The #1 Secret To Avoid Having A Picker Eater Ep 55

Why does my baby / toddler stuff his mouth?

Is it normal to just swallow without chewing?

He spits out more than he swallows.

How can I help her?

These concerns are becoming more and more common - and many parents are either baffled or assume it's just part of being a toddler.

BUT the truth is NONE of this is "typical" or "healthy" and can be avoided ... you just need a few secrets

Inside today's episode I cover the health implications associated with poor chewing, eating, swallowing and breathing.

You'll want to listen and share with others ... because all parents want happy, healthy, and engaged children, who are good eaters and talkers!

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CHEW TOYS mentioned in this episode:
www.ArkTherapeutic.com
Baby Chews & Sensory Products

www.TalkTools.com
Beckman Tri-Chew

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QUESTIONS:
Email: erin@HyerLearning.com

Share with your friends and family and help me reach more new parents just like yourself. Help me connect with new moms and build content that is important to YOU!

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GET 18 PROVEN STRATEGIES TO AVOID PICKY EATERS - CLICK HERE

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Transcript

Erin 0:00

if we have good jaw strength through chewing. And playing with appropriate objects and talking and singing and cooing and babbling and all of that. Then this just stability. Is going to help literally support all of this other healthy growth and development. But the key is that chewing must be taught. Hello, and welcome to Talking Toddlers, where I share more than just tips and tricks on how to reduce tantrums or build your toddler's vocabulary. We're going to cover all of that, but here, our goal is to develop clarity. Because in this modern world, it's truly overwhelming. This podcast is about empowering moms to know the difference between fact and fiction, to never give up, to tap into everyday activities so your child stays on track. He's not falling behind. He's thriving through your guidance. We know that true learning starts at home. So let's get started. One of the most frequent surprises, a new mom or a mom of a new toddler will often say to me is I had no idea. I had to teach chewing. And I think nine out of 10 parents out there just automatically think that chewing comes naturally. That is part of our DNA. And there is a thread or two of truth in that, Because we do have certain reflexes in our oral cavity, in our mouth and throughout our body, that helps. Get us through this kind of initial baby life. But. It's important that all parents understand that we have to teach them. And I think in this modern day world, With all of our packaged foods. And I'll talk about that. And our easy, quick meals. Really have contributed significantly to this epidemic that we have with picky eaters. Selective eaters, poor speech development. Health problems attention issues they're all woven together So let's start with the basics and then we'll move through the mechanics of teaching your baby, how to chew and the benefits, the positive outcomes and the easier it will be. To get through this toddler hood and into preschool and really create a healthy. Love for eating and building a healthy relationship with food. Okay. So what are the basics? I've said this before with. Other eating videos and podcast that when we introduce solids to our babies at six months of age, it's just that it's an introduction. And that we have to really respect your baby is exploring all of these new items that your supplying for them. And there was a lot of trial and error. And it's really important that we give them every day opportunities starting around six months of age. To experience what this food is and how I bring this to them, my mouth, how I chew it, how I swallow it. And it does not happen automatically their interest. Partly because it smells good. It looks good. Your enjoying it. And that's the social driven interest. But also. They don't know what to do with it because they don't have the motor skills yet. The gross motor. And the fine motor, remember that the gross motor skills, the ability to sit up and hold themselves and to move their arms separate from their torso to reach and grab things, whether it's a toy object or chewy, toy or food and bring it to their mouth and that communication between the hand and the mouth is critical. So let me run through some basics and then we'll get to the mechanics. I want to really strongly encourage each and every one of you to limit the purees. And we'll talk about why, because what's happened over the last 50 years with art, the types of food that we present to our babies and our toddlers. But perhaps the only puree that could be. Part of A nice, healthy diet. Or food plan is a better phrase, I think is that whole fat on adulterated? Without any flavors or sugaring yogurt. And if you're concerned in those first few months, six to nine, six to 12 months that perhaps cow milk. Might not be a good introduction. You can always go to coconut yogurt or sheep or goat yogurt, because there are some really great plain, no sugar, no fruit. They don't need that. Okay. We'll talk. And another episode, the pros and cons of your food choices. But right now, we're looking at the texture and we want to build up chewing. So pureed food doesn't re really require chewing. But one thing that you can do is either use a baby spoon or a chewy toy, And he, or she, your beautiful baby can dip it in. That pureed yogurt. And chew on the tall eye and he's getting flavor and he's getting some smooth texture. Until he's really begins to learn how to use that spoon. And in the beginning of this introduction to solids, one program is called baby led weaning. And I've talked about that before and. I really support that. And I think it's a great plan. Great framework. I'm learning how to tweak it and individualize it a little bit more. But in the beginning, pureed, baby foods are not necessary. Because it's an slippery slope that this modern world has pushed upon us. And it extends that introductory phase, which should only be a few weeks or a few months. Depending on the child, but six months to nine months, that whole introduction where they're exploring different tastes. They're exploring different textures and they're really getting the idea of what that bite and chewing and swallow is. And it's really important. And as I've always said here, chewing or learning how to eat and learning how to talk are two sides of the same coin. So the other reason that I'm encouraging strongly. Parents to skip the store bought pureed foods is because. Those companies Gerber's mostly. And if you do a little history on them, They're not necessarily. In it for your healthy baby. But it's highly processed way too much sugar. Is a very addicting. And as I said, the way that our lifestyle is now, we tend to stay in that pureed stage. Much too long. And the companies know what did they invent? Eight years ago. Pouches. And so now not only is a baby pushing pureed foods. Into early Tallaght toddlerhood right. Six months. Until a year into eight months. R 18 months, but now they're pushing pouches and I know all of you have seen them. There's beautiful commercials. They swear they're organic. But again, if you look closely at the ingredients, it's mostly apple sauce or carrots. Those are. Or cheap. And sweet and addicting. So my goal. Is to really help the new mama out there. Understand the critical piece to chewing and how that literally lays the foundation to healthy eating and healthy talking. So to me, pouches are never, ever a good choice. The other piece that I've pulled back on I've adjusted over the last couple of years is the highly processed again, commercialized. Baby cookie or biscuit as a first food. They have marketed that thinking, oh, this is a great way to chew. Yes. And no. Again, it's a highly processed food. There's no nutritional value in it. And yes, it gives a munch response and they feel the texture in it. So that could be a plus. The only way that you could use those again is as an introduction. But what I'm suggesting, are there other ways to get that chewing down and developed in a more purposeful, mature. What we call rotary grind with real food. And then. Object play an object play could be with rattles and toys, teethers, all of those other kinds. If they're still needing. Stimulation and they will they'll they will probably until 12, 14, 16 months of age, depending on the child. But between six months and 12 months. Is going to be supplemented. So you're going to practice chewing and strengthening that jaw through actual eating and then oral or object play. So, again, some of the basics. Start with Julian strips. Those are the best, and yes, we can teach with the spoon. And in another episode, I'll talk about the motor, the fine motor of the hand and the fingers. And how that. Corresponds with the fine motor development in the mouth. But use Julian strips. Cook your vegetables and fruit, or if it's a really ripe fruit, then peel it, cut it in Julian strips about the size of your adult pinky, right? The width and the length. Just big enough for them to hold on to it. They don't necessarily have a good let go of yet. And so they're going to hold onto it and really just put the whole thing in the mouth and then not realize that there's more food in there. Sometimes they'll eat on the other end, too. But they don't have that fine motor control to release yet. But make sure it's El Dante. Because again, part of the introduction. To that biting is that they have to get some kind of feedback from it. They have to have some proprioceptive. That means how do I feel? With my body in space somewhere. So inside that mouth, that tongue and cheek and lips are feeling that food. And so they're getting feedback and trying to orient in their brain mapping. This is different than the rattle. The rattled didn't break off the rattle. Didn't have flavor. The rattle didn't give me kind of this sensation of. It tastes good. So make sure that you're choosing foods that have some kind of density to it. That's why we stay far away from. From purees. We've just. I think slipped down the slippery slope over the last. I'd say 20, 30 years. When the juice boxes came out in the eighties, I saw the writing on the wall and but I just think it's really. Critical that parents. Because I can't tell you how many. 3 5, 7, 9 year olds. I met that. Could not chew their food. Well, and we'll talk about what some of those symptoms are, but the basics are really to skip the purees really embrace the messiness of this introductory exploration phase. Use Julian streps. And then we'll talk about what the mechanics are of chewing. The other thing is if you do want to mash up some sweet potatoes or parsnips or carrots make it chunky. So when they do put some in their mouth, one, they can hold onto it. Or you begin to use the spoon that you in the beginning will preload. And then, because it's hard for them to do that. But the puree again, is something that they can dunk and then, get the flavor off. But. If you do smash it, make sure again, there's some density to it. There's some weight. They can feel it inside their mouth and go, okay. What do I do with that? I also want to put a caution part of these basics is caution against pasta. And I know a lot of you are going, huh? What w what does that mean? It's because again, here in America, we have highly processed pasta. And even if you get whole weed or you get some of the vegetables in it, It's small enough. It's slippery enough. They don't chew it. And our goal is to get your son or daughter to chew. And I'll explain how the dots are connected. If you have a week chewer it's at risk for having weak speech and articulation, but there are other complications that I will help you see. So. Be mindful. Choose good. Fatty meats that are healthy. Some roast beef, some chicken thigh, not chicken breasts, best to dry. They can't really, we need fatty meats with juice flavor. Choose a lot of good high-fat, avocado, egg. You can do some sweet potatoes. You can do some vegetables with some good butter, right? So all of those different flavors and textures will help them broaden their awareness to what the possibilities are at your dinner table. Also it's really smart. Of all of us to feed your baby. What the rest of the family is eating. Because that becomes a slippery slope to, in, in other episodes. I've talked about that and I will continue to talk about how to you navigate that. How do you take your meal and make it baby friendly for those first three, four months? As they're approaching their First birthday, you'll see that they're chewing. And their safety behind it is mature enough that they can pretty much eat what you're eating. Okay. So the mechanics of chewing, the first thing is it's always about our jaw. And so as a speech language therapist, when a child would come into me, Or come into my office. If they had speech delay or late talker or they're drooling or any of those kinds of things. The first thing I look at is their facial features their structure and that jaw, if they're an open mouth breather, if they're drooling, if they are a thumb sucker, all of those things are telltale signs that they're having jaw issues. And the jaw. Quite early on. In 6, 7, 8 months in that very beginning. You'll see that if they're progressing. In the natural path, then they'll be able to close their lip and kind of to a couple of times or munched down, we call that munching. And then swallow it, their lips. And their cheeks are coordinated enough and strong enough to hold that seal so they can kind of move that food in their mouth. Just a little bit in the beginning, it's not a full rotary grind. And swallow. Mature swallow pattern, but in the very beginning, As you, he introduces the spoon or you help him right his baby led weaning, which means that you're helping guide the orientation to the mouth, but he's actually putting the food in his own mouth. And we'll talk about why. But it's really that as the food is slowly introduced to him, he will push it out with his tongue. That's called a tongue extrusion so the that's a reflex of protective mode. No, I don't, this is foreign, right? And then you're going to encourage him to do it. And you'll see pretty quickly on within the first few weeks that he that reflex that to push out should dissipate. It should also dissipate. If you take these Julian strips and you place it on they're gumline, they're molar or gumline, right? Where the teeth are dying to erupt in the more he choose both on appropriate to toys and real food, the more those teeth will erupt. And we know this for sure, both as speech pathologists, orthodontists and dentists. As he understands and gets experience, feeling food, cross his lips and touch that tongue. Then he'll naturally close his lips around that spoon and take it off. And that's what we want. Remember also that the hand and the mouth are really closely linked at this age. That's why they mouth everything. That's how they're collecting the data. And so it's best when he's in charge of bringing whatever's in his hand to his mouth. And then he, what happens is they'll learn how to anticipate. And both the jaw and the tongue will hold still anticipating something's going to come in my mouth. And if we do that, it's too hit. And miss there's not, there's a disconnect between the food coming at me. And those higher order, sensory perceptions. And so it's really important that this whole baby led weaning. Methodology or framework is understood. And not just because, oh, it's nice and polite, which it is, but it's also cognitively and sensory building for him or her. So the other piece is that a mature swallow and that's where they have that rotary grind that you and I do, where our lips are closed. And our jaw rotates and our tongue is able to sweep or we call it a transverse reflex. Where your tongue turned sideways and collects the food and puts it back into a little ball so we can continue to chew or masticate right. And so you'll begin to see some of that rotary grind chewing going on. Right around 12 months, if they've had enough opportunity between six and 12 months. With a wide variety of foods. Again, another reason to, omit pureed baby foods. It's not nutritious. It's way too expensive. They get hooked on it. It's an easy, quick fix. And then we're all kind of fallen into a trap. So I want to avoid that trap for you. Even the most mindful families have said, wow, I would have just gone straight to solid foods. If I knew I had to then wean them off of pureed foods, it's an extra step. That's totally unnecessary. Okay. So part of the maturing. Is that you'll see that they can start to collect a little bit. Of that food with that. That transverse reflex. Between six and eight months and you'll begin to see that. All of these things are emerging. It's a process. They need a lot of practice daily practice, right? And so you can also expedite that or support that, encourage that with chew toys and down below, I'll have a couple of links to some of my favorite. Providers ARC therapy, TalkTools. And those kinds of things that can really be helpful that in non eating time, or as I said, you can even use it as a precursor to learning how to use the spoon. But let's talk about the gag reflex because I know that's the number one concern that you parents have. Rightfully so. But there are so many Nuances to it that if you can wrap your mind around the difference between what a gag is versus choking, choking is horrible. Choking is also silent. So that's another perfect reason. For you, mom, dad, grandparents, to be present. And share the meal with them. And so it's really important that you can help them through any kind of gag. And that's a natural reflex that we have to protect us. You and I have a gag still today. But with your baby at 6, 8, 10 months old what's happens is the gag is pretty far up on the tongue, right? So this is your tongue. It's in that first one third, but over those first, several weeks, those first couple of months. The more, he puts things in his mouth and feels around whether it's the spoon. Or a chew toy or real food that he's masticating in plain and munching around. Then what happens is that gag reflex. Moves further and further back. And so by the time that they hit. Nine ish months, six to nine, actually in some babies that, that gag reflex can be on the back one third, so they can put that spoon in their mouth. And they can take the food. And two it up without gagging. And you and I have a gag reflex, but it's at the back one fourth. So we can put a bigger piece of food and chew it up without gagging. But the only way that we can desensitize and pull that gag reflex back. Naturally on the tongue. Is through experience. And so that's why they need a lot of oral motor play. A lot of good. Eating opportunities to desensitize that. So. It's okay. They're going to gag and, but the more you do it consistently day after day, you'll see, you'll be less than less. And as long as you're staying cool, calm and collected, when you're sharing this meal with them. Then They'll just cough it up and sometimes they spit it up and that's okay. You just act nonchalant and wipe it off and say, yeah. Let's do it again. Let's choose slowly and we'll talk about how to model that. Okay. So as I always say here, especially in those first three years, five years, Everything is emerging and happens over time. So, is going to be messy, embrace the mess and embrace the independence that they will develop over these first few months. So the key is helping them understand that you can take a bite of something. In the beginning or in the front of the mouth, but that's not the best way to bite the biting is really on the molar. So you can take that Julian strip food and put it on your molar and are on their molar. And in the very beginning, you can even take a smushy food. So all of these foods, like I talked about the sweet potato, the roasted meat. They all have to be smashable between your fingers, because think of, if you can smush it between your fingers, he or she can smush it between their gums right there, that gum Ridge. And the more they smushed down on appropriate play objects. And real food. Then the freer that gum line will dissipate and the teeth will erupt. That's the only way. And. That's another big question is, parents ask, how can they eat if they have no teeth, especially Mueller's right. They'll have, they'll cut their front teeth. And so they think that they just can eat up front, but it's critical for the teeth. And we've seen it, hundreds of times that the teeth will slowly. Erupt. If they're still delayed on pureed foods. Another reason to skip that. Okay. So, That munching will be between six and nine. And there'll be some rotary. Grind chewing that, but. The critical piece is that you mama and dad and grandparents, whoever's having this meal and you're sharing this meal. You see steady progress. That the lips are closed. They're trying to chew it. And that there's intentional exploration with the food in their mouth and with the objects, that they're really building whatever I'm grabbing. And putting in my mouth, I'm really getting a mental and sensory perception understanding right. And so the more that they do object and toy play. That they eat and drink and vocalization. So cooing up until about seven or eight months, and then they really start babbling and babbling means that they're putting different sounds together. The Bubba bug. God. I doubt all of those different motor planning come into play. Because they're becoming more and more aware proprioceptive. How do I move? This jaw and lip and tongue. And how do they move independently from one another? So the other key mechanism to early eating and chewing are what we call Mirror neurons. So the mirror neurons are critical for movements as well as social communications, social interactions. Again, another reason to share the meal or the snack this food experience with your little one, because they're going to do whatever you do. They will follow you. Not only purposefully, but we want that to happen within the first couple of months. But in the beginning they have those mirror neurons, which is found here in between the frontal lobe And you're parietal. And they're there to help the baby. Learn how to engage that they don't, we don't do. It's like if I yawn you yawn, and that's part of the last remaining mirror neurons. But if you start chewing, they'll start chewing. If you're happy and smiling, as you're enjoying this piece of meat, they'll be happy and smiling. They're going to follow our movement and social interaction. That's what mirror neurons help us with. So the other piece. Part of this mechanism, but the social component to it is that babies don't want to do what no body else is doing. especially around 10 or 12 months, if you just set them down. Oh, here, honey, you eat your dinner first and then we're going to have a nice quiet dinner over here later after I put you down. They're not interested in that. at six months maybe, but by the time they're 9, 10, 12 months, especially, they're like, heck, no I want to do what everybody else is doing. I don't want to be special. And so. If you're not sitting down with them, they're not going to be interested in eating simple. They're just not because you guys are doing stuff or. Taking it to the next level and They're not a part of that. And they're S they're frustrated. They're like, no, I'm a family member too. And so it's really important. To bring them in. I know that. What happens is then we have to eat dinner earlier, but that's just, temporary it's just for a couple of years, actually, it would be good to eat dinner earlier anyways, for a long while. But that's another conversation. So what are the eating skills that are important or why are these eating skills so important for this jaw development that supports a healthy nutritional. Relationship with food and good speech, language and attention. So that's key too. That's an extra little bonus. So the jaw strength develops along with the job bone growth. So there's a big muscles called the masseter muscle that will open and close this lower jaw. That's what moves right? And. Through experience or exercise, just like walking or climbing the stairs or learning how to ride your bike. They have to do it. And so to build this jaw strength, which then leads to. Stability. Which then leads to coordination. And what we also call is grading. I need the jaw to move in these tiny little increments for speech. And then also alignment. And if we have this, the strength, the coordination and alignment. Then at rest or whenever the baby is not mouthing toys or eating or talking. Then their lips should be closed and they should be breathing through their nose. And in the next video and you'll find it right up here. As soon as we attach them. The next video, we'll talk all about nasal breathing and the critical development to that for your baby and toddler and child and adult, right? It's lifelong issue and it's become an epidemic for a lot of reasons. And. If we can talk about the food choices as well, that will lessen. The problems that could lead to that. So if we have a strong jaw, we're able to chew, our lips are closed and we have nasal breathing at rest. Then we're going to have a lot of healthier outcomes. So the other part of the jaw health is that then the lips and the cheek and the tongue can move independently from that jaw again, helping develop that rotary grind, chew and swallow pattern as well as speech and what we call it. Co articulation, stringing a bunch of sounds together and rattling off a sentence. So the other piece about lip closer. Lip closure. Is that. At rest if our lips are closed, if I'm just sitting here working on the computer or driving in the car, And not talking to myself. Then the back teeth, your molars are almost touching. But there's just enough space. We always say that you could put a piece of paper right through it. That is just a whisper. And then the tongue is resting on the roof of the mouth. No, some of us who have had orthodontia. Might not hit all the way there and they have the end. We have to consciously put it up there or in our swallow pattern. But w what we want for your baby. Is. At RAs to have that because I've shared in the past. Both on this podcast and in my daily practice that we swallow close to 2000 times a day and that's five pounds of pressure per swallow. And so if our swallow was weak and we're pushing it forward, We're not shaping that hard palate and the hard palate. If you run your tongue on the roof of your mouth and then there's that soft palate, right? that closes when we swallow. If that hard palate is the roof of your mouth, but it's also the floor of your nasal cavity. And so that shape. If it ends up being too pitched because the tongue has it pushed against it. Day after day and week after week and year after year, then you're going to have a high narrow palate and it's going to impede in your nasal cavity. And then you're going to have less airspace or less. It's space to, to breathe the air through. And then you're you get a teeny tiny little allergen or cold or sniffle or animal fur or whatever, and then it doesn't take much to occlude and plug up your nose. And then if you plug up your nose, then you have to breathe through your mouth. And then that's where that vicious cycle happens. And so if we have good jaw strength through chewing. And playing with appropriate objects and talking and singing and cooing and babbling and all of that. Then this just stability. Is going to help literally support all of this other healthy growth and development. But the key is that chewing must be taught. And I want you to understand. That you have to, I go back to my three P's all the time. That parenting is about being present. Being purposeful and being playful. And so how you can do that is to literally show them how to take that bite. And chew. And it's not a quick

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chomp

Erin 36:37

chomp swallow me down, even though in the very beginning, they're going to do that. So that's why you want to limit. The number of choices, right? You have three, four, maybe six pieces depending, but in the beginning, just give them three. Three pieces. And you teach them by using those mirror neurons, how to bite off a piece of that meat to that sweet potato, that avocado. And if you really dig down deep into the biology of chewing and mastication and health, how do we get the most nutrients out of the food that we eat? Is we, you and I, as adults should be chewing 30 or 40 times. Some people say even 60, but. I've gone through phases in my life where I've practiced chewing 30 times each bite. It takes a lot more time. It's a little bit more exhausting. You do self regulate more because you're more in tune with when, whether you're full or not. You appreciate the food much more, and You're starting the whole digestive process in your mouth with your saliva and the whole chewing process right before you even swallow it. But that's another reason why ultra- process foods. The fake crackers. The baby cookies, all of this stuff that these baby companies have pushed on us in the market are not serving because as soon as they get wet in your mouth, it turns to mush. And the goldfish crackers, all of that stuff. One is not nutritious. They're empty calories. They're very addicting. I mean, you and I have all sat and ate a bag of chips or crackers or cookies. And it does not serve your child in support of helping him learn how to chew. And it's never really satisfying. I mean, we get a quick hit in our dopamine because it's like, it could be salty or extra sweet. But it's not nourishing any of us, especially your baby or your toddler. So. My big push is. And baby led weaning is to be very careful. To exclude those items as much as humanly possible. And so some of the symptoms and I've roughly. Identified them before, but if there is excessive drooling, So one of the key things, when a family would walk into my office and if they were a drooler right, I would talk to the parents, but if their shirt was all wet all the time, That means they can't even manage their own saliva. And again, when your baby isn't eating or talking or playing or singing with objects, the end when they're at rest, look at them in the backseat of your car, and if they're at rest or if they're sleeping. Then they can spontaneously elicit that swallow of their own saliva. But if they're chronic drillers, yes, your body will produce a little bit more saliva. When they're cutting a tooth, but that should only be a day or two. When a tooth is erupting. If they have enough practice with two toys and real food. And a lot of jaw exercises then that those teeth Willy re-upped in a matter of a few days. I mean, once you see it come to surface and that's when you give them those two toys, and again, I'll have the link below. But it's really important that if your baby is an extra drooler and they even have a rash here. Then. You have to look at why step back be an observant, be a detective, do they have a chronic stuffy nose? Why do they have a chronic stuffy nose? Is it perhaps dairy? That's always the first thing that I suggest to parents is just remove that from their diet. And see how they respond. Because that's often an easy fix, right? Or is it that they have low muscle tone in their job? They're not very good chewers yet. And so they have a relaxed jaw. And so that tongue, if the jaw is relaxed, then the tongue is depressed. It doesn't it can't elicit that, that swallow reflex that you and I hopefully have right at rest that if we need to swallow. We can do it right. We push up against the roof. There's a wave, like motion with the tongue. And so. Extra drooling a little bit here and there. Is typical when the teeth are erupting, snoring is another. Huge red flag. It's not even a yellow flag. Snoring is not. Normal typical healthy should not be expected. Once or twice a year, perhaps if they have a true, full blown cold. Yes. And, I tend to. Question when parents are. And I think parents say this because this is what pediatricians tell them. If they are then sent to a daycare or preschool. Oh, they're just constantly getting sick. They're constantly. Well, that's also telling me something yeah. To get a colder too, but to have one back to back season to season. That's not typical or healthy either. And so. It's important that you'll look at the food choices that you're giving. And I know that's hard and we'll talk about daycare and preschool settings and their food choices. It's all. Processed and it's really, and high sugar. And there's not a, it's not nutrient dense. But. We need to figure out why is he chronically sick? That's not typical. And again, I'm not a medical doctor. I'm not a nutritionist, but I have 35 years of perspective looking at this. Group of the, the one to three-year-olds or one to five-year-olds and. I had to convince my daughter when she went off to college and to remind her that as a child, Those first six, seven years. She never ever had a cold. I mean, she would maybe get sniffles here and there, but never like a full blown cold. And. And she was like, I can't believe that isn't that what everybody has to experience, chronic nasal congestions and snotty noses and all of that. And I'm like, no, you need a healthy immune system. You need good nasal breathing. And we'll talk more in detail about that in another episode, but that's how this is all related. The other symptoms could be if they have Thumper sambal. If they have thumb or finger sucking, they need more chewing stimulation. It, that's also a way to self calm. So if we give them enough stimulation, In there. Object play. And they're eating and they're talking and singing. They have their jaw worked out enough, then they will not need their thumb. Or the shirt. The other thing is those kids, that stuff, their mouth. And that's another big aha moment when parents will look at me and said, I had no idea. I just thought all kids just overstuffed or they think it's funny or. In time, they'll learn how to do that. We have to teach them. And that's where we only give them say three pieces. We model how we take a bite closer lips. And chew it with intention. And if you overstuff your food, then we're going to give you one piece at a time. Right and teach them how to chew. And so if you have a one or two or three-year-old, that's really stuffing their mouth, then you again, be in observant. Be a detective and see what happens when you just give them one piece or one typical mouth full. And see where they're chewing as see if they can chew with their lips closed. See if they have that rotary grind to yet. Or parts of it. See if they can model quite often when I was in private practice and I would doing chewing therapy. I would chew with the child and count on my fingers and it would be a game like, all the way to 10. And they would think it's funny and parents need to do this. They need to understand that you just don't shove food in your mouth. One of the clinical symptoms or clinical impressions. When I am faced with a child who stuffs a lot of food in their mouth, typically that's saying to me, That they have a low proprioceptive or a low sensory system inside the oral cavity inside their mouth. So they need more weight or they need to fill that. The whole cavity up with food. So they can feel it. Because if they just have a little piece, they can't orient it. Where is it in my mouth? And that's that whole proprioceptive, like where is my body and space? And so your tongue is that only muscle in your body that has a point of origin back here and no point of insertion. So that's how it can collect this food. And help us with that swallow or produce that swallow. And so if you're stuffing. Your mouth with food one, that's a gag and a choking hazard. And two, his behavior is telling us I have low tone. And so give them something chewy. Say I really L Dante. A piece of broccoli or a piece of meat that would be good to chew on. And if they're a little bit older and they can handle raw vegetables, like a carrot and see if they can really chew it up, or even a cucumber that requires some mastication that doesn't just slide down their throat. Like. Pasta or goldfish crackers. You don't really have to chew goldfish crackers. If, again, if you, what I've done in that I've seen hundreds and hundreds. If not thousands of kids, you just put. The goldfish cracker in their mouth. Get it wet. Push it up against the roof of their mouth. Swallow it down. It's just, there's no chewing. Involved right. And so. Be observant, be a detective. figure out where is my child on this whole continuum on this journey and how can I explicitly show them how to take a bite? And you can practice this on your own. Take a bite on your molar. Close your lips, chew it in your mouth. Figure out what's my tongue doing inside there to ch. To how does my jaw feel as I rotary grind? It goes in a side-by-side. Movement. And then the tongue. Turns on its side corners. And we know that the, this tongue pattern to have that rotary grind and to clear off your back teeth. That's another kind of little test we would do. Like if you had food stuck on your back teeth. Can your child retract the tongue and use the tip of the tongue. To clear off that same motor pattern, that strength, coordination, and purposeful movement. Is equivalent to what we need to say. The R like rabbit. And mother and English. And so that whole oral motor pattern and movement is the same that we need. For the R production, which is later on but you'll see it emerging around. Three or two and a half. And then the R is one of the hardest sounds to really master cause it not to get off track, but it acts as a constant, like an. Rabbit or rock or red. And then it acts like a vowel, like in mother or brother, that kind of thing. And that's, those are typically harder, but that whole oral motor movement pattern. Is very similar to what we do when we have a mature rotary grind that you should see. I don't know, 50, 60% of the time by their second birthday. It should be emerging up through their first birthday and then full mastery all the time. Good jaw strength and coordination, good eating by their third birthday. So it's a process. It's an. It said an emerging learning process. Oral motor and social. Around dinner time and lunchtime. And. And all of that. So, b. Cautious. About or be purposeful, I guess is a better word. About. Using baby led weaning framework. Selecting your food, understanding that the more opportunities I help him with in chewing from the get-go. And avoiding the whole, slippery slope of pureed foods. Then they'll improve and desensitize that gag reflex. And the chances of choking is minimal to none. And that you start with that El Dante or mechanically soft foods. So they get some feedback and then you help move them through the chewing process. By modeling, using those mirror neurons, but also that social engagement they're going to want to spend time with you and share this meal with you. And to slow down and chew. 20 30, 40 times. That would be good for all of us to do. And. Actually in this past six, seven months, that's what I've been practicing. And the truth is. I do feel. Fully, or I do feel sated in my meals and much more appreciative and I can self-regulate. Am I full yet? And it's it. And it's not a mental game. And sometimes it's like, okay, I'm tired of tooling. But if you are dealing with a delicious meal and if it starts to not be delicious anymore, then that's your body. That's your satiety saying, okay, I'm done. I've had enough. And that's a good way to teach them when to stop eating and that they don't want to have to clear off everything off their plate. And so that's another big. Important piece to this healthy eating development. So thanks so much for sharing your time with me. I hope this helps. Clear some of that fog, like, oh my gosh, I have to also teach them how to chew. Yep. And it's a win-win, it's a win for you. It's a win for them. and it will gain their independence faster and alleviate some of that picky eating. And they'll still be picky. That's not that uncommon for that two or three year old. But it'll be a shorter, less Traumatizing for the whole family. I assure you. And I've had a ton of successes with that, including my own daughter. And so remember is the domino effect that if you have a weak. Jaw because of lack of chewing and lack of oral motor practice and play and exploration. Then it's going to cause a whole domino of issues of health, issues of learning, issues of sleep, issues of attention issues. The gamut runs big and wide. And so please be thoughtful and careful and And try it. Try practice chewing. With your child and see how much fun it is. All right. Catch you next time. Thanks.