Can't get my son to swalllow the food.

My son will be difficult to sit him down to eat by crying and verbally refuse to accept to eat, and while eating he will refuse to swallow and act like he is distracted on somthing ells so as to hold the food in his mouth.
My son is 31 months, approximately 34 lbs and 34”, and for the last three weeks he has gradually gotten more difficult to swallow the food.  He will hold the food in his mouth some times for over 30 minutes.  We have tried; DVD videos, small toys, and doing time-out in a corner until he swallows. But sometimes that won’t work at all.  I've tried giving him juice so he can swallow it along but he just pushes the food to the cheeks to drink it.  This behavior is more so at diner than at lunch, but it does happen also.
Do you have any suggestions, or advice regarding this behavioral stage he is in?

[Renee Radenberg]

Was he swallowing the food before or he was not doing this all along? If he was not swallowing all along, then he may need to learn how to chew and swallow food. That would not be a reflection on your parenting. Some children just do not know how to do it and need to be taught. They need to learn how to chew and swallow food properly; it is not really an instinct behavior like sucking. Has he been evaluated on how to chew food? If not, then suggest getting him evaluated, by going to your MD, and start therapy so he can start to eat regular food. If he was swallowing his food okay and just recently stop, then suggest just relaxing at meals. Do not force him to eat. Give him food he likes and if he does not want it, then do not make a fuss. Let it go. He will eat.