These children need lots and lots of sensation to meet their sensory needs or to even notice a sensation. For these children, offering foods that provide lots of stimulation and sensation will help them notice what is happening in their mouths and/or meet their sensory needs. Foods with big crunch and big taste are listed below to give you some ideas:

Big Bang Foods

• Chewy foods (frozen gummy bears, beef jerky, dried fruit, sesame snaps)
• Crunchy foods (raw veggies, hard fruit, dill pickles, nuts)
• Cold foods (frozen berries/cut fruit/veggies, ice cubes)
• Spicy foods (baked chick-peas, seasoned nuts)
• Sour foods (lemons, apples with lime juice, cucumber with vinegar, sour candies)

Some children are oral seekers, meaning they love to explore their world through their mouth.  It can be disconcerting when a child puts everything in their mouth (oh the germs!), but there is hope!  The following is a list of socially appropriate/crowd-friendly foods and items that are hygienic and safe AND will meet the needs of oral seekers.

Crowd-Friendly Things for the Mouth

• Gum
• Hard candies (only if choking is not a hazard, of course!)
• Milkshakes or smoothies from a straw (the skinnier the straw, the more work)
• Sport water bottles (that require lots of suction)
• Stir sticks or straws (chew on the end)
• Vibrating toothbrushes or teethers
• Musical toys (harmonica, blow toys/whistles, recorder)
• You can also purchase specialty chew toys, pretend jewelery safe for chewing and plastic pencil toppers (available from www.schoolspecialty.ca)

Your Action:

Introduce one big bang food and one crowd-friendly food/object that meets your child’s sensory need.

Courtesy photo by Chloe Lim