Author: Mahera Kantawalla | January 17th, 2022
Don’t STRESS the MESS – Making mealtimes FUN for picky eaters!
Eating though fundamental is supposed to be an enjoyable and social experience. For children with feeding disorders, the opposite may be true. This is especially the case for children with Autism as they often struggle with food and mealtimes. This could be for a multitude of reasons such as medical issues, delayed oral motor skills, sensory processing disorders, and behavioural issues or, more commonly, a combination of these.
As a result, children with a feeding disorder often find mealtimes to be stressful and anxiety-provoking, resulting in meltdowns, refusal to eat food or try out new foods, making mealtime a frustrating and stressful experience for their parents or caregivers.
The first step, therefore, in addressing feeding issues in children is to change the mealtime experience from one that causes anxiety and stress to a more enjoyable experience for the ENTIRE family!
This can be easily achieved by following these simple tips:
1. Eat at the table together as a family – instead of feeding your child first and then sitting to eat, whenever possible eat your meals together at the same time. Talk about the food you are eating. “Mama is eating rice and curry. Umm… its so yummy!” This will make eating a more socially enjoyable experience for your child.
2. Consider making food secondary at the table, focus on the “fun” – Bring their favourite toys, activities to the table no T.V or mobile phones and play with your child to keep them positively engaged. Simply focus on spending time with your child at the dinner table. Don’t ever force-feed.
3. Let your child explore their food – Don’t worry about a mess! Mealtime should be a fun and enjoyable experience.
4. While they are playing and having fun with you, gradually introduce small bites of their preferred food – Praise a lot if they readily accept and eat.
5. Keep the time of meals and place of eating fixed for all meals – Limit mealtime to not more than 20-30 minutes. Do not allow your child to snack in between meals. Consistent and clear expectations during mealtimes can actually improve both your child’s appetite and behaviour at meals.
6. Present food in fun ways to make food interesting for your child such as cutting food into fun shapes.
7. Try some music an audiobook or the radio playing.
8. Keep it simple and be consistent and patient! Behaviours take time to change!
Share lots of smiles and have fun with your child as you eat together. A positive attitude and patience from your end will go a long way in helping your child develop a positive attitude towards food and be more open to accepting new foods.
Observe how these small changes affect your mealtime routine and take note of what works for your child and what doesn’t. If your child continues to have difficulty with sensory issues or oral motor issues regarding feeding, a consultation with an occupational therapist at Sethu would be helpful to address your child’s feeding difficulties.