Monthly Archives: May 2018

Feeding Milestones: 18 to 24 Months

Posted on

This blog wraps up a three-part series on feeding development in infants and toddlers. The last group of milestones to be outlined are those for children aged 18 months to two years. Similar to the post below, the skills developed between 18 to 24 months are variable, and not as specific as the milestones met between birth to 12 months. Please contact your child’s speech-language pathologist if you have any concerns regarding feeding milestones.

We hope that by reading this three-part series, any concerns with your child’s feeding skills have been put to ease, or if concerns persist, you feel confident in asking questions. With that out of the way, you can focus on fun at mealtimes!

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s feeding development, feel free to contact us at info@playworkschicago.com or 773-332-9439.

Ana Thrall, M.S., CCC-SLP 
Speech-Language Pathologist

Feeding Milestones: 12 to 18 Months

Posted on

This blog post is part two of three discussing feeding milestones that a child encounters from birth to age two. Today’s post will focus specifically on the milestones met between 12 and 18 months.

The following chart outlines general guidelines for feeding and developmental milestones that your child should reach between the ages of one year and 18 months. Skills developed between 12-18 months are variable across this age span, and not as specific as the milestones met between birth-12 months. Please contact your speech-language pathologist if you have any concerns regarding your child’s feeding abilities.

Amount of food per day

Children should be eating 46 calories per pound based on their weight. One serving of food is equivalent to one tablespoon per year of life. A serving size for a 12-month-old child would be 1 tablespoon and a serving size for an 18-month-old child would be 1.5 tablespoons.  The following chart summarizes serving sizes of each major food group that a child should eat each day.

Stay tuned for the blog post on feeding milestones for 18- to- 24-months. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s feeding development, feel free to contact us at info@playworkschicago.com or 773-332-9439.

Katie Dabkowski, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Resources:

Feeding Milestones: Birth to 12 months

Posted on

This blog post is part one of three that discusses feeding milestones that a child encounters from birth to age two. Today’s post will focus specifically on the milestones met between birth and twelve months.

As an SLP and feeding therapist, I often find parents asking me:

 “What should my child be eating at this age?”

 “Is it too early to introduce solids? “

“Is it okay that I’m still breastfeeding?”

It is important to remember that there is no “magic number” for age when it comes to feeding development. While certain feeding milestones are typically reached by a specific age, many feeding therapists recommend that parents look for the presence of various developmental skills to determine if their child is ready for the next stage of feeding. In the first year of life, it’s important to ensure that a baby’s primary source of nutrition is breast milk and/or formula. During the first year, purees and solid foods should be viewed as “learning to eat” rather than a primary source of nutrition. The following table outlines the age that these milestones are typically met, and the feeding stage that is associated with each milestone:

Stay tuned for blog posts on feeding milestones for ages 12- to- 18- months and 18- to- 24- months. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s feeding development, feel free to contact us at info@playworkschicago.com or 773-332-9439.

Sarah Lydon, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist

Resources: Toomey & Associates, Inc. 1990/2016

Photo Credit: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/howmuchbabyeat.htm

Tips to Target Therapy Goals in Your Daily Routine

Posted on

Therapy is often compared to going to the trainer: if you go to the trainer once a week but don’t continue the exercises or healthy eating, the training session isn’t going to do much for you! It is so important to carry over activities from therapy to ensure your child makes progress and meets their goals. Everyone is so busy these days and adding additional learning opportunities to your child’s life shouldn’t be daunting. Here are a few ideas of how you can address common play therapy goals into your daily routine!

Laundry

  • Matching/Sorting Concepts
    • Have your child to match socks
    • Have your child sort clothing into different piles by color or by item
  • Size Concepts
    • Have your child compare his small t-shirt to a family member’s larget-shirt
  • Association Concepts
    • Ask your child which body parts different clothing items are put on
    • Discuss the occasion or weather you would wear certain clothing items

Meal Prep

  • Symbolic Play
    • Provide your child with (safe) kitchen utensils for them to also “make dinner”
  • Size Concepts
    • Encourage your child to explore size concepts with different sized Tupperware
  • Identifying Colors
    • Discuss the colors of the food you are preparing
  • Following Directions
    • Show your child how you follow directions when following a recipe
    • Give your child simple directions to follow during meal prep
  • Association Concepts
    • Describe the functions of the different kitchen gadgets while using them

In the Car

  • Color Identification
    • Use colors to describe what you see:
      • “That construction cone is orange”
      • “The blue truck is next to us”
    • For older children, you can play games like “I Spy”. Take turns choosing a color and encourage your child to label everything they see of that color. This not only works on color identification but also vocabulary!
  • Size Concepts
    • Use size words to describe what you see:
      • “Look at the little dog on the sidewalk”
      • “That is a big dump truck”
  • Social-Emotional Development
    • Discuss:
      • Plans for the day (where you’ll go, who you’ll see)
      • What your child did at school/daycare that day
      • Encourage your child to ask you questions

And most importantly – have fun together; make it silly and stress-free! You are your child’s first teacher and can help frame their perspective on learning! Please feel free to discuss specific ideas with your child’s therapist to ensure he or she is getting the most out of their therapy.

Kimberly Shlaes, MAT, DT
Director of Developmental Therapy Services

Image credit: https://netmums.cdn.prismic.io