(Courtesy of The Therapy Gym) Child-led feeding promotes improved motor skills, diverse food choices, reduced risk of overfeeding and improved independence and autonomy.

Here are some tips to promote child-led feeding skills:

• Cut soft foods, such as avocado, bananas, cooked vegetables and omelets into wedges that babies can hold in their hand, but not so large so they will not choke.
• Gagging is a normal part of child-led feeding. Choking is not. Children use gagging to learn where food is in their mouth. Additionally, they have more sensitive gags than adults.
• When children are gagging, it is not advisable to put your finger in the mouth to get the food out, as you are more likely to push it further in.
• All in all, take cues from your child and speak to your pediatrician about introducing foods that are potential allergens. You may be advised to introduce these foods one at a time.

Drinking from a straw is another essential component of child-led feeding skills.

Drinking from a straw is important for kids because it aids in speech and muscle development. Using a straw engages the mouth and tongue muscles, aiding in the development of oral motor skills. These skills are crucial for speech development and can also help children transition to more advanced feeding techniques as they grow.

Here are some tips to help your child drink from a straw:

• You can start working with your child to drink from a straw from as early as 6 months old.
• Use a cup with a short straw, such as the Honey Bear Cup, or the Rubbermaid Litterless Juice Box, both sold online.
• If the child has difficulty, give support around the mouth on the cheeks by gently pressing the cheeks so that the mouth forms around the straw.
• If the child does not suck, give a gentle squeeze to the bear cup or juice box (which you can fill with water, see above) so that the child gets some liquid, and look h for a swallow. They will then figure out how to suck so that they get some liquid.