Effect of Bite Size on Eating Development in Normal Children 6 Months to 2 Years of Age

Abstract

Normative data are provided to measure the effect of the size of a bite of food one the chewing time and number of chewing cycles fo children undergoing the transition from a mode of ingestion by suckling to that of chewing. In a cross-sectional study, children aged 6 to 24 months were fed groups of five large and five small bites of a flavored gelatin, in random order. The feeding was videotaped to permit recording of the chewing time and cycles for each child. Older children chewed more efficiently than younger ones by decreasing both chewing time and number of cycles, and all children chewed more efficiently in the fifth than in the first trial. The order in which the two sizes of gelatin was administered had no influence on chewiing time or cycles, an important consider ation for clinicians. Central and peripheral changes of the oral region that occur in normal development are discussed as possible reasons for the increase in eating efficiency.