What is overfilling and cramming?

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 of choking when eating.

Why does this happen?

They may still be developing their chewing skills and have not yet learnt how much to put into their mouth at once.

They may be hyposensitive, meaning they do not have as much information from their mouth about the food inside. This means they overfill or cram more food in to get more information or signals. This may also be part of a wider sensory need for the feel of a full mouth.

What can you do to help?

Encourage your child to slow down and take one bite at a time. You can do this by saying it out loud or showing your child pictures.

During mealtimes encourage your child to sit in a supportive seat such as a highchair.

Add stronger flavours to their food as this can give their mouth more information when eating. For example, add sour flavours to food such as adding lemon, spicy flavours such as chilli flakes or crushed black pepper or strong cheesy flavours.

Cut your child’s food up into small bite sized pieces and add thick sauces.

It may be helpful to avoid the most challenging foods or textures, in particular if your child is still developing their chewing skills, as these can present a higher risk of choking. These foods may include:

• food with skins such as apples, oranges and sausages
• food with husks such as sweetcorn
• foods which have a stringy texture such as celery
• hard or crunchy foods such as raw carrot
• fibrous foods such as steak or pineapple
• food which has a mixed texture such as thin soup with chunks

It can be helpful to give your child extra information from their face and mouth at other times. You can offer your child massage around the face or mouth or give them vibrating or chewy toys for their mouth. The aim is to give them some of that sensory feedback outside of a mealtime so they do not seek it so much when it comes to food.

You can find information on how to understand your child’s sensory needs on our sensory service website.