Eating is a complex activity that requires coordination of both cognitive and motor skills. These same skills are also important in creating the foundation for language development.
At teli our Pediatric Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists have extensive experience with feeding concerns and are excellent resources to help. Parents are worried and want answers. To support these families, our staff has identified some of the most common feeding questions that parents ask and provides answers. Parents should always consult their pediatrician for to discuss their concerns with feeding struggles.
A: The keys words in this question are “chokes” and “often”. It is not uncommon for a child to gag and spit out newly introduced food due to taste or texture. Transitions from purees to solids or jar foods to table foods can initially be challenging for your child. Typically, the more exposure and practice eating various foods he or she tries, the more your child will adapt and accept the food.
There may be a variety of reasons why choking or gagging is occurring. At teli we value parent’s gut instincts. If you feel something isn’t right with how your child eats or doesn’t eat then consider discussing your concern with your pediatrician. A feeding evaluation provided by teli’s experienced Early Intervention therapists will work closely with you and child to achieve the best outcome. An teli Early Intervention feeding therapist’s assessment may include:
From this assessment, the therapist will help to determine if your child is having difficulty manipulating food with his/her lips, jaw, tongue and mouth muscles to break down food and accomplish a coordinated swallow. They will also want you to share any important health history that could be contributing to the choking and gagging.
If, however, gagging and choking happen at many or most meal and snack times it would be beneficial to explore the cause so meals can be an enjoyable and safe experience for you and your child.
Resource: Kim Morrow, Developmental Specialist
A: If you feel you have a “picky eater” know you are not alone. Many young children have food and taste preferences and will happily eat some foods and toss others on the floor. Here are a few creative ideas to try at home that may help broaden the variety of foods your child eats.
Resource: Kim Morrow, Developmental Specialist
A: It is important to remember that your job as a parent is to buy the food and make the meals and snacks. It’s your child’s responsibility to eat (or not eat) and decide how much to eat. It’s also important, as a parent, to have realistic mealtime expectations, which include:
Resource: Kim Morrow, Developmental Specialist
A: Dependent on the child, there are a couple of reasons why textures may be challenging for your child. First, the ability of a child to chew and manipulate foods is linked to their oral motor skill development. Moving from pureed foods to mashed, minced and eventually finger foods is a learned behavior and for some children with developmental delays, the progression may be challenging. If moving their tongue to chew is difficult for a child, foods with texture may be that much more challenging for a child.
A second reason that a child may have difficulty with textures is sensory processing disorder. An extreme sensitivity or under-sensitivity may cause a child to refuse to try foods of a certain texture.
In both cases, discussing your concerns with your pediatrician and identifying the cause is essential. Based on the unique challenges of your child, getting Early Intervention support can help you and your child identify the specific concern and address the issue through appropriate therapy.
Resource: Jennifer Schreiner, Occupational Therapist
A: Not all babies take to a bottle immediately, it may take some time to get them, and you, comfortable. Creating a calm atmosphere for both you and your child can be helpful as a child can be very sensitive and pick up stress in their parents. Creating a relaxing space with a comfortable chair and dim lights may help. Additionally, a baby must be alert and hungry enough to be interested in eating, but not starving so that they become frustrated and fussy.
In addition to creating a calming environment there are some other suggestions regarding the bottle and your position to feed that may be helpful.
Finally, you should discuss your feeding concerns with your pediatrician. An Early Intervention therapist can help to tailor feeding strategies that are most appropriate for your child.
Resource: Jennifer Schreiner, Occupational Therapist
If you are seeing some of the above noted signals in your child’s behavior, you should talk to your health care provider. Importantly, Early Intervention Services are available at no cost to you! Get connected to our early intervention experts at teli today.