By: Giorgea Kalampalikis M.S. CCC-SLP
Indirect feeding therapy aims to make food exploration fun and naturalistic outside of a typical mealtime.
There are many ways to expose your child to new foods without the expectation that they need to sit down at the table for a meal and consume it. Here are three ways to work on this!
1. Have your child pack their lunch/snacks with you. You can describe the components of the food (taste, smell, color, texture) and turn it into a fun game. This can increase their independence as well!
2.Incorporate your child into grocery shopping time. There are so many new foods and textures at the grocery store. They can help you put the items from the shelf into the cart. If that is too much for them, that is okay! Being around the food is a step in the right direction to show them that the food item is not intimidating, just present.
3.Have your child present with you while you are making a meal! You can talk about the food and have them taste test with you if they are open to it. If that is too much, you can model taste tasting and talk to them about the food.
Indirect feeding activities are great ways to expose your child to new foods with less pressure. The goal is to show them different unfamiliar foods in a less structured format. Bring on the food fun!
For more information regarding a feeding assessment or therapy, please reach out to our Clinical Lead for Voice and Feeding at the following email: giorgea.kalampalikis@nationaltherapycenter.com