Early Intervention

We are so excited that the founder of our Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics feeding division was featured on The Comfort Food Podcast with Virginia Sole-Smith and Amy Palanjian. Virginia Sole-Smith is the author of one of our favorite new books, The Eating Instinct. Amy is the founder of Yummy Toddler Food, a parent blog that […]

By: Jennifer Berry, MS, OT/L and Heidi Moreland, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CLC Many parents of children with feeding tubes wonder how soon they can begin the tube weaning process.  Even when parents believe their children are showing signs of interest or readiness, their medical teams often advise them to wait.  The doctors’ belief is that the […]

Play is the way kids learn. We know that linking play and experience helps to build the brain. Positive experiences with food allows the senses to acclimate to the touch, feel, smell, or sight of whatever they are experiencing. Independent play in all settings helps to build interest, confidence, and motivation. Whether the goal is greater variety or simply […]

As a feeding therapist, I always thought that I was being helpful when I “coached” children through their bites, cheered, and “whoo hoo-ed!” for all their eating attempts. I also observed well-meaning parents, grandparents and caregivers cheer, clap, and praise any attempts at eating, but we often did not see a consistent increase in eating […]

Less. That’s right. Less. In today’s food-obsessed culture we often do too many well-meaning things to get our children to eat well instead of getting out of their way and letting them learn to eat well and enjoy food in the way their bodies and minds were designed. • Less Pressuring –  Parents often use gentle and not-so […]

“Isn’t my job to make them eat healthy?”: It is often forgotten that children and parents both have their own roles to play during mealtimes. Ellyn Satter describes the Division of Responsibility (sDOR), which breaks down the different roles between parents and their child. Parents control the what, when, and where of feeding Children determine […]