Kids are always watching their parents more than they should. Here, we have compiled the top 5 posts from your kids’ table, so you can see what they’re looking at on social media and how much time you spend with them instead of screen time!
The “your kids table” is a blog post where I discuss the top 5 posts of my son’s Instagram account. The posts are all about food.
Whoohoo, it’s the tenth anniversary of Your Kid’s Table. Discover the top 5 postings of all time and learn the never-before-told backstory.
I wrote the very first blog article on Your Kid’s Table 10 years ago today, as I sit here writing this, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, parents battling with their children’s eating and sensory difficulties might find their way to me.
While a lot has changed in the last ten years around here, my objective to provide parents with professional occupational therapy information, recommendations, and methods in a manner that they can comprehend hasn’t.
Whether you’re new to the site, a long-time newsletter subscriber, or one of our loyal students, I hope you’ve found that first and foremost.
Because I know they can impact a child’s life, it’s my mission to put tools in your hands that are otherwise so elusive.
It’s been a fantastic ten years, with THOUSANDS of blog entries, newsletters, blog comments, social media postings, and students enrolled in our programs.
It’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, more than I could have expected. For years, the only time I could find to write the next article was late at night or early in the morning. But I was also encouraged because, even back then, I was getting remarks like this:
“I’m ecstatic to have discovered your site! I’m working with my 8-month-old to encourage her to eat more of the foods we consume by making age-appropriate changes. It was a tremendous hit, and I’m excited to try this approach with other dinners in the future!”
“I sat and read for an hour or two when I first came upon your site — it was eye-opening.” Now that I’ve given it some time to sink in, I’ve tried several of your suggestions (all with excellent outcomes)!”
“I appreciate it. What a fantastic resource I’ve discovered!”
Those remarks just reinforced (and continue to reinforce) my belief that parents do need sensory and finicky eating assistance. And, just as I had discovered in my own life, no one was telling parents what was actually going on with finicky eaters or children with sensory issues.
The Emphasis on Sensory and Selective Eating
I specialized in assisting kids with food challenges, as we call them in the therapy field, and sensory processing before I even considered starting a blog, which side-bar before I began YKT I had to contact a techy buddy and ask what a blog was exactly.
Picky eating, difficulty chewing or swallowing, and virtually any problem a kid has with eating or drinking are all examples of feeding difficulties. Of course, finicky eaters are included.
I graduated as a young occupational therapist with absolutely little instruction in how to treat children with food problems. However, a few years into my employment, I found myself with more than half a caseload of kids who were practically “picky eaters,” only eating a few items and causing their parents a great deal of worry.
I wanted to find out how to get fussy eaters to try new foods, and since I worked in families’ homes, I also needed to figure out how to communicate with parents without using therapeutic jargon that they didn’t understand.
Because of that experience, as well as countless continuing education classes, books read, and testing with various ways, I decided to specialize on picky eating.
My sensory processing background, on the other hand, was rather different. Jeryl Benson, an exceptional pediatric professor at Duquense University who had much advanced training in sensory integration, was one of my mentors. I graduated with a strong sensory foundation, which developed the sensory lens through which I can’t help but look anytime I’m working with or educating a family or kid.
Furthermore, I was really lucky to have my first employment at a private school and clinic with the owner, who had previously worked under A. Jean Ayres, the groundbreaking founder and researcher of sensory integration theory. As a recent graduate, I gained excellent experience.
And I quickly discovered that these two advanced OT specializations were not well-known among parents and may be difficult to locate in a therapist.
With so much overlap between finicky eating and sensory difficulties, I felt compelled to share it all with parents, therapists, and professionals who wanted to learn more about how to assist their own children or the children on their caseload.
I was terrified to start this blog, and I nearly didn’t.
This is unlike any other post I’ve ever written, and as I write these words, I’m not sure how many people will care… But I felt compelled to mark this milestone and commemorate the previous ten years, which have taken my life in directions I could never have envisioned.
It’s No Longer Just Me…
Apart from the pleasure and privilege of sharing what lights me up the most with millions of people from all over the globe, Your Kid’s Table has grown from me to a small but formidable team in the last ten years.
My spouse was able to leave a job he didn’t enjoy for four years ago to assist me with Your Kid’s Table’s rising burden.
And, nearly three years ago, we were able to recruit Desiree, a colleague occupational therapist and personal Godsend who keeps me organized, provides professional assistance to our students, and does a million other things. We’ve added a few more people to our expanding team in the past year, and Your Kid’s Table is no longer just me behind the scenes.
I’m grateful to this team for believing in the same purpose that I started out to develop a decade ago with the same enthusiasm and devotion.
More Assistance Was Requested by Parents…
The emails began shortly after the first blog postings were published. I’d get calls from parents who were at their wit’s end because their kid was finicky eater, or their infant wouldn’t eat table foods, or their sensory requirements were out of control.
As a result, I began advising with families one-on-one. It was a dream come true to work directly with parents from all over the globe, particularly those who lived in areas where there was no other option for counseling.
After a few years, though, I recognized two things:
- Because 60 minutes wasn’t enough time to provide all of the skills, tactics, and continuous support that I intended to educate parents, there were still gaps in what I wanted to teach them.
- With my OT license, there was a lot of legal wrangling, and I couldn’t legally offer direct consultations any more.
Before you become too down about it, remember that it gave birth to something far greater… our online programs. I was able to provide all of the necessary resources, as well as step-by-step directions and continuing help.
Mealtime Works debuted in 2016, Table Food School debuted in 2018, and RISE with Sensory debuted in 2021. In addition, the American Occupational Therapy Association accredited us for continuing education credits in 2020. (AOTA).
It has been a delight, honor, and privilege to assist these students who are both parents and other therapists. Right now, I’m seeing a slew of faces and names flash before my eyes, all of whom have had their lives irreparably altered as a result of these initiatives.
If you’re a student reading this, thank you for being a member of our student community and for entrusting us with assisting you through these difficulties.
The 5 Most Popular Posts Ever on Your Kid’s Table
With hundreds of blog entries to choose from, there are certain to be some you’ve never seen before that are packed with useful suggestions and techniques! Here are our top five posts of all time; have a look at them and tell us which one was your favorite!
#5. Food Sensory Issues: 8 Secret Food Strategies
THIS POST covers the two important areas of picky eating and sensory difficulties, and explains how you may assist your kid, as well as what I did with my son at home. Take a look at it here.
Why Isn’t My Baby Eating Solids?
You probably have no idea that hundreds of parents search for this every month on Google since we assume that newborns will consume solid meals, yet some do not. As an occupational therapist, I’ve seen this many times, and this page is the first place parents should go for further information. Take a look at it here.
#3. Five Reasons Why Children Refuse to Eat
This piece was very significant to me since it included a key component of what I believe EVERY parent of a child with severe picky eating or Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) should know. It is still the case. For nearly 9 years, it’s been on our top 10 list every week. It may be found here.
#2: 10 Sensory Warning Signs You May Be Ignoring
It was difficult to acquire a basic photo of my kid standing on his toes since he was preoccupied and unwilling to assist. I was glad for the few minutes he provided me. When I uploaded it and wanted to publish the article, I was disgusted to see all the disgusting food smeared across my baseboard (he was standing behind my kitchen table).
I recall thinking this was a fantastic article, but the image is terrible, and it may fall flat. Then, of course, it went viral! This is the most popular sensory post we’ve ever had. I guess no one else saw the splattered food. Take a look at it here.
#1: A Comprehensive List of Table Foods
This was our first post to go viral. It went viral on Pinterest and remained at the top for the most of our ten years. As it turns out, a lot of parents are also searching for this information. If you have a newborn or young toddler, this is a basic yet really useful article! Take a look at it here.
What’s Next for Your Child’s Dining Room Table?
In a nutshell, it’s more of the same! We’ll continue to issue weekly emails with ideas and information every Wednesday; if you’re not already on the list, you can join up here and get a free printable.
On the site, you’ll also discover free weekly detailed content that we’ll publish in those emails.
However, we’d want to hear from additional pediatric experts. We’re accepting guest article contributions from therapists with experience running an internet company. For additional information, please contact us at [email protected].
Of course, our online programs are still going strong, and we’ll keep upgrading and adding new materials to help our students.
We’re also seeking to add additional materials for therapists and instructors, so if you’re one of them and have any suggestions, please let us know in the comments section below.
I’m not sure how to express how grateful I am to the readers, subscribers, and students who make up Your Kid’s Table. Know that you aren’t alone in the struggles you’re experiencing from the bottom of my heart. We’re here to help!
These ten years have been a huge gift for me and the YKT team, and I hope they have been for you as well.
I’m looking forward to all that lies ahead.
Mealtime Works is a company that offers meal planning and delivery services. They offer home-cooked meals that are made with quality ingredients. Their reviews indicate that they have been delivering healthy, delicious meals to their customers for years. Reference: mealtime works reviews.
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