Supporting Your Child With Eating

Try not to be forceful

Eating needs to be a happy experience, so it's often best to focus on positive social interactions, not what has or hasn't been eaten. If they ate more than the time before, they have accomplished something. If they played with it, smelled it, licked it, tasted it, chewed it and spat it out, then praise them for what they did do. Never punish them for what they didn't do. 

Ensure a calm and safe environment

It can be difficult to remain calm when you feel concerned about your child's eating, but creating a relaxed environment is crucial to support their ability to interact with foods that are challenging for them. Try some calming activities before mealtimes, such as helping them wash their hands in warm, soapy water, massaging their hands when drying them, sitting quietly with their favourite toy, or a ‘getting ready’ game such as blowing bubbles or squeezing a squishy toy.

Allow your child to explore and play with food through their hands

This allows them to experience different textures through the tactile system. It can feel safer to explore using hands before trying to go near the mouth. 

Go slow with introducing new foods

Only one new food at a time that has the same sensory characteristics as foods the young person already eats (e.g. colour or texture). For example: 

• If your child eats pasta, try different shaped potato
  
  
• If they eat chips, try sweet potato chips that are the same shape and size as potato chips they may eat. 

Let them get familiar with new foods

This means initially just being in the same room as it. Then, move on to having it on the table. Encourage them to pass it to another member of the family or to serve it up on someone else’s plate. Gradually see if your young person will tolerate having it positioned closer to them. It may also be helpful to have your young person help to prepare the food so they can become familiar with it, but know that they will not be expected to eat it.

Hand over as much control as possible

You could: 

• Offer a trying plate. This is a separate plate given to young person at mealtimes to give them an opportunity to interact with food, without the expectation of eating it. This can support them to look at, touch, smell or taste this food, moving through these steps as they feel able to.
  
  
• Give them a choice of 2 new foods to try. Let them know they only need to touch, sniff or lick.
  
  
• Find out the best time of day for them to try something new... breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner. When are they most agreeable/willing/alert?