By Brooke Heinz, Speech-Language Pathologist | Exhausted Mom
My son is the child of a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). As such, he unknowingly receives all the therapy strategies I have learned. He also experiences the parenting strategies I have acquired since entering the field. And sometimes, those strategies don’t go as planned.
Story time
At dinner, I was using a therapy strategy. We’ll call it playing with your food. I can’t remember if there is a more official name. Playing with your food is pretty straightforward. It involves taking the pressure off a picky eater to eat a certain food by letting them play with food. This strategy is excellent for kids who like to use their imagination. It’s based off the theory that kids learn through play.
Strategy Breakdown: Play with your food
| Strategy Name | Description | Target Group | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playing with Your Food | A strategy that encourages children to engage with food through imaginative play rather than pressure. | Picky eaters, imaginative children | Reduces anxiety around food, promotes exploration, enhances creativity and sensory skills. |
| Implementation Steps | 1. Offer a variety of preferred and non-preferred foods. 2. . Encourage play with food (e.g., finger hats, faces, race cars). 3. Let them explore textures and shapes. | ||
| Considerations | – Avoid forcing them to eat the food. – Be patient and allow time for adjustment. – Supervise to ensure safety. |
We were doing this with raspberries, and it was working beautifully. My son put on his ‘finger hat’. He touched it to his face. He touched it to his tongue. He touched it to his ears and his teeth. All the while, he was giggling. He decided his raspberry was the mama finger hat. He asked for a second one to be the daddy finger hat.
It was all going so well until Daddy Finger Hat started saying, ‘I hate you’ to me.
I can handle some razzing from a raspberry (pun absolutely intended). Still, I’d rather my son did not get in the habit of saying, ‘I hate you’ to anyone. Even in play, it is not ideal.
The berry shared its true feelings for the fifth time. So, I said to daddy finger hat,
“If you say ‘I hate you’ one more time, I’m going to eat you.”
Laughing, daddy finger hat stated the phrase again. So, I plucked him off my son’s finger and bit the raspberry in half. I was chuckling until I saw my son’s face redden and his eyes fill with tears.
“You ate him, put him back!” my son wailed between sobs.
Horrified, I started apologizing right away, but nothing I said would bring it back.
Great job, Mom, I thought as I held him, apologizing over and over again. I tried in vain to explain why I ate his new friend. This might be in the top five worst things I’ve done as a mom.
It took at least ten minutes for my son to calm down. I had to do the five-finger breathing method with him at least three times (side note: that shit works!).
Note of caution: When playing with food, do not eat your kid’s friends. Even if the ‘friend’ had it coming.
Speechy Life 
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