eating and drinking Archives - Resource Library - Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust

What is pouching? Sometimes when eating, children can hold food in their mouth or pouch it in or around their cheeks. Children can hold food in their mouth for a few minutes or sometimes even longer, before trying to eat it. Holding food in the mouth for longer can increase the risk of choking....

What can I do when someone wants to tackle their restricted diet? When children get older, they can become more socially motivated to challenge the way they eat. This is often when they start to feel that their restricted diet is getting in the way of doing things they want to do, like going...

What is overfilling? When some children eat, they may put too much food in their mouth. This can include putting another mouthful or bite in before they have finished the last one. It can include putting the whole of a food in their mouth, like a whole cake bar. This can increase their risk...

What is food aversion or restricted diet? People with food aversion or restricted diet can find eating challenging or unenjoyable. They may not have chewing and swallowing problems, but sometimes we can see many types of eating difficulties in the same person. What does it look like? They may: avoid...

Please read all the information below before you reduce the thickener in your child’s drinks at home. Thickening drinks is a common strategy for supporting children who have feeding problems. Many children can tolerate having less thickener in their drinks over time, when it is safe to do so. Your...

What does positive mealtimes mean? It is important for mealtimes and snack times to be a positive experience for everyone. Your child will start to learn that food times are not stressful times if they remain predictably positive. It can be helpful to think about your child as a whole: What sort of...

What is messy food play? Messy food play is a way of supporting children to explore different smells or tastes through play. The focus is on exploring food in a positive way, offering your child some control around food and having opportunities to explore food without pressure. It is important to...

What is exploring food? Children and young people who find eating difficult can benefit from exploring food at a level where they are comfortable. For young children this can look like messy food play, but for older children and young people we can look at exploring foods in a different way. Why...

Easy Read resource about what to look out for during mealtimes.

Why do we use a Doidy or flexi cup? When children drink from a cup they have to learn lots of new things such as: how to move liquid from the front to the back of their mouth how much to tip the cup how much liquid is enough but not too much Doidy cups… Continue Reading Doidy cups and flexi...

A training video that outlines the role of everyone who is involved in ensuring safe, nutritive, and quality mealtimes for children and young people. This advice is for teaching staff in specialist provision – specialist schools and integrated resources. Delivered by Sally Twigg (Speech and...

A training video that will help to familiarise you with the written feeding plan, known as a mealtime mat. Delivered by Rachel Ward (Speech and Language Therapist) Time: 2:30

A training video that explains the IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative) levels and uses practical examples of how you can ensure foods and liquids are the correct texture. Delivered by Larissa Naylor and Rachel Nunn (Speech and Language Therapist) Time: 34:00 IDDSI Level 0...

This training video covers the areas we need to consider at mealtimes to support children and young people with eating and drinking difficulties. Delivered by Larissa Naylor and Rachel Nunn (Speech and Language Therapists) Time: 11:43

A training video that will increase your awareness of the red flags to look out for whilst you are supporting children and young people at their mealtimes. Delivered by Rachel Ward (Speech and Language Therapist) Time: 2:47

A series of training videos developed by the Speech and Language Therapy Feeding Team. Video 1. An introduction on why we work on eating and drinking skills An introductory training video on how to ensure safe eating and drinking skills, adequate nutrition and quality mealtimes for children and...

An introductory training video on why we work on eating and drinking skills. Delivered by Rachel Nunn (Speech and Language Therapist) Time: 3:55

A training video that will give you an understanding of the anatomy of the head and neck, what is involved in a swallow, and what can go wrong at each stage of the swallow. Delivered by Rosa Holden (Speech and Language Therapist) Time: 12:07

The feeding and swallowing team assess children’s eating, drinking and swallowing. The team advise on the safety of children’s swallowing and provide strategies and advice to help with eating, drinking and swallowing. The team sees: children who have complex needs which affect their eating and...