Provide your child with foods that are length size!
Benefits:
Allows your little one to have more control over their food. Feeding can be a power struggle and this small step can help both parent and child during snack time/meals.
Allows your little one to practice with grasping, exploring foods (tactile input), and manipulate the food within their comfort zone.
Big one! Foods cut up into length sized portions allow your little one to place it towards the side of their mouth. Placement of food over the molars is very helpful in engaging lateral tongue movements, jaw strength and grading, oral sensory awareness and so much more!
Examples of foods shaped length wise:
Veggie straws (as shown above)
Banana 🍌 into strips
peppers 🫑 into strips
Avocado 🥑 into strips
carrots 🥕 into strips
rotini noodles (already length form)
Sweet potato 🍠 fries or regular fries 🍟
**Ensure your child is able to manage foods safely especially with foods that are harder to break down like carrots, peppers etc. Gagging, choking, coughing are red flags during meals. Supervision at meals is recommended.
If your aren’t sure, you can always ask for help from a feeding therapist. A feeding observation from a trained therapist will help provide custom recommendations based on your child’s skill level.
Thanks for reading!
Jessica Earle, Registered Occupational Therapist