Presenting your child's food and drinks
Overview
Choosing the right mat, dishes, cups, cutlery can help manage mess, create a defined eating space and support skill development. Introducing children to using their hands and utensils is a gradual and messy process. This section provides tips on introducing your child to utensils and managing excess mess.
Mats and dishes
The colour of dishes, beakers and cups can change your child’s appetite and willingness to try new foods, as well as accepting familiar and preferred options. Bright and contrasting colours can be inviting but may also be overwhelming. Food is easier to see on plain, neutral backgrounds, and drinks might be better accepted in clear or transparent beakers and cups. For example, orange juice in a clear glass looks natural and familiar, while in a blue cup, it may appear greenish and unappealing. High-contrast colours can change how food is perceived, affecting its attractiveness and even taste. The resource below provides some things to consider when thinking about how food is presented on dishes and how this may help with food acceptance and mess management.
Downloadable Resources
This downloadable resource has been developed by Saskia, a Children's Occupational Therapist
Using utensils
Introducing your child to using utensils is an important step in their eating journey. It helps them develop fine motor skills and makes mealtimes more manageable. Regular practice with utensils provides opportunities to develop the necessary fine motor skills needed to manage a wider range of shapes, size and textures. Here are some tips to make this process easier.
Wider handles are generally easier for small hands to hold. Child-size cutlery is more manageable for young children, making it easier for them to bring food to their mouth. Utensils with finger indentations can guide your child’s fingers to the right position, making self-feeding easier when they are ready to grip cutlery like adults.
An example of helpful cutlery is Kura Care children's cutlery with finger rest indents. For small hands, pre-spoons with slotted openings can help food stick to the spoon without needing to scoop, reducing frustration when learning to self-feed. Children might revert to using their hands when they are tired, unwell, or need more sensory information about the food. Introducing cutlery through play, such as chopping play dough rolls and balls, can also be a fun and effective way for them to learn. See this section for how to incorporate play outside of mealtimes.
Top tips for presenting foods and drinks
This downloadable resource has been developed by Saskia, a Children's Occupational Therapist
Watch again
Jump straight to what parents and early years professionals have said about presenting foods and drinks
