Apps for OTs | Tiny Tastes

Today I am so excited to be participating in a blog hop and sharing with you a cool, new app I recently discovered. Tiny Tastes app is essentially a timer that encourages kids to try new foods.

Created by Emily Garber, a pediatric nutritionist, Tiny Tastes uses a picture of your child's food, along with  encouragement from Tiny the kangaroo and the opportunity to earn coins, to teach kids to try new foods.

The coins can be used to buy items from the Tiny Store, such as a new bowl or spoon for Tiny to eat with.

Tiny Tastes doesn't just help kids try new foods, it also helps kids drink, with a variety of cup choices available. I think this could be a great tool for transitioning kids off of the bottle, or for encouraging a child to use a straw.

This is a cute app with a fun reward system that feeding therapists and parents alike may find beneficial for their child. As an occupational therapist, I think this app could be a nice supplement to a child's feeding therapy program, or a nice way for parents to encourage their child to try new foods outside of feeding therapy sessions.

Ways to use Tiny Tastes app:

• Encourage children to try new foods
• Encourage children to eat or drink more quickly
• Transition off of the bottle
• Help children drink from a different type of cup

For more ways on how the Tiny Tastes app can be used in therapy, check out the informational PDFs on the Tiny Tastes website.

The only challenge that you might run into with this app is preventing the child from tapping the screen themselves and giving themselves credit for eating, when maybe they didn't actually eat their food. A difficult thing to get around with how tech-savvy kids are these days :) I would recommend trying to keep the iPad within the child's sight, but not within their reach.

App Information:

Name of App: Tiny Tastes
Publisher: Little Turtle
Compatible with: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch; Requires iOS 8.0 or later
Price: Free!


Tiny Tastes is also available for Android!

*Disclosure: All writing and opinions are my own. Information was correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change, so please confirm prior to downloading. This post contains affiliate links.

Five Friday Features

1. A group of my students earned an activity pass this week, which means that they got to play a game of their choice. It was a little blast from the past when they chose Bedbugs. Bedbugs was my absolute favorite game when I was a kid! Not only has this game not changed at all since the 80s, but it's great for developing fine motor skills and hand eye coordination!
2. My Munch Bug has updated their website. Check it out here for tons of articles and other great information on feeding!
3. When I opened my 1-Minute Update in my inbox from AOTA, I was so happy to see three of my favorite blogs featured in an article about OT Mommy Bloggers. Be sure to visit Embrace Your Chaos, Mama OT, and A Stroke of OT for great ideas from mommies who just happen to be occupational therapists.
4. The American Occupational Therapy Foundation is committed to advancing research, enhancing leadership, and fostering excellence in occupational therapy education and practice. When I was in OT school, I received a scholarship from the AOTF and now that I'm a practitioner I turn to AOTF as a resource for the latest OT research. I love the Research Resources email that shows up in my inbox each month! AOTF is on Facebook where they share news tailored for the OT community. AOTF is currently striving to reach 1,000 followers. Visit them on Facebook and help them reach their goal!
5. Are you experiencing occupational balance in your life? Take this fun quiz to find out!

Five Friday Features

1. This week I came across this iPad stylus on Amazon:

I like how small it looks. Seems perfect for little hands. Has anyone tried this stylus?

2. I read this very informative article: Swallowing and feeding in infants and young children. It's a few years old, but a must read for any therapist who provides feeding therapy or is interested in being a feeding therapist. Big thanks to My Munch Bug for sharing this!

3. Did you know that October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month? If you haven't visited Kelle Hampton's blog, Enjoying the Small Things, then you must! Her photography is beautiful and her writing is heartwarming. She has two articles on Disney's Baby Zone in celebration of Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Life After Down Syndrome and 10 Things I Learned About Down Syndrome will give you a taste of Kelle's writing and photography.

4. I love this program at CSU that partners mentors with college students with disabilities. As more and more students with disabilities enter college there will be a significant need for programs like this. Occupational Therapy programs are greatly equipped to provide these services. I hope more schools will follow suit!

5. If you haven't already entered, you have until next Wednesday to enter the giveaway for a pair of Easy Tie Shoelaces. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post!

Five Friday Features

1. I've been busy adding to my Amazon store in preparation for the holidays. I know it's only September, but the holidays will be here before we know it and I'm always asked for recommendations for gifts for children. Anytime you click through to Amazon from my blog and then make a purchase while you're there, I receive a very small commission, which I am dedicated to using to help others. So far I have used the money I have received to support Shasta's Kickstarter Campaign and to participate in the virtual Bravery Run. Like I said, I receive only a very small commission, but every little bit does help.
2. This week I discovered the blog, Your Kid's Table. Written by an OT and mother to two kids under three, Alisha Grogan. In Your Kid's Table, Alisha shares the strategies she uses both at home and at work, to help parents improve their children's eating and feeding skills. This is a great resource!
3. I also discovered Beyond Basic Play, a blog written by a pediatric physical therapist, Natalie. Beyond Basic Play is where Natalie shares news, tips, and resources relevant to pediatric physical therapy, including her Tips and Tricks Tuesday. Be sure to check it out!
4. Julian Treasure gave a thought provoking TED Talk called Why Architects Need to Use Their Ears. In this talk he discusses how the noise level of buildings, offices, classrooms, hospitals and even cities, are affecting our health and well-being. He is especially committed to changing the way classrooms are designed to make better learning environments. This talk made me think of the students I work with, many of which are sensitive to noises and may have auditory processing delays. Wouldn't it be great if classrooms were universally designed to make it easier for everyone to hear and learn? Read more about his tips for designing classrooms that are kind on the ears on the Ted Blog.
5. The FDA has updated their warning on the use of Simply Thick with infants. The previous warning related only to infants born before 37 weeks gestation, and now the FDA is recommending no use of Simply Thick with any infants, due to a possible increase in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Please visit the FDA website for more information.

Happy first weekend of autumn!
 

Friday Features

This week I...

- wrote a guest post for Love That Max, Summer fun for kids with special needs (that's actually therapy). Check it out and leave your favorite summer activities for kids with special needs in the comments section!

- made the list of Top 10 Occupational Therapy Blogs by The Healthy Per Diem! I'm honored to have made the list and happy to hear that people find the information on my blog worth reading.

So, what does the picture have to do with my post? In about an hour I'll be heading off to the airport to make my way to Iowa. On Sunday I will start riding my bike across Iowa with about, oh, TEN THOUSAND other cyclists. It's my favorite week of the year! I'm looking forward to a week of being outdoors and unplugged (and eating lots and lots of homemade pie!). For the next week or so, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Pinterest, no Instagram, no email, no blogging...life the way it used to be :-) Don't get me wrong, I love all of those things, but I do think we should all take a healthy break now and then to recharge. I do have a few posts scheduled for while I'm away, including another fantastic Parent's Perspective, coming up next Wednesday!

Friday Features Links:

- Tongue in Cheek SLP is in the middle of a four part series about the benefits of eating a rainbow of foods. This week's post focused on the color green. Last week was all about red, orange, and yellow. Be sure to stop by and subscribe to the posts, so you can learn about the entire rainbow of foods.

- MamaOT shared 10 types of toys and games every preschooler should have. This is a fantastic list! She also wrote 7 types of toys every toddler should have and 15 toys for baby's first year. What a great series! I hope it will continue to older children as well!

Exploring new foods with The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Who doesn't love The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Not only is this a fun children's book with wonderful illustrations, but it is also a great way to introduce new foods (especially fruits) to kids.

Remember this part, when the caterpillar eats through all of those fruits?

Why not put all of those fruits out on a plate or tray for some food exploration? You can work on counting, talk about colors, smell and feel each fruit, and if up to it, you can even taste each fruit!

If you'd like, use a straw to poke a hole in slices of fruit, to make it look like the caterpillar ate through the fruit.


Of course, don't forget about this page,

...which gives you a number of other foods, albeit most are less healthy, to explore!

For more Hungry Caterpillar food ideas:
22 The Very Hungry Caterpillar inspired food creations

What's in season? Peaches!

With my kitchen counter looking like this:

It must be peach season!

Learn all about peaches:

• Georgia is known as the Peach State, but most peaches in the US are grown in California
• Peaches grow on a tree and have a fuzzy outer skin
• Peaches are a good source of fiber and Vitamin C
• Learn more at the United States Department of Agriculture

 Read James and the Giant Peach and then have a peach party.

How to eat peaches:

• Just wash the peach and take a bite!
• Cut the peach into slices or bite size portions 
• If the fuzzy skin is too much texture, you can peel the peach before eating

Let’s expand to other foods and textures:

• Use peaches as a topping for yogurt, ice cream or oatmeal
• Make Peach Melba
• Drink a peach smoothie
• Eat peach flavored yogurt
• For dessert, try baked peaches
• Make a peach popsicle
• Make peach muffins
• Chew on some dried peaches
• Crunch on some peach crisps
• Taste canned peaches and compare to the flavor and texture of fresh peaches

Not ready to eat peaches? Here are some other ways to explore peaches:

• Tear up pieces of orange tissue paper and decorate a paper plate to look like a peach
• Make a peach pit pendant
• Touch the outside of a peach. Compare how the skin feels to other fruits.

What are your favorite peach activities and recipes?

What's in season? Blueberries!

I just recently discovered blueberries. They had somehow ended up on my list of foods that I don’t eat (along with coconut, tapioca, and anything with a custard-like consistency). I’m always hearing about how blueberries are a super food, filled with antioxidants, so I picked some up at Trader Joe’s and decided to give them a try. What a great decision that was! Juicy and sweet, I can’t get enough!

Learn all about blueberries at The Blueberry Council.

Read about blueberries in this classic children’s book, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey.

How to eat blueberries:

• With your fingers, of course!
• Use toothpicks or fun appetizer sticks to pick up the blueberries (and work on fine motor skills, too!)

Let’s expand to other foods and textures:

• Top your plain or vanilla yogurt with a handful of blueberries

• Blueberry flavored yogurt
• Make some blueberry muffins – measure, pour, and stir for a sensory and strengthening experience!
• Add some blueberries to your pancakes – create a design or smiley face in your pancake
• Drink a blueberry smoothie
• Make a blueberry popsicle
• Spread some blueberry jam on a piece of toast, an English muffin, or a rice cake
• Crunch on some freeze dried blueberries

Not ready to eat blueberries? Here are some fun ways to explore:

• Build with blueberries

• Paint with blueberries
• Color with blueberries

• Count your blueberries
• Last, but not least, I love this one…go fishing for blueberries!

What is your favorite blueberry activity or favorite way to eat blueberries?

Welcome to "What's in season?"

Today I'm introducing a new, hopefully semi-regular post called What's in season? In this post I will highlight a food that is currently in season (i.e. affordable and tasty!) and ideas for exploring that food.

When expanding a child's food repertoire, it is so important to teach the child about the food and to provide opportunities to explore the multisensory aspects of the new food. I love food and I believe that trying new foods should always be fun!

Here we go...first up, blueberries!

Friday Features

This week I...
- was told by the sibling of one of my early intervention clients that I am a superhero therapist :)  I wonder what my superpower is? His comment reminded me of this cover of a recent OT Practice magazine.

-started to say goodbye to some of the kids and families I work with. Due to an upcoming cross country move this summer, as the school year winds down, I'm seeing some of my students for the last time :(


Friday Features Links:
- Ellen Seidman of Love That Max, wrote an excellent Mother's Day article, What I Know About Motherhood Now That I Have A Child With Special Needs.

- Cheri Fraker of Food Chaining, posted an overview of medical research articles relevant to feeding therapists. Click here to read the summary.

- And last, but definitely not least, I absolutely love this idea to create homemade fidgets using playdoh, plastic wrap, and a sock, posted by OT Tools for Public Schools. I don't know about you, but after having a balloon filled with flour explode in a classroom, I definitely need some new ideas for homemade fidgets. Teachers do not appreciate having to clean up a flour explosion! And did I mention, no sewing involved!! That's always a plus for me!

Jello Painting

Looking for simple activity that smells good too? Just add a little water to jello powder, stir it up, and you have a sticky, gooey, and aromatic "paint"!

I like to immerse my selective eaters in activities relating to food, and this is a great one to encourage smelling, which is often one of the first steps when I introduce a new food.

Here's our completed project!

 When it dries, it has a grainy texture and it smells delicious too!

Friday Features

This week I...
- enthusiastically proclaimed, "you did it!" after one of my students cut out this circle (those curves can be so tricky!) and he replied, "I made a hexagon." Well, I guess if you want to get technical about it, he appears to be right :)

- prepped for the six IEPs that I have next week! The end of the school year is near...I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

- finally got around to writing my review of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here. It's a great book for OTs to add to their resources for parents. 

Friday Features Links:
- Embrace Your Chaos wrote an article, Dealing With End-of-the Year Burnout. When I saw the title, I thought it was going to provide tips for therapists to get through the end of the year :) It's actually full of great tips for helping students regulate and focus, so they can get through the last few weeks of school. The tips might be helpful for the adults in their lives too. I know I like to go for a run before work and eat crunchy foods in the middle of the day :)

- Jill Perry, an OT over at All for My Child, wrote Ten important things my SLP colleagues taught me. This is a great article to remind OTs and other non-speech professionals how to encourage speech in the children we work with.

- The CDC has a ton of free downloads as part of their Learn the Signs. Act Early. Program. These are great to share with parents to educate about developmental milestones.

I love making parents cry!

But only happy tears, of course!


Here's a story from a feeding therapy session last week:


I'm working with an adorable 2 1/2 year old and his amazing parents. He doesn't eat much. In fact, he primarily drinks formula from a bottle. Parents reported that he does like popsicles.

So I put my on my thinking cap and decided to freeze some Gogurt and then we'd eat "popsicles" during our session. The little boy was happy to lick his "popsicle".

After it melted and his little tongue couldn't reach down into the tube to the yogurt, Dad had a great idea, "He needs a spoon to reach it."

I ran to the clinic kitchen and grabbed a spoon. The next thing you know, he's eating yogurt (a new food!) with a spoon (a new skill!). And dad is saying, "I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen him use a spoon."

Later, when I got some of my yogurt on my finger, I showed him the yogurt on my finger and then I licked it off. He then stuck his finger into his Gogurt tube (unprompted!), and licked it off (this child does not like to touch food-another first!).


Mom and Dad were so happy, they were near tears...what a session!

Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids

Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids, by Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, is a must-read morsel of a book for those interested in making mealtimes with their child more enjoyable! Melanie is a feeding specialist who has shared her knowledge by writing a book about the "how" to feed a child, with topics ranging from proper seating to straw drinking to helping your child tolerate change and new foods.

This book is designed for busy parents. Each chapter consists of an appetizer, an entree and a quick bite. The appetizers are short, real life stories from Melanie's experiences as a feeding specialist. The entree dives into the topic introduced in the appetizer more thoroughly, and the quick bite gives a short synopsis of tips.

This book covers the basics of feeding your child in an easy to understand manner. If you are looking for a book that dives deep into techniques of feeding therapy, then this is not the book for you. If you're looking for quick, helpful, and easy to implement tips, then this book will leave you with plenty of straight forward tips to try right away with your child!

Topics covered include:

• Proper positioning
• Spoon feeding
• Getting messy (and why it's important!)
• Experiencing temperature and texture before taste
• Helping children tolerate change
• Straw drinking
• Behavioral strategies, including reinforcement and ignoring undesired behaviors
• Creating eating routines
• Tooth brushing
• Signs of choking
• Portion sizes

What Therapists Will Love:

• Quick, easy read!
• Great resource to have on hand with basic information about feeding and mealtimes to share with families.
• Chapters are so short, you can have a parent read one during your session, and then discuss what they learned.

What Parents Will Love:

• Quick, easy read. Even busy parents of toddlers can find time to read this book!
• Useful, basic information about feeding, especially for a first time parent or a first time parent of a selective eater!
• Great tips on common areas of concern, such as tolerating change, getting messy with food and learning to sit quietly in a highchair.
• Tips are easy to understand and easy to implement with your child immediately!

If you want to hear what others think of this book, please visit Amazon to read all of the reviews parents and therapists have written. Then, head on over to My Munch Bug to purchase the book directly from the distributor and save 20%. Even better, follow My Munch Bug on Facebook for tons of great information as well as frequent discount codes for Happy Mealtimes and Dancing in the Kitchen!

Wait, what is this Dancing in the Kitchen that I just mentioned? Melanie has teamed up with a childrens singer/songwriter to create a CD of fun music about food. Check out the video below of A Peas Operetta from Dancing in the Kitchen: Songs That Celebrate the Joy of Food to get a taste of what the CD has to offer!


As a therapist, I am always looking for good music to incorporate into therapy sessions, and Dancing in the Kitchen fits that bill! It's not just fun, it has therapeutic value too! This CD includes suggestions and strategies for incorporating these songs into your child's mealtime experience to get the most out of the music. You can purchase Dancing in the Kitchen from My Munch Bug or from Amazon.

Disclosure: The items reviewed in this post were received free of charge for review. All opinions expressed are my own.