Super slow eater

[daycaremom9]

I have a 4.5 year old dcg that has been with me full time for over a year. She is an incredibly slow eater, has been since the day she started attending my daycare. I have done lots of encouraging of her eating at a more age appropriate rate with age appropriate bites (she will nimble like a mouse if you let her) as well as giving her time limits on how long she is allowed to sit and eat. This girl will take 45 minutes to eat 3 slices of cucumber! It is getting frustrating for me, because I can't and won't wait forever for her to finish her food.

It isn't a picky eating issue, she eats everything she is given without complaint - she just takes little bitty bites and SLOWLY chews. I also give her a 1/4 cup of water at every meal and she will take FOREVER to drink that as well. I have to make sure she drinks or she will go all day without any liquids if I let her be.

When I give her a time limit (setting the time on the stove) she usually will eat all of her food before the timer goes off, so I know she is capable of it. But I am seriously sick of dealing with this with no improvement.



So my question is how to address it with her parents. I am sure they don't consider this an issue at home, letting her take as long as she wants to eat. But since I feel she is not improving in my care, I think a united front on this issue is necessary. I am thinking about kindergarten preparedness as well, the kids only get about 30 minutes for lunch and if she is left to her own devices she could go that whole time with having eaten hardly anything. She is underweight, so that is not a good thing.

I remember when I was in school. My sisters and I would go home for lunch and my sisters would be so frustrated that I took so long eating lunch. I was a professional cook for a long time. Maybe it was my love for food that made me savour it?lol