My daughter is a very slow eater.

Melody you just want to leave her to eat in her time. Some People can take a lot longer to eat then others. As long as she does eat let her do it her way. I know it is hard on you as you have to sit with her well depending how old she is, but you are not going to speed her up at any rate. If she is old enough to sit on her own then just leave her to it.

Why is it an issue how fast she eats. Most of us rush through and don't even taste our foods in front of the television or whatever. What is your idea of reasonable? At least she eats and you wouldn't want her anorexic or bulemia you know. Chill out and see where there goes eventually. Good luck.

I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions. I just wanted to offer some empathy. My daughter is the same way. She's now at school, and comes home every day with only about 3 bites taken out of her lunch, because the kids are only given 20 minutes to eat, before being told to go out to play during lunch. I'm almost glad they do this, because she'd never make it outside, if they didn't. Natural consequences don't work. She misses out on playing and other activities, because she's so slow at the table, but she's 8 and I don't see any signs of change. My adult best friend is like this as well. When we go out to dinner, it takes her 4 hours to eat a meal. About 2 hours in, I'm going crazy, asking if she's done and ready to leave, but the answer is always "no". I guess some people are just born this way.

as classy says above. be vigilant of your daughter developing an eating disorder or a complex about food and weight. On the other hand she could just be distracted. You don't say anything about what happens during mealtimes. Is the TV on, or do your family have discussions around the table? You can also reason with her that holding food in her mouth is not good for her teeth. The sugars in all foods damage tooth enamel. Perhaps you could offer a reward for her to finish early. Her favourite dessert or a treat or outing.

Melody I know this can be frustrating espescially if you have things to do and are being kept running late! Thing is that in her subconscious she probably knows that it is upsetting you and she likes to have the upper hand ( not in a nasty way) a lot of children go through phases like this! I would probably have a discussion with her about this with her on a one off basis explain to ger why it bothers her and that from now on if she doesn't eat her meal in a reasonable time the tv will be off! Otherewise I would simply ignore this practise and she may stop taking so long all by herself!

My cousin have the same problem as yours. Her daughter takes 2 hours to finish her food.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much, I would get her to eat her meals away from the TV though and then she would probably eat it a bit quicker because she wouldn't be distracted, she could of course be doing it to get your attention and she is, My hubby takes an hour to eat his dinner, he always has but he chews it really well, If it were me, I would go into a search engine and get pictures of rotten teeth and show them to her, If she is chewing all the time that's fine but if she is holding it in her mouth it will rot her teeth, she is young and has lots to learn, If you explain that she is just so pretty and she wont be if her teeth go bad, I think it might just do the trick xx here is a good picture to start with

I think it is good for a person or child to take their time and eat because eating too quickly can cause indigestion, acid reflux or other problems. An hour is a long time. Maybe it is because she does not like that particular type of food and would like to eat something else. Does she do this with all foods? Maybe you can reward her somehow if she were to eat somewhat quicker. Does she say why she does this?

We had the same problem with one of my daughters when they visited us, so my partner set some rules down. My daughter didn't like it but she did get the message that this was how things were to be done. The television went off while we were eating meals, and we allowed a certain amount of time for the meal to be eaten. We allowed 30 minutes, which was more than enough for everyone to finish. At that time, all plates were removed from the table and anyone who had not finished eating by that time, did not get anything till the next meal. They were allowed to drink water but that is all they were allowed. Plus no television and no playing or special activities that they enjoyed. The reasoning was that if they weren't "well enough" to finish the meal, then they had quiet time. That meant reading a book generally or talking to me and my partner. It was just a phase she was going through, but for her it was manipulation. She did get away with it for a while till my partner put her foot down. So we presented a united front and after a while my daughrer realised she could not manipulate the situation to suit herself. Your daughter could be doing the same, in her own way although probably not in a nasty way. At present she has you waiting for her, feeding her if she is stopping you from doing things that have to be done. Take charge now, turn off the television, give her so much time to eat the meal and then that is it. She will soon learn and if you think she is not eating enough or is on some sort of "diet conscious" thing, make sure that her meals are a little more calorie added than for the rest of the family.

maybe she dont like your cooking an dont want to swallow it..lol {jokeing}..i would tell her that she needs to learn to eat in a timely manner.but she made have things on her mind an cant concetrate on her food.talk to her about that.an if nothing is bothering her.but really i wouldnt push her to eat faster.she may have a fear of weight gaining.this is happening alot with kids nowdays.just be pateints with her."i think mother an daughter talk is the best thing for her.

yes, i agree with someone said. it is not a bad problem.i think it is a little girl's habit . she may have herself's thinking. i believe when she is older,she will get rid of this habit. but as a mother, you maybe worry abuot it, so tyr .if she remains it ,let her stay .