So, this is an interesting development. Daniel has always been a slow and deliberate eater for the most part. He takes a while to finish each meal and seems to enjoy savoring each bite. His preschool teachers even say that the rest of the class will be laying down on naptime mats and he'll still be eating lunch by himself, slowly.
But he has taken his slow-eating game to a whole other level. Lately he will eat most of his meal and then chew a bite for a while. And then not swallow... the chewing can last up to 30 minutes. No kidding.
At first we started punishing him when he refused to swallow - we had him in time outs a few times. It definitely felt like defiant behavior and worthy of discipline.
But after a chat with the pediatrician, we have changed out plan. The doctor said to not make mealtime a war zone - ever. Don't demand that he finish veggies or that he even swallows on command if we think it's been too long. If Daniel eats too slowly, just let him know he has a few minutes left and then take the food away. (And no snacks until the next time). But he said "absolutely no discipline".
So, we're trying Plan B. Not sure if it's working or not... but it's definitely an interesting little stage in Daniel's development. I never thought I'd have to tell my kid to swallow his food!
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