About

Welcome to Learn To Love Food!!

As a speech-language pathologist who specializes in pediatric feeding therapy, I’ve shared many frustrations, milestones and successes with children and families dealing with feeding disorders and picky eating.

We can’t make kids eat. We can’t make them eat something they don’t like the taste of, are scared of, don’t like the texture of, or something they think will make their tummies hurt. We all have control over what we will put in our mouths, chew and swallow. We don’t want to take that control over their bodies away from kids. We can’t make them eat.

BUT…

We can teach them about food. We can teach them about how food smells, how it feels, how it tastes, how we can manipulate food with our hands, how we can taste it with our fingers, lips and tongue, how our teeth can crunch it, how we can send it to our tummies and make hunger go away. With love, compassion, fun and playfulness, we can teach kids the skills and comfort level they need to eat a wider and wider variety of foods. We can teach them to LOVE FOOD!!

In this blog I’m sharing activities from years of feeding therapy sessions. I hope you find them fun and helpful!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy and happy food-play!!

161 thoughts on “About”

  5. Hi, there. Thanks for liking my blog post today.

    Yours is a helpful site for many worried moms and dads, I am sure. When my daughters were little there wasn’t much they wouldn’t eat, but if so, there was always good old grilled cheese sandwiches on which we could rely, especially if we were eating out. We still chuckle over that. “Steak? Prawns? Chicken Alfredo?” “No, thanks. I’ll just have grilled cheese.”

    When I was growing up in a big family (ten siblings), there was little fussing over the fare–just hoping there would be enough for seconds!

    Cheers.

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  6. My parents would have loved you 27 years ago:) I find very interesting what you are doing and would like to nominate you for the Versatile Blogger Award, if you are okay with it!:) I’ll post about it within 2 days!

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  9. Pingback: Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award | All I do

  12. How interesting and a totally different side of the coin to the life I amliving right now where the kids often have zero food to eat. My brother was such a problem to my mother with his pickiness that when I gre up and became pregnant the first thing I said to my husband was “Our son will eat anything and everything!” 35 years on and he still does but he is married to a beautiful Norweigan girl who has a weight issue as in lack of weight and claims to simply “not like food.” I will look around here with interest on so many levels. Thanks for finding my humble blog offerig! xxx

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  13. I love this concept. I have a similar philosophy. My blog focuses a little more on education in the kitchen but we do offer advice for fussy eaters. Where are you based? I love finding like minded people and even better if they are bloggers 🙂

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  14. Your blog really hits home. Since I have collagenous colitis and other autoimmune disorders, and a marvelous nutritionist recommended a gluten-free diet (even though I do not have celiac disease), and I am the grandmother of a two-year-old with numerous ear infections (which tubes to be put in next week will hopefully eliminate), the importance of diet and teaching children to appreciate food cannot be stressed enough. Thank you for liking my humble blog post!

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      3. Cool, thanks! I was doing the same thing, then feel a pull when nominated by a blogger I really like and admire (like yourself :). Thank you so much for the nomination and example of using your time for what you need to do! I’m going to try to stay focused as well! 🙂

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  16. I used to love food, but things got a little too intense so we’re taking a break. It’s complicated.

    Actually, I think this blog is really cool.

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  18. Pingback: Dragon’s Loyalty Award | Never Less Than Everything

  21. This is such a great blog! Your creativity with food is AMAZING! My son has slowly become more adventurous but he’s still really skeptical of new foods. I’d never thought of letting him play with it first – genius!!! Can’t wait to garner some great ideas from you!

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  22. Thank you for stopping by my blog! I have a son with Autism and I have the “Don’t like it” struggle all the time even though he hasn’t tried it. I’m glad there are people out there like you trying to help.

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  23. Thanks for liking my blog post. It helped me find yours. My little one has started on solids recently and I think I have found the right blog at the right time ! Thanks a ton for coming up with such great ideas 🙂

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  25. I love your blog! It reminds me so much of games my parents used to play with us when we were kids involving broccoli trees and wimpy asparagus men. I do eat both of those today 🙂

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  29. Hi, Kim. I’ve invited you to join a 3 day quote challenge. I have learned much from you about an area that I did not realize was a serious issue for some. I have challenged you because I know you have so many important things to pass on and thought you might enjoy this. There is no obligation at all. If you don’t want to participate, please accept the honor of being invited😊. I have posted my first of three quotes and the “rules” on my blog tonight.

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    1. Hi–Thank you so much for thinking of me! I do love the compact wisdom behind many quotes, but don’t have the time right now to participate in a structured challenge. Thank you so much for the honor of being invited! 🙂

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  30. Hi, Kim!:) I’m glad that I came across your blog. I went to college for speech pathology/working with the deaf at USF and thoroughly enjoyed it! My life went on a different path and my husband and I adopted twin boys from Ukraine, in 2000. They have both had eating issues and have received help from several therapists. I will enjoy trying some of these things you have on your blog, because they still deal with issues, like not chewing enough, eating too fast, etc. Nice to meet you! Thanks for your help!

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    1. Hi Shellie! I’m so glad you found me too! I’m sure you’ve used your knowledge base and skills round the clock with your two boys!! And you’ve given me an idea to do a Thursday post on pacing, because a lot of kids also have issues with eating too fast!! Thanks for reaching out! 🙂

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  31. Hi, Kim! Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking something. I have only been writing about food for a bit over five years. It is amazing to run across someone like you who handles other eating issues besides just eating too much and not exercising. I am enjoying my visit to your blog.

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  32. Hi! I saw that you liked my post and as soon as I opened your ‘about’ page I was a follower. Your blog looks amazing. My toddler loves pretty much everything but I know so many mums trying hard to get their kidlets to eat something other than chips so I’m happy to share your site with them. So glad I found you!

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  35. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I got a good mental laugh at your alliterative home-page banner pictures. I’m fortunate to have children who are not too picky, but I still may have to try the avocado alligator or pepper parrot one day, just for fun.

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    1. Thank you! I love hearing that your children are adventurous eaters and I definitely agree that making food animals and topping a salad with an avocado alligator is just plain fun whether you’re picky or not! Also, if you check out the Animal Alphabet in the categories pull down menu on the right, there’s an alliterative food animal for each letter, so lots of inspiration for even more fun!

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