Wagon Jr. is so goofy and often doesn't really want to eat dinner, so dinners can sometimes take up to an hour to two for him to actually eat more than just two or three bites...!! Even when it's his favorite dinner (pizza or mac and cheese). It drives me absolutely bananas because the entire meal we'll be begging him to eat quickly. If we threaten him with no dessert or straight to bed (bad, I know) he will panic and then stuff his entire mouth full of food. He used to gag, but at least he stopped that.. but instead, he will just hold the food in his mouth. Then we'll be begging him to chew and swallow his food. Then he'll chew it like gum without swallowing and food will start coming out the corners of his mouth...

Anyone else deal with this?! It's been making our family dinnertime so miserable lately that I've pretty much given up. Wagon Sr. stresses so much about it too. He grew up in a house where if you didn't clean your plate by the end of dinner, you got beat! And he was one of two boys so they were usually fighting for the food anyway.

Lately I've been very firmly repeating at the beginning of each meal that bedtime is soon, so if he wants to play before bedtime he has to finish quickly. He can eat as much as he wants, but he has to eat enough of every part of the meal if he wants a small treat. If he cleans his plate, he gets a big treat. It's been working a little better... he still stalls and goofs off, but I give him warnings when it nears 6:15. That usually gets him to do one last push and eat a good amount.

I told Wagon Sr. no more fighting him at mealtime. So if he doesn't eat (or only eats a few bites), that's fine. Just no treats, and firm 6:30 bedtime.