Tons of oral motor exercises for toddlers and kids that can easily and naturally be used in the home. Plus, get a free downloadable PDF!
I’m getting a little bit technical in this post, as I tell you about the powerful, but often unheard of, oral motor exercises. Unless you happen to have a child in feeding or speech therapy, then you’ve probably not heard the term before. It’s very common lingo in both occupational and speech therapy. I’m taking the time to talk about oral motor exercises because using them can absolutely transform how your child eats, if they won’t eat a variety of foods or if your baby/toddler is having a hard time transitioning to table foods.
The problem is that oral motor exercises don’t help in every instance of extreme picky eating or babies that won’t eat. To know if they’re going to be helpful for your child, we’ll need to do some detective work. To begin with, you’ll need to think about what and how your child eats. I think an example might help here, so I’m going to tell you about a little boy, Micheal, that was having difficulty eating. He was 12 months old when his mother came to me for help.
Micheal’s mother desperately told me that he wouldn’t eat foods. Then, she corrected herself, and said, “Well, he tries to eat some foods, but all of the food comes right back out of his mouth.” Aha, it’s an important clue that Micheal was trying to eat and not just flat out refusing (we’ll get to why in a minute). I learned that Micheal was taking all sorts of soft cooked veggies and fruits, putting them into his mouth, seemingly chewing them for a long time, and then they would haphazardly fall out of his mouth.
Micheal would also accept some pureed foods and had done okay eating baby foods, but mostly seemed indifferent to the whole experience.
His mother was stressed.
Confused.
In Micheal’s case, oral motor exercises were a perfect strategy to help him learn to eat better! And, they helped a lot, combined with other strategies for helping babies learn to eat finger foods. Within a few weeks, Micheal was eating 5-7 new foods, and they weren’t falling out of his mouth! (Read more about how to transition baby and toddlers to table foods.)
If Micheal hadn’t received some additional help with his oral motor skills, he might have continued to struggle to eat. His family would have done their best, guessing what to do at each turn. He may have grown into a 1, 2, 3 year old, or older with serious picky eating challenges. At some point, his oral motor skills likely would’ve gotten at least a little better, but many other layers would’ve been added to the picky eating problem, making it hard to unravel.
What could’ve happened is a story I see in front of me all the time.
Of course, Micheal’s story is just one example of how helpful oral motor exercises can be, and they certainly aren’t just for babies or toddlers. Children of all ages may benefit from them.
Before we begin, keep a look out for the Feeding Therapy and oral motor exercises downloadable PDF at the end of the post and you’ll get a bonus: Food Diary Log.
What Does Oral Motor Mean Exactly?
Oral motor refers to how we use the muscles inside of our mouth. This includes the tongue, lips, cheeks, and jaw. They are all parts of our mouth and are tied to tons of muscles, and just like any muscle, it can be strong or weak. Coordinated or not coordinated.
We need our oral motor skills to be able to talk, eat, or drink from a straw. They aren’t something most of us give much thought to, but they are very important.
Signs a Child May Need Oral Motor Exercises
This is where we’ll start our detective work! Below, I’m going to list common signs you might see if your child has either some difficulty coordinating their oral motor skills or underlying weakness. It’s important to note that you’re looking for several signs to be present to point towards your child benefiting from oral motor exercises.
Also, this is not any sort of diagnosis. If you’re concerned about your child’s oral motor skills, I’d highly recommend a feeding therapy evaluation or if your child is under three and you live in the U.S., you may qualify for a free in-home evaluation from your state’s early intervention program.
For the feeding therapists, OT’s, or SLPs, that have to assess feeding, you know it can be hard to find a good screening tool. If that’s the case for you check out The Picky Eating Hierarchy: Screening Tool to Identify Feeding Difficulties and Treatment Plan in our shop.
Here are some red flags that oral motor skills needs some attention:
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- Food falling out of mouth while trying to eat
- Difficulty chewing
- Mashes food with tongue
- Sucks on food instead of chewing
- Will hold food in mouth, sometimes for hours (often referred to as “pocketing food“, there are other reasons children do this, as well)
- Gagging on food after it’s been in mouth (not immediately or at the sight of food, check out this guide on baby gagging)
- Mouth is often in an open position
- Tongue hangs out of mouth
- Difficulty sticking tongue out
- Never chewed on toys or teethers as a baby
- Difficulty learning to eat table and finger foods as a baby and toddler
- Preference for certain texture of food (Crunchy or soft)
- Difficulty drinking from a straw (if over 24 months old)
- Drooling (only consider when combined with other factors on this list, as drooling has many different potential causes. Learn more about when your child is too old to drool here)
How to Use Oral Motor Exercises with Kids
If your child is in feeding or speech therapy, you may see their therapist practice oral motor exercises for a certain amount of repetitions or over a period of time. And, if you’ve been told to follow through on that at home, then please follow the direction of your therapist first.
For many toddlers though, it’s nearly impossible to get them to sit and complete “exercises”. And, for older children, it may start to feel like a chore. If it does, they likely aren’t going to try very hard or they’re going to rush to get through them, not really reaping the full benefit. That’s why I like to use oral motor activities in their play as much as possible.
This is actually pretty easy to do. Once you learn about what the oral motor exercises are below, you can either make a list (or print mine out), gather any simple supplies you might need, and have them on the ready. You may decide to have a basket of these items out for your child to engage with at any time, or maybe to set up a time everyday that you play with the oral motor toys.
I don’t like to call it “exercise” time, unless I have to. Ideally, I like to just use oral motor exercises as part of a routine. For instance, I might find some time I can focus on them after breakfast each day for 10 minutes, where I get down on the floor and be silly with the ideas and toys below. Or, I might try if I had a 15 minute commute after daycare or school (most of the exercises can be done easily in the car). Giving your child the chance to do oral motor exercise everyday or a couple times a week can have a big impact.
Doing these activities with your child and demonstrating is very important, too! Kids that need oral motor exercise are having a hard time using those muscles and they can’t see what they’re doing. Watching you literally helps them see what they need to do. Plus, it’s more fun and motivating. You can also try the activities in front of mirror!
You may work on oral motor exercises for weeks, months, or in some cases, years. You’ll know you don’t need to do them anymore when they’re able to complete them easily and they are able to chew foods well or their speech has significantly improved.
Transforming Oral Motor Exercises for Toddlers and Children
As you look through the list below, you’ll see the exercises organized by the different parts of the oral system: tongue, cheeks, jaw strength, lips. Children may have difficulty or need strengthening in all of the areas or they may need to focus on just one particular muscle.
If you see your child has no problem completing certain groups of these exercises, there’s probably not a weakness there! When they struggle to complete them, that’s usually a sign they need more help in that area. However, some activities aren’t developmentally appropriate at all ages. For instance, a 13 month old isn’t usually capable of blowing bubbles, but a 2 year old is. I will indicate ages next to the exercises.
Lastly, keep in mind, there’s a lot of overlap between the different exercises and the muscles they target.
Affiliate links used below. See our full disclosure.
Tongue Exercises:
Use a vibrating toothbrush to brush teeth (stimulates tongue movement)
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- I like this smaller one for babies and toddlers. Note that vibration can be intense sensory input, if your child refuses, take baby steps to help them get used to the sensation. Never force.
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- Licking popsicles or lollipops outside of the mouth
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- Placing applesauce, yogurt, or pudding on the corners of the mouth and having kids lick off. (Mirrors are helpful if your child struggles with this one.)
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- Click or cluck tongue
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- Sing “La, la, la”
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- Try to touch tongue to tip of nose (it doesn’t matter if they can’t get there, the tongue in that direction is what matters)
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- Blow raspberries
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- Count teeth with tongue
Lip and Cheek Exercises:
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- Blowing air kisses
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- Drinking through a straw (Learn how to teach babies and toddlers to drink from a straw from as early as 9 months old)
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- Experiment with thicker textures like milkshakes and even applesauce to make it more challenging
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- Hold a small carrot stick or other food in between the teeth without using teeth to hold it steady
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- Make silly faces
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- Fish lips (ages 3 and up)
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- Make “O” shape with lips
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- Spread lips far apart
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- Kiss lips
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- Blow fish face, with cheeks puffed out
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- Blow bubbles (20 months plus)
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- Humming
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- Pick a nursery rhyme that your child likes and try humming it together
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- Play a harmonica
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- Smack lips together
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- Blow whistles (easy one’s can be used from about 18 months and older)
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- There are a ton of whistles out there, many are very affordable. These “lip kazoos” are very easy and a great place to start.
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- Other whistles like these blowers are more challenging.
Jaw Exercises:
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- Bite on a vibrating toy.
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- Baby teethers can work if they fit in your child’s mouth.
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- Handheld massagers can even be held to the jaw for a few seconds at a time to stimulate the muscles.
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- These animal jigglers are designed to go inside your child’s mouth and can even be used as utensils. Kids are often motivated to bite on the chewy texture. Therapists love them (I always had one in my therapy bag).
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- For the most intensive vibration, therapists may use a z-vibe. These are very powerful and should be used carefully, making sure you child is comfortable with the sensation. Vibration is very stimulating to the muscles in short bursts of 3-5 seconds, but starts to relax the muscles after that point. Watch for your child’s reactions.
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- Use a mesh bag (found in the baby department) to chew on foods directly on the molars.
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- We want kids to chew directly on their molars, or where they will be, on the back of their gums. Hold (or have them hold) the mesh bag and chew while keeping it in place. I love to put frozen grapes or strawberries in the bag, but use a food you think your child will enjoy!
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- Chew on molars with chewy foods
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- Dried mango strips
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- Beef jerky
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- Licorice
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Some children LOVE oral motor exercises and want to do them all the time. That’s because there is a sensory component to how oral motor exercises feel. The texture, the taste, and the smell. These exercises can be very stimulating. At the same time, some kids will avoid these activities solely because of the sensations they experience. If you think your child falls into either of these camps, then head to Everything You Need to Know About Oral Sensory.
Ideas for Oral Motor Therapy
Sometimes kids need some extra motivation, and these are some bonus ideas that take the oral motor exercises to the next level. Perfect for therapists to use during therapy or parents looking for some more creative ideas. I’m constantly finding new ideas and pinning them on our Pinterest boards.
Here are some of my favorites:
If as a therapist, you need to regularly or occasionally assess a child’s oral motor skills, The Picky Eating Screen Tool in our shop, covers all this and more. It’s invaluable to have on hand!
Want to Print Out a List of These Oral Motor Exercises?
I’m thinking it might be helpful to print a list of the oral motor exercises above! So, I made one for you. You can grab the Feeding Therapy and Oral Motor Exercises Pack here! Plus, I added a Food Diary Bonus to utilize to track any child’s eating! All of these are great to start today!
If you have any questions about oral motor therapy or exercises leave them below in the comments, I’m happy to help!
More on Oral Motor for Kids and Toddlers
Everything Oral Sensory: The Total Guide
The BEST Strategy for Picky Eating
Transitioning Your Baby (or Toddler) to Table Foods
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
SLP here trying to download the PDF of exercises and haven’t received an email. I tried multiple times with multiple email addresses and its been a few days.
Thank you.
Hey Katelyn,
If you are having trouble reach out to us at hello@yourkidstable.com
Best,
Desiree
This page is so helpful, thank you! I would love to purchase a lot of the toys and toothbrushes you are talking about but the links to amazon don’t work anymore. Is there a way you can update it? Specifically the animal jigglers and the vibrating toothbrush.
Thanks for letting us know!! We will look at updating the link for the animal jigglers. And keep an eye on the vibrating tooth brush, the link is working but is just unavailable at this time! Thanks so much!
Desiree
Thanks so much for your thoughtful advice and guide.i have a son that will be 5 years next week, but he has a speech delay and can’t write We have gone to hospitals, did tests and were advised to use a speech Therapist. We did last year and he can call Daddy, Mummy and other names though not too clear now.But cannot make a sentence or use two words.We are engaging in some of the Oral motor exercises listed above.But I will appreciate if there’s more that I can do.its really heartbreaking seeing him without much communication. Thanks.
Hey Raymonda,
Thanks for reaching out! These oral motor exercises will be great! But so glad you are utilizing a speech therapist as they really are the experts in the “talking” field. I’d run the exercises by your therapist to see which ones she feels may support him the most!
Best,
Desiree
Hi, I have found reading your articles so interesting. My LO is nearly 11 months he was born with cleft lip and palate his surgery went well but since then feeding has been a nightmare he doesnt drink anything, he has his milk with weatabix 3 times a day. Eating is an issue he wont try most things. Spits them out or wont even entertain picking food up. He does oddly like breadsticks and biscuits and will try and eat them but they tend to fall out his mouth rather than him managing to eat them. Any advice on eating and drinking would be grateful as I would love for him to eat fruit, veg or a meal and actually drink something. (We have tried many different drinking options, bottle, cup, sippy cups) its like he cant handle the fluid. We are waiting for app with a dietitian to help us out.
Hey Jessica,
So glad you reached out! You can definitely try a staw cup to see if he can manage this, it will be great oral motor skills to complete as well as reduce the amount of liquid he is getting at once. This may take a little time, but we do have a great article on how to help them learn the straw! Read about it Here
Best,
Desiree
Hi my DD is 2yrs old she use to do vomitings three times or more for 5 th day of her birth after 1 year they said she had reflux and now that problem has reduced a lot but she won’t chew food ( chew food which are as pieces ) but not rice because of that she gags for every spoon of food and she vomits I am really worried and exhausted and one more thing is she don’t like to eat Mashy texture and she don’t know to chew normal texture though she is hungry she ends up eating nothing . And once we went to feeding therapy but they said her younger movements were good . I am really worried
Hey Teja,
We hear you and understand where you are coming from. As far as the chewing I’d try the activities HERE. But I’d also check out this post to try to understand why the gagging is happening. Check out this post HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hi my 2 year twin girl did not eat solid food yet and did not put any toy in her mouth. I am so worried please tell me what should i do? She grind her teeth all the time too much
Hi Sadia,
That sounds like it has been really tough for your girls! Learning to eat can be difficult for some toddlers. You might want to try brushing teeth, gums, inner cheeks and tongue regularly. It can help desensitize their mouths, which can make eating easier for them! We also have a free workshop dedicated to helping you transition babies and toddlers to table food. It might be helpful for you. You can save your seat HERE. I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
This has been so helpful and made me feel we aren’t alone in this. Thank you
Awesome Michelle,
Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂 You are not alone!!
Best,
Desiree
I have a 3 year old who will not eat any meat or warm foods. The boy would live on fruit and crackers if it were up to him. He struggles using a spoon…i notice when he opens his mouth his tounge goes to the roof of his mouth and blocks the spoon from entering. When he sees meat he rolls it around with his tounge instead of chewing. Refuses to try new things. Please help!
Hey Kylie,
Thanks for reaching out! We do have an article that may be helpful for the Chewing so you can check that out! Also we do have a free workshop for picky eating, that may also be helpful for you! You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Thank you for sharing this important information. My son is 2 years old, and he refuse to eat, he eats only silky textures food and crunchy like chips. I live in France to get an specialist to see him it’s kind of a nightmare, i’m still waiting an appointment.
I’m too happy to find some advice, and i can not wait to put this in practice. I really feel kind of lost and little helpless. It really give me some hope and knowing that’s normal and happens to other too, we are not alone.
Hey Celina,
You are NOT alone!! We understand how difficult it is sometimes to get an evaluation or specialist in the area of feeding, so we are with you!! Hoping these will help your little one! You can check out our post on looking for feeding therapy, this can be helpful in your search for help!! Feeding Therapy
Best,
Desiree
My son is 21months. He will only eat pureed food, and even then gags when swallowing. He hasn’t started to talk or even try to mimic sounds. I have tried therapy chew toys and the mesh bags, but he won’t touch them. What do I do?
Hey Gabrielle,
Great job at being proactive for your son!! I’d keep offering those as it may take awhile for him to accept. But in the meantime, I’d work on brushing his teeth multiple times a day. You can utilize the toothbrush to brush his gums as this will help as well!
Best,
Desiree
HI – your site is very helpful. Great job. I scheduled an appointment with a OT but am not sure if I am proactively worried. My son is 10 months old and was 3 weeks early. He will eat purees and will put broccoli in his mouth and suck and suck and chew on it but doesn’t really eat it. All other foods he either straight up refuses to touch or when he does put them in his mouth they are never swallowed and fall out / get spit out.
I always believe in being proactive when it comes to feeding, so good job to you! Have you seen my post on how to transition to table foods and the free printable there? It has a lot of specifics and I think will be helpful. Check it out here.
Hi Alisha, my 14 month old is still only eating some purred food ( mainly mango flavours). It seems like he can’t chew and swallow. He wants to try food but holds it in his mouth then spits it out after 5 minutes or so. He also drools a lot and doesn’t mouth anything other than his hands. He breast feeds and can drink with no problem but anything that involves chewing he will gag, choke or vomits if he tries to swallow. I’ve taken him to several doctors and been told to keep trying and eventually he will get the hang of eating, I’m concerned that there may be more to it than getting the hang of it.
Do you have any recommendations?
Hey Jenna,
I can understand how frustrating this must be for you!! You’re not getting any answers!! Have you tried giving him puffs (meltable foods) these are what helps kids to learn how to eat/where foods are in their mouth so that they are able to walk through the steps for chewing and swallowing, but they melt away so take away some of the gagging. You will learn great steps to take in our free workshop!! Save your seat here.
Keep us posted!!
Desiree
I have saved a seat in the work shop😀. I’ve tried many different puffs. He throws them away or spits them out, it may be the texture, I just don’t know.
Awesome Jenna!! I think you’ll learn some tips/tricks!! Also, food play is HUGE!!! Completing outside of mealtimes to get the kids used to a variety of textures can be helpful!!
Keep us posted!
Desiree
This is so timely Alisha. I’m an SLP student majoring in feeding and swallowing. We have many challenges here in Kenya and most mothers with CP children lack the awareness of services and if any, they are faced with financial constraints. Is there a way you can help please!
Ruth, send an email to us at hello@yourkidstable.com with any ideas you have!
Hi!
Thank you so much for all of your information it is so helpful! Your passion for your work shines bright!! My son is 7m and he loves food but in order to eat he has to suck on two fingers with each bite in order to swallow if he doesn’t put his fingers in his mouth often the food will fall out. We have only done purées so far. Any suggestions/exercises to help transition from his fingers? Thanks!!
Wow, that’s so interesting! He’s quite clever to have figured that out. I would actually read these two posts. Baby’s first meal (get tips on how to feed with a spoon to help with swallowing) and how to transition to table foods because although he’s just on purees, there’s some great readiness steps in there that will help get him ready!
Hi!
Frist of all – thank you for a great page! I think I finally found som answers.
My son is 11,5m old, and still eats absoultely nothing. That said he loves meal times, will put almost Everything we serve him in HIS mouth, but he just doesen’t seem to Get the chewing and swallowing part. The peaces just fall out. He doesen’t drool, and otherwise he’s happy and progressing well.
This is My third child, and both of my girls started solids without big issues. And are confident eaters today. We have regular, social mealtimes and he is always included.
We live all the way over in Norway, and can’t find a lot of information here. So far I’ve been adviced to starve him – in the sense to stop breaestfeeding and to just wait it out, neither of whitch is working (or I’m willing to try for longer periods of time). Do you do online consultarions/webinars? Or do you happen to know a fantatic colleague in Skandinavia?
All the best from Solveig – Kristians mum
Hello Solveig,
So happy that you reached out to us, as we understand getting the advice that you are getting can be so frustrating!! First of all it is GREAT that your child is wanting to put everything in his mouth, HUGE step! Secondly, it does sound like he may need some help with the chewing side of things! Due to the Red Tape with OT licensure, Alisha no longer provides consultations, however we do have some workshops and classes that will help!! I’d start with our free workshop, as it will provide you with some suggestions to start! You can save your seat HERE
Please keep us posted!
Best,
Desiree
m baby age is 5 years but he is not chewing bitting any thing and not to speak anyone..not to tounge through his mouth no movement his tonge only swallow not to chew
I’d highly suggest talking to your doctor and getting an evaluation from an occupational therapist or speech therapist. You can read more here on feeding therapy.
I feel like I have an odd problem with my 12 month old. He’ll eat puree’s, puffs, yogurt melts, teething cookies, and has tried a few pieces of some things (chocolate donut, haha), but he spits the rest of it out. It doesn’t matter if its a veggie chunk in a puree, or something we put on his tray and he tries to eat himself. I just can’t figure out if its a texture thing, or if we just need to work with him more (he turned one a week and a half ago). Any advice?
Check out this post on how to transition to table foods, it’s exactly what you need.
Hi Alisha, thanks for the info. It is very helpful. My 15 on old son has list of issues you mentioned here. He doesn’t like texture foods, doesn’t know how to chew. Directly swallows food. I tried giving him table foods like puffs etc he only bites them and spits out. He still only drinks from his milk bottle and doesn’t want to use sippy cup although I bought several types of sippys. I am looking for a feeding therapist, but don’t feel hopeful if it helps him. Can you advice. How long does it usually take to get these resolved?
Feeding therapy is a great option, it can take a few months or up to a year to get fully on track, but you could start seeing progress within a few weeks! Another resource that could help is my picky eating challenge that’s going on right now. It will give you some great strategies to start with: yourkidstable.com/challenge
Thank you for your passion. I am a first year OTA student trying to learn this beautiful world of Occupational Therapy. Your site is great. Thank you
I love how proactive you’re being! That’s so wonderful!!
hi,
my name is Daniel and my son is 5 years 5 month but still drop spit on his body and his also having challenge putting words together.
he cant pronounce or make straight sentence.
please i need help, what can i do to help him grow his speech and at this age can there still be any corrective measure.
thanks.
There’s a lot that can be done, but as an occupational therapist, I don’t work on speech delays. I’d seek out a speech therapy evaluation.