Consider your highchair and mealtime setup

A baby or child’s fussiness at mealtimes and refusal to eat can often be attributed to poor posture or uncomfortable eating position. If children experience pain or discomfort during mealtimes they may develop negative associations and begin to display fussy eating behaviour at mealtimes. Instead, ensuring proper positioning from the moment your children start solids will be valuable in helping them to develop positive food associations and learning appropriate eating and mealtime behaviours.
Ideal sitting position for eating requires the hips, knees and feet to be at 90° with weight evenly distributed. The chair seat and your child’s back should be at 90° to support and maintain an upright position. Choose a highchair with a footrest or position one under the table to support the 90° positioning of the hips, knees and ankles. Feet should be sitting comfortably apart, resting on the floor or footrest. Use towels, cushions, and wedges to help support good posture and eating position.
A proper eating position provides security and comfort for your child. When a child is sitting upright with stability, they will be less distracted and can more easily concentrate on their fine motor skills and the task at hand (eg: eating). It also allows for better hand to mouth coordination and a safer swallow.

This snippet is from our “Parents Guide To Fussy Eating” by Nibble and Rest. If you would like a copy of it, please sign up at the contact us page on our website for your free copy!

Thank you so much,

Mel 😊

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