28 - All about food throwing and high chair refusal (and how to prevent it!) with paediatric Occupational Therapist Rachael Smith

Welcome to another BONUS episode of Boob to Food the Podcast with our wonderful occupational therapist Rachael Smith. So many families reach out to us regarding food throwing and high chair refusal - why it happens, and most importantly, how to prevent it! So in today’s episode, Rach dives into her insights and some practical tips to avoid those mealtime battles.For those who don’t knowRachael, she is a mum to her daughter Olive, a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, and the owner of Therapy Time, a private practice based in Brisbane. Even before having her own family, she has always been passionate about taking a big picture approach to child development. Rachael strongly believes that what we eat has a huge impact on everything and sees this everyday in her clinical practice (and at home).Meal times are a big deal for our little ones, and they require a lot of sensory, fine motor, oral motor, and behavioural skills. With her gentle, kind and empowering approach Rachael equips parents with a toolkit full of responsive, evidence-based and family-centered strategies.In this podcast we cover:Reasons why our children might throw food and what they could be trying to communicateAge appropriate strategies for reducing food throwing and meal time battlesWhat a realistic expectation is of our child for joining us at the tableand so much more.SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WE MENTION OR YOU MIGHT ENJOYKey Word Sign AustraliaKey Word Sign Australia on instagramToday’s episode is brought to you by Grabease. These are our absolute favourite baby dinnerware and utensils made specifically for little hands at different ages and stages. Grabease offer a full range of thoughtful and developmental baby feeding products, all made from high-quality, non-toxic, food-grade materials. All Grabease products have also been made in consultation with Paediatric Feeding Specialists, Paediatric Dentists and Occupational Therapists - and of course loved by the families who use them! Our OT Rachael also highly recommends them to our community and her own clients.You can use the code BOOBTOFOOD for 10% off your order. Visit grabease.com.au to place your order today.Follow us on instagram @boobtofood to stay up to date with all the podcast news, recipes and other content that we bring to help make meal times and family life easier.Visit www.boobtofood.com for blogs and resources, to book an appointment with one of our amazing practitioners and more.Presented by Luka McCabe and Kate HolmTo get in touch please email [email protected]