A Child’s Exploration of Food

A messy eater is a happy eater.” Children are naturally curious and food exploration is a natural way to teach your child about the characteristics of different foods. Learning and exploring foods, help them stay open minded about new foods and enables them to be more comfortable accepting a variety of foods.

What does Exploration of Food mean?

Exploration of food occurs when a child is given the opportunity to freely explore a variety of tastes and textures of foods by using their hands to feel and squish, mouth to taste or lick, and nose to smell. This can get messy. Don’t worry about the mess. The learning experience is well worth it and you can contain the mess without interfering with the learning and exploring process. Depending on the needs of your child, this experience can occur during feeding or special times during the day.

What are the benefits to Exploring Food?

Children who are allowed to explore freely with foods are more likely to accept food without refusal. While exploring, they learn about the characteristics of the food. They learn that the food may be hard, soft, wet, dry, breaks up easily or stays together. This enables them to get an idea of what will happen when they put the food in their mouth. They will know if they have to chew the food or just swallow. Becoming comfortable with the food facilitates comfort in eating and in turn trust in the feeder. Becoming comfortable with textures on their hands increases their tolerance of these textures in their mouth. Participating in food exploration makes it easier to try new or unusual foods. Exploring food is especially important for children who have issues that may be contributing to feeding difficulties such as reflux, other GI issues, allergies/intolerances and oral sensori-motor impairment. Due to their negative experience with eating, children with feeding difficulties or any of the above-mentioned issues are less likely to explore food or their environment and miss out on important opportunities to learn. These issues can negatively impact eating and food choices, speech development and teeth alignment. Providing food exploration opportunities is extremely valuable for all children.

What are some ways my child can participate in a food exploration experience?

• First of all, dress your child in clothes that you do not mind him/her getting messy in, so that he/she can fully participate in the feeding or exploring experience.

• Place a splat mat or sheet under the highchair to reduce the mess

• Place small amount of puree or other food on tray and allow child to finger paint and explore

• Provide Nuk brush, tooth brush, spoon, fork, dippers, cups, bowls etc. to use in exploration

• Do not wipe tray, face or hands while child is eating or until they are finished

• Do not force feed, sneak, bribe or attempt to feed

• Combine new/undesired food with food child likes

• Encourage self-feeding

What are ways that I can ensure carryover of food exploration learning during mealtime?

• Place your child at or near the table during mealtime

• Relinquish control of the feeding environment, allow your child to independently explore the “safe” food offered you offer  Guide or help you child with hand over hand assistance as needed and tolerated

• Provide a stress-free meal time environment

• Do not focus on quantity of food consumed but rather provide a non-stressed feeding experience and

• Clean hands and tray at the end of meal time and out of the highchair

• Make sure that you participate in family meals, providing your child with the opportunity to watch you eat and enjoy a variety of foods. Providing food exploration experiences help you pave the way for enjoyable stress free family meals, thus brings joy back to mealtimes!