How to Stop Your Baby From Mouth Stuffing
While most babies and toddlers go through some sort of a phase of shoving food into their mouths, some seem to make a game out of it. If your little one is stuffing food in their mouth regularly, it can be worrying—and sometimes quite messy!
It’s common for parents to wonder if something is wrong when babies stuff more food into their mouths than they can handle.
What if they choke?
What if there’s a reason they can’t swallow?
Sometimes mouth stuffing or pocketing food is a sign of a developmental delay or disability or issues with chewing or swallowing, but most of the time, mouth stuffing is common and part of typical development.
Keep reading to learn more about why your baby might be stuffing food in their mouth and how you can help them change this behavior.
What is Mouth Stuffing?
Mouth stuffing is when a baby stuffs a lot of food and holds it in their mouth but won't swallow right away. It's common for babies to do this when they're exploring new foods and learning how to self-feed.
If your baby has chipmunk cheeks when they eat or if you’re finding food in your baby’s cheeks after the meal has ended, they may be pocketing food. That’s when a baby holds food in the cheeks and doesn't swallow.
Reasons for mouth stuffing:
Your baby is exploring new foods and textures.
Your baby is teething, and chewing is painful.
Your baby is distracted and not paying attention to eating.
Your baby is uncomfortable in the highchair.
Reasons for food pocketing:
Not ready to swallow yet. If your baby is putting food in their mouth, holding it there for a while, and then taking it back out, they may not be ready to swallow, needing more time to adjust to the texture and taste first.
Developmental delay, feeding disorder or disability. Many children with autism or down syndrome pocket food or stuff the mouth. In one study, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder reported that stuffing or packing food in their cheeks was a common feeding problem, especially during early childhood.
Compensation for sensory or motor difficulties. Some babies pocket food as a way to compensate for sensory or motor difficulties. For example, if your baby has trouble with the coordination needed to chew and swallow, they may be unconsciously pocketing food as a way to avoid choking.
It's painful to chew or swallow. If your baby avoids chewing and swallowing because it's painful, they may be more likely to pocket food. There could be medical reasons, such as GERD, food allergies, or they're not feeling well. Or they might be teething.
They don’t know it’s there. As they develop oral motor skills, some babies lack sensory awareness of the structures inside their mouths and can’t feel where the food is. They may lose track of pieces of food inside the cheeks or on the roof of the mouth.
How to Stop Your Baby From Mouth Stuffing
Before trying anything at home, it’s best to rule out any underlying medical reason for why your child is shoving food into the mouth.
For example, if your little one has a sensory processing disorder, they may stuff their mouth with food as a way of self-soothing. If this is the case, your family’s pediatrician may be able to recommend some strategies for dealing with the behavior or refer you to a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist and/or feeding therapist for treatment.
A specialist might suggest a few common treatments during feeding therapy, including food redistribution, chasers, texture manipulation, and simultaneous presentation.
Food redistribution – use a brush like the Nuk brush to redistribute food from the back of the mouth or cheeks to the tongue so your little one can swallow.
Chasers – following a bit of food with a drink to encourage swallowing.
Texture manipulation – change up the texture of food. Switching from solids to purees for a period of time can help facilitate swallowing.
Simultaneous presentation – try offering two different textures/foods on the spoon at one time. Change it up with one food your baby prefers and one food they don't love as much. This can help reduce food packing.
You can also try these other strategies at home to discourage your baby from stuffing food and check for pocketed food after meals:
Modify the way you're serving meals
If your child is stuffing their mouth because they're coming to meals overly hungry, it may be time to switch up the schedule. Try increasing the number of meals you’re serving and serving them more often throughout the day. A feeding schedule prevents babies from getting too hungry between meals. Babies go through several growth spurts in the first 12 months, and you may be surprised how hungry they are during the growth spurt.
Don’t withhold food if your baby is still hungry at meals. The idea isn’t to limit food but to offer food more frequently and slow the pace during feedings.
If you're practicing baby-led weaning, you don't have to give it up! Responsive feeding plays an important role in teaching babies and toddlers positive feeding behaviors. A great way to feed responsively is to watch for hunger and fullness signals and offer food when babies start to seem hungry.
Role model positive feeding behaviors
One of the best ways to discourage feeding behaviors you don’t want is to encourage the ones you do. Make mealtime a family affair and model healthy eating habits for your child. Encourage eating at the table without distractions from toys, television, or phones. Slow the pace of the meal down by role modeling slow eating, taking small bites, talking about how we chew and swallow first before we put more food in, and savoring each bite of food throughout.
Coach your baby through large bites
Babies learning to self-feed foods they like may stuff too much into their mouths at once.
Learning how to take smaller bites and managing larger bites in the mouth are skills that come with a little time and practice and it's ok to let babies develop them through experience.
But if your baby overstuffs the mouth and it makes you nervous, don’t put your fingers into your baby’s mouth to pull the food out, as this can turn a full mouth into a choking episode.
Instead, stay calm, crouch down at eye level with the baby (so they don’t have to look up to see you), place your hand in front of your own mouth and pretend loudly and exaggeratedly to spit out the food into your own hand. Then gently lean your baby forward and place your hand in front of the baby’s mouth so it’s clear you’re giving permission to spit out the bite.
Check for pocketed food after meals
Food left in the cheeks after meals increases the risk of choking once babies leave the highchair and start moving around, so check for pocketed food at the end of meals to help keep your baby safe. You can do this by role modeling a wide open mouth so your baby mimics you, allowing you to check inside for pocketed food. If you see some, give your baby a sip of water to help wash it down. If unsuccessful, use a clean finger to swipe the inside of the cheeks and pull the food forward and out.
When to Worry About Mouth Stuffing in Babies
In most cases, mouth stuffing is normal and nothing to worry about. However, you should talk to your doctor if:
Your baby is not gaining weight or growing at a healthy rate. It can affect their growth if your baby isn’t getting enough nutrition because they're pocketing food.
Your baby is in pain when they eat. Painful swallowing or chewing can be a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as GERD or food allergies.
Your baby has trouble breathing. If your baby is pocketing food and then coughing or gagging, it can cause them to aspirate (breathe in) the food. This can lead to pneumonia or other respiratory problems.
While pocketing food is generally nothing to worry about, it can lead to dental problems if food gets trapped in the teeth. This can cause tooth decay or infection (tooth abscess).
Final Thoughts
Mouth stuffing is common in babies and usually nothing to worry about.
Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about your baby's food pocketing food or mouth stuffing. They can help you figure out if there's an underlying cause and guide you on how to proceed.
If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essential Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to get started. You might also want to check out my new online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
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