refuses to eat anythng

hi,
my son is 4 years old and simply refuses to eat.
he is in the habit of keeping food in his mouth for hours. he just refuses to chew. a single meal can last upto two hours.
i have tried not giving him food thinking that when he is hungry he will ask for food ,and eat, but he goes without food for the entire day.
if i force him to eat or drink he manages to vomit it out.
he only likes to have biscuits and sweets.
no shakes, no puddings, no fruits.. i dont know what to do.. he seems to be starving himself
please help

[Renee Radenberg]

From the measurements wrote, his weight is just on the 5th percentile and his height is on the 10th percentile for his age. Has he been evaluated for chewing/swallowing abilities? He may need to learn how to chew and swallow food. 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. If he has not be evaluated, suggest getting him to your MD to ask for an evaluation, and start therapy so he can start to chew. If that is not the case, then he may be a picky eater and it is so frustrating when your child does not want to eat. To ‘broaden his tastes’ try engaging him in the kitchen more. Children love to be a part of making food. Have him help you with preparation of food and setting the table. Hopefully this will increase his interest in other types of food. Help him make milkshakes (ice cream, fresh fruit or frozen fruit, milk) or yogurt smoothies (yogurt, fresh fruit, and frozen fruit) and then he will have additional calories, protein, and vitamins and minerals. The most important thing is to relax. It becomes the battle of the wits between your child and you. Let him eat what he wants. Slowly introduce new foods, and if he does not want it, do not make a fuss over it. Let it go and enjoy the meal. Thank you for your question.