Mesh Feeder Giveaway

Want to win a pair of  mesh feeders?
Visit and like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/speakeatplay and comment below. Winner will be announced Sunday August 18th at 10pm eastern time. Good Luck!

(**UPDATE, this giveway has ended,  we are sorry you missed it, but you can purchase these mesh feeders, HERE. You can also read our post on why we love them so much, HERE.  Be sure to follow us for future giveaways).

Food Play for Problem Feeders

Play with your food!

Karina Gonzalez, M.S., CCC-SLP

Do you remember your parents telling you to not play with your food? Well, I'm here to tell you that for a picky eater or a child that is aversive to textures, playing with food is a must. All children need to explore textures with their hands. Exploring the textures of food, helps to develop a good eating habit. It is important to start early, yes as soon as he's old enough to sit on a high chair, and don't be afraid to get messy! Playing with food has many benefits, here are a few:

• Allows the child to become comfortable with the colors, textures, and smells of food with out having to eat it.
• Makes meal time fun.
• Helps get rid of any sensory issues on the hands and fingers (Some of these kids don't like to touch sand, grass, or even soap).
• Builds confidence, especially if you reward them.
• Develops good eating habits (as mentioned above).
• Develops good hand-eye coordination.
• Develops find motor skills, especially if they have to pick up small foods like Cheerios or slippery ones like spaghetti.
• Develops hand to mouth coordination that will also help with overall self feeding skills.
• Helps to develop play skills. 

Giveaway!!!

We have a prize for a loyal reader!

As our way of thanking our readers, we are giving away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card (You deserve a coffee break!). It's simple to qualify, all you have to do is sign up to receive our posts via email (scroll down and find the "follow by email" link on the right side of this page). That's it! We will announce the winner on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/speakeatplay on Sunday May 26.
Signing up for our email feeds is a great way to stay up to date with all of our post and to make sure you don't miss out on good information.
Thank you and Good Luck!

Mesh Feeders

Why I Love Mesh Feeders (Available for purchase HERE)

By Karina Gonzalez, MS, CCC-SLP.

    

 Picture source: Amazon.com

Many parents are afraid of introducing solid foods due to the risk of choking, however, this fear can be put at ease with a mesh feeder. Mesh feeder are exactly what the name says, it’s a mesh pocket that can be filled with fruits, veggies or any other solid food you would like your child to have. They have a plastic handle that babies can use to grip. As your child chews and suckles on the feeder, the contents come out through the mesh in a mushy texture that is safe for your baby to swallow. A mesh feeder can be used as early as 4 months of age, as long as your child has good head control and has no issues with swallowing. There are many benefits to using a mesh feeder, and these include: