Eating – Part One

Hey there everyone, Tricia Armstrong here. Family Chatterbox has declared April is all about eating month. Given that I’ve been working with kids with feeding differences for as long as I can remember and have dealt with many of these issues as a mom myself. I would love to share some tips and tricks that can help even the pickiest of eaters.  

We all have food preferences and that is normal. It becomes concerning when those preferences interfere with the ability to eat a balanced diet or have a negative impact on success at home, in the community and/or in school. That is when picky eating becomes problem eating. Ideally picky eating is tackled before it becomes problem eating, but wherever you are on the journey there is help along the way.  

The first step to improve your kiddo’s diet is to recognize a few basic facts.    

• Eating is a whole body experience that involves all five senses. 
• Regular use of mealtime distractions such as TV, tablets, phones, etc increase the likelihood of picky eating. 
• It is not realistic for you to expect your kids to eat something that you won’t eat. 
• Some feeding problems are related to how kids use their mouth, teeth and tongue but not all of them.  
• Feeding problems don’t start overnight and they won’t disappear overnight so be patient and be consistent. 

I will spend time digging into each of them in the weeks to come so stay tuned.  If you want one on one help specific to your child and family, reach out to Family Chatterbox. We are here to help not only with speech and language but with eating!

-Tricia-