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WHY Does she have to be so pokey?  

post #1 of 27
9/11/06 at 12:05pm
Thread Starter 
*sigh* We have half an hour to get ready to go to preschool, and my daughter is poking over her breakfast.

I'm sick of this crap...what's wrong with just sitting down, shoveling food in and getting the fark away from the table like every human being does?

No, she has to take AN HOUR A WHOLE FARKING HOUR to eat!
post #2 of 27
9/11/06 at 12:17pm
post #3 of 27
9/11/06 at 12:20pm
post #4 of 27
9/11/06 at 12:57pm

btdt

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pandora114
...what's wrong with just sitting down, shoveling food in and getting...away from the table like every human being does?

No, she has to take AN HOUR A WHOLE...HOUR to eat!
Can you get her started earlier tomorrow?
My daughter has this problem, as well. I've learned that when I allow an hour for her to eat, there's less stress involved.

In the meantime,
post #5 of 27
9/11/06 at 1:07pm
It's annoying sometimes. My ds has always taken forever to eat, ever since he started feeding himself.
Getting to preschool in the am was the same story, I'd have to wake him up at 8 (any earlier and he'd be a total crab), and we had to be there by 8:30. He never had enough time to eat and ended up eating in the car most days!
At least this year he goes in the afternoon, and I can start lunch early.
post #6 of 27
9/11/06 at 1:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kathirynne
Can you get her started earlier tomorrow?
My daughter has this problem, as well. I've learned that when I allow an hour for her to eat, there's less stress involved.

In the meantime,
I get her up at 7:30 and any earlyer and she'd be a total crab.

We leave around 8:30. I would like for her to be done eating at 8:15 so I can get her dressed and have her hair combed at the very least (she has REALLY long hair)

Luckily it's only 3 days a week, Mon, Weds, Fri

And we dont take the car, we walk. I dont drive, and the preschool isn't *that* far away...so no, she's not able to eat in the car. I'm tempted to let her experience the natural concequences of not eating before school, but i dont want her being a total bear to her teachers when her blood sugar goes down....
post #7 of 27
9/11/06 at 1:48pm
My DD takes forever, too. Breakfast in our house goes for 3 hours sometimes...nibble here nibble there. I know you don't have that kind of time but at least you know you're not alone. Drives me batty, too.
post #8 of 27
9/11/06 at 2:22pm
Thread Starter 
Well usually for meal times we set the timer for 20 minutes, and we *all* get up when it goes beep done or not. Usually DH and I are done before she has taken 3 bites.

I know it's a bit harsh but we're trying to nip it in the bud lol.

I'm thinking of taking her to the Dr to get her evaluated for a bunch of things, anemia, aspergers/epilepsy stuff like that...she's got some rather not-your-normal-3yo things going on that have set off some red flags in me. Like almost an inability to chew food...if it's something that she needs to chew she wont do it and let it sit in her mouth and turn to mush before chewing it a little then swallowing (another reason why she takes forever to eat....she wont chew) her gap outs (and i mean total vacancy dropping spoon total loss of eye contact when eyes are open and the freakout if you bring her out of it prematurely)

stuff like that...other than those things she's your average normal 3yo..
post #9 of 27
9/11/06 at 3:33pm

Works for us...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pandora114
We leave around 8:30. I would like for her to be done eating at 8:15 so I can get her dressed and have her hair combed at the very least (she has REALLY long hair)....
I comb my daughter's hair (hers is also very long) while she eats. I stand behind her chair with the detangling spray, the brush, and whatever barrettes she's chosen for the day. It actually works pretty well, as she's occupied and basically holding still.

Just a suggestion. I know how frustrating pokiness in the morning can be for mumma!
post #10 of 27
9/11/06 at 3:46pm
Eating with a kitchen timer running sounds very stressful to me and I think it would ruin our mealtimes. I second the suggestion that, unfortunately, you might need to get her up earlier!

Oh -- also, my daughter is pokey in the morning too, and one thing that has helped is insisting that she get dressed and ready BEFORE breakfast. That way she's ready to go when it's time, even if she doesn't finish her breakfast.
post #11 of 27
9/11/06 at 3:51pm
what about something she can eat while walking? A breakfast sandwich, or something like that?
post #12 of 27
9/11/06 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pandora114
her gap outs (and i mean total vacancy dropping spoon total loss of eye contact when eyes are open and the freakout if you bring her out of it prematurely)

stuff like that...other than those things she's your average normal 3yo..
I had a friend in school who did this. . . she was having peti-mal epileptic seizures ( I spelled that totally wrong).
post #13 of 27
9/11/06 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by fek&fuzz
what about something she can eat while walking? A breakfast sandwich, or something like that?
and have her choke? No thanks...

Part of her eating problem is not chewing. She takes a bite, and lets it melt in her mouth. I acctually sat and really observed her one time and no, she wont chew...her jaws move but she's not really CHEWING..she has it stuffed in her cheek away from her teeth...

For her safety she's not allowed to eat on the fly. She has to be sitting down, either at the table or on the sofa or whatever, but she HAS to be immobile to eat, that and after each bite of food she does this little ritual dance at the table while it melts in her mouth.
post #14 of 27
9/11/06 at 4:25pm
I'm totally with you on the chocking thing foods that have helped (when we've gotten here to eat them) eggs they can pretty much be swollowed whole, oat meal or cream of wheat type again can be swollowed whole, puffed rice cereal pretty much melts in the mouth. Yogurt bannanas.. I pretty much need to give her stuff she can swollow whole when times of the essestance. Do they get a snack or meal at school?
One thing we've done to help move DD along is put on a CD when its over its time to go, its still gives a time limit but not as stresful as a timer. We also make sure all preprations are done the night before so her clothes are ready backpack ready so we can have meals going a little longer.

Deanna
post #15 of 27
9/11/06 at 7:22pm
It sounds to me like her problem is not being "pokey," which I think of as intentional dawdling. It's more like she has a physical or sensory problem eating normally, from that description.
post #16 of 27
9/11/06 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thalia the Muse
It sounds to me like her problem is not being "pokey," which I think of as intentional dawdling. It's more like she has a physical or sensory problem eating normally, from that description.
Yeah I think it might be too, but I have to wait till DH comes home tonight and tells me when his stupid course is done next week before I make an appointment for her (Read: I have no drivers lisence.)
post #17 of 27
9/11/06 at 7:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pandora114
and have her choke? No thanks...

Part of her eating problem is not chewing. She takes a bite, and lets it melt in her mouth. I acctually sat and really observed her one time and no, she wont chew...her jaws move but she's not really CHEWING..she has it stuffed in her cheek away from her teeth...

For her safety she's not allowed to eat on the fly. She has to be sitting down, either at the table or on the sofa or whatever, but she HAS to be immobile to eat, that and after each bite of food she does this little ritual dance at the table while it melts in her mouth.
I figured there'd be some reason it wouldn't work. I hope you find something that does.
post #18 of 27
9/11/06 at 7:47pm
That sounds rough. In the meantime, maybe it would be easier if she had yogurt or a smoothie for breakfast? Or something like cream of wheat or a poached egg? Will she eat any of those?
post #19 of 27
9/11/06 at 7:51pm
Thread Starter 
She's pretty good with oatmeal, but she does the gap out thing alot during it...

She likes her oatmeal, and she likes her bananas too..I usually give her that, oatmeal and banana with some apple juice and vitamin. Just in the mornings her "gap out's" as I so call them, are really really frequent. the earlyer she gets up the more frequent the gaps...

She doesn't gap out if she wakes up after 9am, but any time before that...even if she wakes on her own.
post #20 of 27
9/11/06 at 8:11pm
Until you can get her evaluated, something that might make things less stressful for you is getting her dressed as soon as she wakes up. That way you won't be waiting on her as much, and she'll have all the time from after she gets dressed until you leave for school to eat. I was a really slow eater as a child and that's what worked best for me. If she's a messy eater, just put a big old sweatshirt or something on over her regular clothes and take it off when she's done with breakfast.
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