Messy eaters?

[YourFidgetyFriend]

My daughter is a horribly messy eater and it is starting to drive me nuts. She's always been a bit messier at it than most kids, but I thought she would grow out of it. Now she is 6 and she still can't get through a meal without it looking like a bomb has been set off while the rest of her friends have long since been able to eat without making a huge mess.

 

Has anybody else had to deal with a messy eater? Did you have any tips to overcome this issue?

 

She is left handed if that makes any difference.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Dd (11!) is so messy that i'm going to make her a bib! Maybe even have her eat on an easily washed placement, and plastic on her chair, and a mat under the chair.

 

Sorry, no advice.

[Sasharowan]

Observe her, pick out one thing that she is doing that makes a mess, show her how to do it neatly, practice til she has is down, rinse and repeat!!

[sbgrace]

I have a really messy eater too. He's 8 so even more frustrating. Can you have her clean up after herself?

[Luanne]

... and she just turned 24. She is way less messy than she was at 6, but not as neat as most adults. My mother still spills stuff on herself from time to time and she is almost 75. I guess some people are just like that.

[Mom-ninja.]

You may not want to hear this but.....

 

My ds is a very messy eater. It drove me crazy. It still does but it helps to know why he's messy.

 

He has SPD. He literally cannot feel food or other things on his face. It is a challenge getting the food into his mouth as he has difficulty knowing where his body is in space.

 

He is so clumsy. He spills his food and drink all the time. After he's done eating food is all over his area of the table, his face, his chair, and his clothes.

 

I do work on how to hold utensils, how to lean over the plate while eating, wiping face often with napkin, etc.

 

Anyway, for some people they really can't help it and eating is a struggle. Just something to think about.

[bettyandbob]

Does she have sensory issues?

 

Ds 17 was dx with SID at age 4. Early on one of his OTs said he would always be the messiest eater in my family. At 17 he's less messy, but messier than his 11 yo brother who has down syndrome. Now, that he's at a military college, he's found that he's limited on the amount of dry cleaning he is permitted with out being charged.

[YourFidgetyFriend]

Thank you for all your responses. I'm glad to know we aren't the only ones dealing with this! I'm also surprised so many of you have girls as the girls we see are such neat eaters.

 

Her problems as I see them are:

Eats too fast

Is not able to control utensils (and therefore often resorts to using the 2nd hand with foods like pasta that require utensils)

Consistently misses her mouth completely

Is easily distracted from eating

Does not notice food on her face/hands/body

 

I don't know of any sensory issues or anything that stands out like the food issue. I will say she is generally uninterested in food and would rather be doing something else.

[Pegasus]

Anyway, for some people they really can't help it

 

:iagree: It is something of a family joke here that DH and eldest DD can eat the messiest foods and not even need a napkin. Meanwhile, me and younger DD can eat a breadcrust and make a mess. It is not on purpose and I'm not using poor table manners.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Thank you for all your responses. I'm glad to know we aren't the only ones dealing with this! I'm also surprised so many of you have girls as the girls we see are such neat eaters.

 

Her problems as I see them are:

Eats too fast

Is not able to control utensils (and therefore often resorts to using the 2nd hand with foods like pasta that require utensils)

Consistently misses her mouth completely

Is easily distracted from eating

Does not notice food on her face/hands/body

 

I don't know of any sensory issues or anything that stands out like the food issue. I will say she is generally uninterested in food and would rather be doing something else.

 

Sounds like a sensory thing to me. Not necessarily a sensory disorder, but enough that you could grab a sensory book from the library and see where she fits.

 

Maybe you could have a "fancy" dinner where you dress up and practice eating neat, but you should be over-dramatic in it.

 

You could also set up a small mirror for her to eat in front of, but not to stare at while she's eating (that could be hard) but to glance up for face messes.

[catz]

My 8 year old daughter has ALWAYS been a much neater and more polite eater than my 11 year old son. He is still a complete slob. How many times do we have to say eat over your plate and use a napkin? I have no idea, but we'll keep plugging away it. I seriously thought it was a problem until we had his friend over not long ago for a sleep over and he's at least as bad if not worse! I think it's a personality thing.

 

Truth be told, I'm not the neatest eater alive, but I do use a napkin consistently and know how to behave in a restaurant! :tongue_smilie: So hopefully, we're just on a slow road here.