We all want our kids to be the best that they can be.  In fact, many families hire coaches to pump up their kids’ soccer game, to improve their free throw shot, or to work on their ballet positions.  But a baby?  An eating coach?  What exactly does a family mealtime coach do? Throughout coaching, therapists use reflective to help caregivers gain insight into a problem or situation.

Even if a feeding therapist is recommended to work on your child’s skills, we often see that mealtime interactions, expectations, and stress have a greater impact on meals than skills.  Parents need help with defining their own role and their child’s responsibilities at mealtimes. This balance is what will allow the child to advance their self-regulation skills without allowing them to try things that are unsafe, or inappropriate.

The job of a mealtime coach is to teach parents to be aware of their own impact on the mealtime relationship, to help them read their child’s cues, and to empower them to determine the right amount of support for their child. 

What does a Spectrum Pediatrics coach do?

Our goal is to help you develop healthy mealtime interactions with your child, instead of expecting meals to look like feeding therapy

We will listen first, to understand the whole problem.

We will work with your family to determine the root causes of the difficulties.

 We will build on strengths to improve mealtimes.

We will collaborate with your family to create solutions that will work in your home or circumstances.

If you’re interested in learning more about how a mealtime coach could help your family, we would love to hear from you. Spectrum Pediatrics currently has therapists in Virginia, Tennessee, and New York. We are also able to coach remotely from a different state. Contact us here!