Sensory Concerns

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Challenges at School, Parenting a Picky Eater, Sensory Concerns

The School Cafeteria: Hurry Up and EAT

By Melanie Potock MA Most parents tell me that their elementary school child has 20 to 25 minutes to enter the school cafeteria, search for her lunchbox buried in a portable...

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Jul 25

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🧀Cheese – Picky eaters either love it or hate it…or swear their loyalty to one brand or one type, cut a certain way…or else!!!

❓What’s up with that?

👋🏼Hi! I’m Melanie, a pediatric feeding specialist and author of 6 books on raising healthy, happy eaters!

🧀🧀🧀There are three reasons why picky eaters get so persnickety about cheese:

✨1✨They tend to prefer it IF It’s the same, every time, if it’s packaged and COLD. So, they want FAMILIAR to feel safe – and “same” is “safe”.

✨2✨Leave it out of the fridge for a bit (hello lunchbox!) and it’s softer and smellier. Ewwww. That’s not the same at all, never mind it’s the same package, like string cheese!

✨3✨Melt it and it changes COMPLETELY - stringy one minute, congealed and glued to the bread, chip or tortilla the next. That’s not the same at all.

❓So how do we help fussy eaters go from “same is safe” to loving all kinds of cheese?

👉🏼Start with one thing that they like. If they like it cold and firm, offer small samples of other cheeses that are cold and firm before advancing to softer, warmer cheeses.

👉🏼When you’re ready to work on melted cheeses, like a grilled cheese sandwich, put it in the fridge after grilling. Now we have cold, firm cheese again, and grilled bread. Over time, gradually work up to room temperature grilled cheese, and then warm but not stringy, etc.

🫶🏼This is just the start! For more ideas on how to raise kids who won’t get stuck in the sameness rut (or how to help kids climb out and become more adventurous) just…

🎥Comment VIDEO and I’ll send you a discount code to use for ALL of my on-demand courses, like The Picky Eater Course, taught by me and pediatrician Dr. Yum! Everything from bottle weaning to anxious eaters – my course library is here to help you!

🥰Melanie
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Jul 23

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👉🏼There are lots of ways to feed baby, especially when starting solids, but there seems to be misunderstandings about finger feeding – from the parent’s finger, that is. (or grandparent, or feeding therapist, etc.)

👉🏼The fact is, a “loaded” finger presented to baby’s mouth can be incredibly beneficial if done correctly, and here’s why:

✨1✨I can direct the morsal of food onto the sides of the gums, and help baby activate the chewing response.

✨2✨I can direct to EITHER side of the mouth, ensuring that baby learns to detect food (mapping) on both the left and the right. This is important for safety. BE CAREFUL if you’re right-handed not to always present to baby’s left cheek, and vice versa.

✨3✨I can help stimulate lip closure by gently centering my finger and pausing – baby will begin to suck by closing the lips.

✨4✨I can teach baby where the food goes for chewing…which is what you saw this little munch bug doing in the video!

❤️These are just some of the techniques (not all) that I use in feeding therapy when babies have trouble developing their feeding skills for solid foods. Of course, in that case, I used a gloved finger/hand.

🤍But for those at home just wanting to help boost along baby’s feeding development like in this video, offer a clean finger with morsels of safe food. Here I’m offering o-shaped cereal slightly moistened with puree. ✨Notice how baby reaches for my finger the same way they might reach for a spoon?
✨They are controlling how I guide my finger too – and I’m responding to their grasp and interest, never going into baby’s mouth without their eager participation!

🥰BTW, I’m Melanie, author of 6 books on feeding kids and a pediatric feeding specialist. Thanks for following me – and SAVE this post so you’ll have it when you need it!

🫶🏼Happy Finger Feeding!!!
🤍Melanie
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Jul 23

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✨FREE for Professionals & Parents – ARFID, ANXIOUS EATING & More!

✨Professionals need a keen understanding of how anxiety influences a child’s willingness to interact with new foods. Parents of anxious eaters may struggle with their own anxiety around their child’s nutritional intake, creating a family dynamic that further impacts progress for the entire family. Learn the subtle signs of anxiety in children and their parents and strategies for both.

👉🏼COMMENT #ORGAIN & I WILL SEND YOU THE LINK FOR MORE INFO & REGISTRATION – AND YES, IT’S FREE!

🫶🏼Huge thank you to @drinkorgain for inviting me to their first speaker of the 2024 Professional Education Series!

🥰Melanie
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Posts filed under: Sensory Concerns

Sensory Concerns

The School Cafeteria: Hurry Up and EAT