.

I've actually made him cut down as he was using it to fill up his belly.

It may be worth restricting the drinking a bit if it is getting excessive.

Not quite the same thing but my DS is one of the fussiest eaters I know.

It takes him about 40 minutes to eat a slice of toast.

Dont worry yourself about what she eats just get her eating is the main thing no one is perfect.

My DS basically lives on sausage rolls, weetabix, bananas, toast, sausages and yoghurts. Every now and a agin he will eat something new but not very often.

Asda do fruit teacakes we have them toated with jam on once a week DS loves them.

He also used to drink alot but I found if I just offered him a cup every two hours that seems to do the trick.

Unless he is unwell or asks for it obviously but most of the time distraction works.