Support Feeding A Child with Cerebral Palsy
Are you looking to make your child with cerebral palsy eating times easier? Does your child experience challenges when eating or drinking? For a child with cerebral palsy eating times may be challenging due to oral motor disorders. In addition, your child may have challenges with drinking, swallowing or eating. Alternatively, your child may have longer mealtimes. It is important to allow your child enough time to swallow all of their food. Mealtimes may get messy when your child with cerebral palsy is eating.
Having a bib that will protect your child’s clothing may help during these times. The designs of these bibs have a subtle, over-the-shoulder shape. This provides the attractive look of a tabard but with a short back. As a result, it is an easy shape to put on and take off. In addition the shape of the tabard will allow your child to have free arm movement at mealtimes. These bibs have long lasting, sprung steel, snap fasteners. Because of this, they stay firmly fixed in place. You can also adjust the wideness around the neck to suit most sizes.
Supporting Your Child with Cerebral Palsy Eating Times
Introducing eating in a positive way can help your child to see mealtimes in a positive way. Allowing your child to see the plat of food clearly can help them to understand how much food they are eating. In addition, having colourful child friendly plates, cutlery, bibs and other utensils will allow your child to have a sense of ownership over their eating times.
Promoting independent eating for a child with cerebral palsy
Providing soft foods that can be swallowed easier will help to aid your child with cerebral palsy eating during the day. You may wish to gradually introduce independent eating if your child has cerebral palsy. You can do this by placing a spoon in their hand and using hand over had support to assist them with moving the spoon to their mouth. This may get messy and it is important to remember to be patient. After your child is able to understand and independently support their eating with a spoon, you may want to try foods that are easy to eat with your fingers.
Messy Eating
Are you looking for a way to protect your child’s clothing during messy eating? At different development stages, your child may display messy eating. As you support your child to become more independent eaters, they may have a higher tendency to get their clothes dirty.
If you are searching for a comfortable bib for your child, the designs of these bibs will help. These bibs have a subtle, over-the-shoulder shape which provides the dignified look of a tabard but with a short back. This makes it easy to put on and take off. The bibs have large pockets which can be folded flat to the back, out of sight, if desired, and have a stretchy edging material for excellent comfort. In addition, the tabards have wide shoulder coverage and are ergonomically shaped on the front to enable free arm movement at mealtimes. This will help to ensure your child is comfortable while protecting their clothes from messy eating.
Eating and Sensory Needs
If you have a child who has sensory-seeking needs, they may tend to play with their food. This can result in messy eating. Allowing your child to experiment and play with foods can also promote their fine motor skills. Giving your child the space to explore their senses by playing with food can also help with easing the comfortability of trying new foods. The more a child becomes familiar with the look and feel of food, the more likely they will be to try to taste this item. This again is subjective, as every child is different and playing with food may be because they do not like their food. Food exploration due to sensory needs can result in your child having messy eating behaviors.
Strategies for supporting eating
You may experience messy eating with your child due to sensory, motor or mobility reasons. If your child has sensory needs they may squish food within their hands or play with their food. If their needs are due to mobility, they may need support with independent eating. Alternatively, your child may show messy eating due to behavioural reasons. There are various strategies for supporting your child’s eating habits. This includes praising your child for eating, sitting together during eating times and breaking food into smaller chunks.
Bibs for feeding older children
Are you searching for a bib to protect your child’s clothes during feeding? Your child may get messy during eating for a range of reasons. This includes both sensory needs mobility needs. These bibs have a subtle, over-the-shoulder shape which provides the attractive and dignified look of a tabard but with a short back. It is easy to put on an allows you to move your arms freely during feeding. They have long lasting, sprung steel, snap fasteners which are reinforced to ensure they stay firmly fixed in place. This allows adjustment for a comfortable fit
Feeding Your Child with Sensory Needs
Feeding children with sensory needs can be an interesting experience. If your child is sensory seeking, they may play with their food because of the tactile benefits that they receive. Many children will show sensory exploration with their food as a display of discovery and exploration. If you are feeding a child with sensory needs, it’s important to be patient and allow this exploration time. Attempting to prevent sensory exploration during feeding, can prevent this exploration period. Sensory exploration while you are feeding your child can allow them to become comfortable with the textures and feel of the food. Sensory needs can also result in an aversion to certain food for some children. Encouraging sensory exploration with you child can lead to increased tolerance of the food.
Feeding Your child with mobility needs
If you have a child with mobility needs, you may also notice that they require support with feeding. This may be due to oral motor or reduced arm movement. This may make it challenging for your child to coordinate the movements needed during feeding and eating times. You may see that your child is hypersensitive to eating. This can lead to reactions to food such as gaging or difficulty swallowing or keeping food in their mouths. Alternatively, your child’s mobility needs may make it a challenge for them to get food to their mouth. As a result, you may experience messy eating.
In any of these cases it is important to see a medical professional. They will help you to identify how to make feeding and eating easier for your child. Treatment may involve desensitisation therapy. This involves continuously exposing your child to a type of food during feeding. Alternatively you may change the feeding process.
Feeding a child with cerebral palsy
https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2013224
Nutrition in children with Cerebral palsy
Are you looking to make a child with cerebral palsy eating times easier? Many children with cerebral palsy experience challenges when eating or drinking. Your child may experience challenges with eating, drinking or swallowing. For a child with cerebral palsy eating times may also be challenging due to oral motor disorders.
Mealtimes may last a bit longer due to such challenges. Your child may experience malnutrition and need dietary supplements
Supporting Your Child with Cerebral Palsy Eating Times
Introducing eating in a positive way can help your child to see mealtimes in a positive way. Allowing your child to see the plat of food clearly can help them to understand how much food they are eating. In addition, having colourful child friendly plates, cutlery, bibs and other utensils will allow your child to have a sense of ownership over their eating times.
Promoting independent eating for a child with cerebral palsy
Providing soft foods that can be swallowed easier will help to aid your child with cerebral palsy eating during the day. You may wish to gradually introduce independent eating if your child has cerebral palsy. You can do this by placing a spoon in their hand and using hand over had support to assist them with moving the spoon to their mouth. This may get messy and it is important to remember to be patient. After your child is able to understand and independently support their eating with a spoon, you may want to try foods that are easy to eat with your fingers.
https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/cerebral-palsy/living/eating-and-feeding-tips/
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**The information provided in this article is accumulated by the community not by professionals. It is important to seek appropriate medical or professional advice where necessary.