Sound – Eating Part Four

We have taken time to dive into the five senses and how they relate to eating. First we talked sight and next we tackled smell. Well, next up is hearing. 

Sound: 

 You’re probably wondering how in the world sound relates to eating. Well, it actually plays a bigger role than you may think. First of all, there’s the sounds associated with preparing food. Opening packages, running water, boiling water, sizzling meat, oven timers, microwaves running, etc. There is also the sounds that the food itself makes when you’re eating. A crunchy carrot, a juicy apple or a squeaky cheese curd all make noise in your own head when you’re eating them.  

For many of us we don’t even notice them and if we do notice them they certainly don’t bother us. Now think about if you have a sensitivity to sound what that would be like. Would it be distracting? Frustrating? Annoying? Could you stay focused on what you were doing? Could you even consider trying a new food if just the sound if it cooking put you over the edge? For me, the sound of other people chewing loudly with their mouth open is enough to push my right over the edge. 

Now imagine you’re a child who can’t tell you what is bothering them. They can’t say “mom when the microwave is running and the timer beeps it is more than I can handle.” What do they do instead? They refuse, they cry, they leave the situation. They choose not to eat the food they associate with the sounds that bother them.  

Whether your kiddo has food preferences or restrictions based on SOUND or not, here a few ideas to  

help. 

• Serve all foods at a table/counter/highchair where the food can be placed out in front of them so they can associate the sounds they’re hearing with the food. 

• Remove all food from the packaging before serving it. Why? Well it’s a lot easier to tolerate the sound of a food when it’s already removed from the packaging. 

• Include your kiddo in the preparation and serving of foods/meals even if they’re not willing to eat it. This will help them identify the sounds and where they come from. If they hate the sound of a carrot crunching, have them help you steam it so it’s softer and less noisy. 

• Talk about it… new and different things, including foods, are less intimidating when you know more about them. Use words and talk about the sound. Include the name of the food and as many descriptions as you can think of. Use language at the level of your child but be creative and have fun!  

• Examples: “chicken. You hear dad making chicken. It is sizzling. Use your ears. It sounds loud but it will stop being noisy once it’s cooked.” “Carrots. That’s a carrot. Carrots are so crunchy. Listen. You can hear mom chew it and you can hear it when you chew it too. Crunchy makes it small so you can send it to your tummy.” 

• Be patient with yourself. Feeding differences don’t start overnight and they won’t disappear overnight. If you feel overwhelmed with where to even begin, choose one meal or snack per day to try these strategies. No one can run a marathon their first time putting on running shoes, first you’ve got to start with a jog. 

If you’re noticing a trend here you’re onto something. Stay tuned for our next sense… TOUCH.  

 -Tricia