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Occupational Therapy
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How do I handle overstuffing the mouth in a 1-year-old?
Overstuffing at age one is usually normal — your toddler is still learning to feel a full mouth. Offer small portions, chewy-but-soft textures, paced bites and calm supervision. Check with a clinician if there is frequent gagging, choking, coughing on liquids or refusal of most textures.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle overstuffing the mouth in a 2-year-old?
Mouth-stuffing at two is usually a sensory message, not bad manners — the mouth wants stronger input. Offer 2–3 pieces at a time, slow the pace with one bite at a time, give chewy or crunchy input before meals, and stay calm. Treat any true choking as an emergency, and seek a feeding review if it persists past three or comes with gagging or refusal.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Handle Mouth-Stuffing in a 3-Year-Old
Overstuffing the mouth at three is usually a sensory or pacing pattern, not a danger, and improves with smaller pre-portioned bites, firmer textures, clear 'bite-chew-swallow' cues and supervised, unhurried meals. Seek a feeding and sensory check if it comes with coughing, gagging, food pocketing, texture refusal or weight concerns.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle picky eating in a 1-year-old?
Picky eating at one is normal as growth and appetite slow and independence grows. Offer varied foods without pressure, eat together, re-offer calmly, and judge intake across the week. Check in if there's weight loss, choking, total texture refusal or no self-feeding interest.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle picky eating in a 2-year-old?
Picky eating at age two is usually normal — appetite naturally slows and independence grows. Keep mealtimes calm and predictable: you decide what and when is offered, your child decides how much. Re-offer new foods without pressure. Seek a check if you see gagging, choking, a shrinking food range, poor weight gain, or eating concerns alongside developmental delays.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle picky eating in a 3-year-old?
Picky eating peaks at age three and is usually normal. Offer variety calmly without pressure, eat together, keep predictable meal times, and let your child decide how much to eat. Seek a check if food range is very narrow or shrinking, growth falters, or feeding worries come with developmental delays.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle picky eating in a 4-year-old?
Picky eating peaks at ages two to five and usually settles with patience. You decide the what, when and where of meals; your child decides whether and how much. Keep offering variety without pressure, and seek a check only if eating is severely restricted, weight falters, or feeding is distressing everywhere.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle picky eating in a 5-year-old?
Picky eating at five is usually a normal phase. Offer calm, low-pressure meals at set times, keep re-presenting new foods beside familiar ones, and let your child decide how much to eat. Seek review if there's poor weight gain, gagging or choking, a very narrow diet, or distress around eating.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle picky eating in a 6-year-old?
Picky eating at six is common and usually a phase. You decide what, when and where food is offered; your child decides whether and how much. Keep mealtimes calm, offer new foods repeatedly without pressure, and seek a check if the food range is shrinking or growth is affected.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle seeking spinning movement in a 1-year-old?
Spinning at 12 months is usually a normal, healthy way toddlers explore their vestibular (balance) sense. Offer safe, rich movement at home and watch your child — most need no treatment. Seek a friendly developmental check only if spinning is constant, replaces play and connection, or comes with other delays in words, gestures or walking.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle seeking spinning movement in a 2-year-old?
Spinning-seeking in a 2-year-old is usually a healthy appetite for vestibular (movement) input and is very common. Offer safe, adult-led movement like swinging, dancing and being twirled, cap fast spinning at a few rotations, and build generous movement into the day. Check in with a professional only if it is intense across settings, crowds out play, or sits alongside delayed words or limited sharing.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle seeking spinning movement in a 3-year-old?
Spinning-seeking in a three-year-old is usually a healthy vestibular craving. Channel it safely with planned movement and clear start-stop limits, keep the space safe, and notice when it happens. Book a developmental check only if it is constant, hard to interrupt, or paired with speech, play or social differences.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle seeking spinning movement in a 4-year-old?
Spinning-seeking at four is usually a healthy vestibular appetite. Handle it by offering safe, planned movement and heavy-work play rather than banning it, and watch how your child settles. Seek a developmental check only if spinning crowds out play, learning or safety, or comes with speech or balance concerns.
Read the answer AnswerHow to Handle Seeking Spinning Movement in a 5-Year-Old
Seeking spinning movement in a 5-year-old is usually a normal vestibular sensory need, not a worry. Meet it with planned, supervised movement and heavy-work breaks across the day, set gentle limits, and watch that it doesn't take over play, safety or learning. Seek a developmental check if spinning is constant, hard to redirect, or paired with speech, social or coordination concerns.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle stool withholding in a 2-year-old?
Stool withholding in toddlers usually starts with one painful poo that teaches the child to hold on. The fix is to make stools soft and pooing painless for several weeks, keep toilet sits calm and unforced, and praise trying. See your paediatrician for hard or pellet stools, soiling, or weeks-long withholding — a stool softener often breaks the cycle.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle stool withholding in a 3-year-old?
Stool withholding in a 3-year-old is a pain-and-fear cycle that starts with one hard, painful poo. Break it by keeping stools soft, taking all pressure off the toilet, rewarding calm sitting rather than results, and never punishing. Most children improve in weeks; see your paediatrician for blood, pain, leakage or persistent withholding.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle stool withholding in a 4-year-old?
Stool withholding begins after a painful poo, so the child holds it in. Break the cycle by keeping stools soft, removing all pressure and fear, and rebuilding calm, unhurried toilet sits after meals with a footstool and praise. Never force or scold. See a doctor if there is soiling, blood, pain or no progress in a few weeks — it is common and very treatable.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle stool withholding in a 5-year-old?
Stool withholding in a 5-year-old is a pain-and-fear cycle, not naughtiness. Soften the stool so going stops hurting (with GP guidance), make toilet time calm and pressure-free with feet supported, and reward sitting rather than success. See a doctor if there is blood, soiling, pain or no improvement over weeks.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle toe-walking in a 1-year-old?
Occasional toe-walking in a new walker around 1 year is common and usually harmless. Encourage barefoot play, whole-foot activities and flexible shoes, and mention it at routine checks. Seek a closer review if it is constant, one-sided, paired with stiff calves, or alongside other delays.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle toe-walking in a 2-year-old?
Occasional toe-walking in a 2-year-old is common and usually harmless. Encourage flat-footed walking with play, gentle calf stretches and supportive shoes, and stay calm rather than correcting. Seek a developmental check if your child toe-walks almost all the time, has tight calves you cannot flatten, walks one-sidedly, or has other delays in speech, play or coordination.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle toe-walking in a 3-year-old?
Occasional toe-walking at 3 is common and often settles on its own. Encourage heel-to-toe walking through play, barefoot time and squats, and book a developmental check if it's constant, one-sided, paired with tight calves or falls, or alongside speech, play or sensory differences.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle toe-walking in a 4-year-old?
Occasional toe-walking is common and often harmless at four; encourage flat-foot play, gently stretch the calves, and watch the pattern. Seek a developmental check if it's one-sided, the ankles feel tight, it's increasing, your child can't stand flat-footed, or it comes with other developmental concerns.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle toe-walking in a 5-year-old?
Occasional toe-walking at five is often harmless, but by this age most children walk heel-to-toe. Encourage flat-foot play, keep ankles flexible with gentle daily stretches, and check your child can lower their heels on request. Seek a developmental check if it is constant, heels feel tight, or it comes with stiffness, falling, or speech or social differences.
Read the answer AnswerHow do I handle toilet-training resistance in a 2-year-old?
Toilet-training resistance at two is common and usually normal. Ease the pressure, look for genuine readiness, offer the child small choices, keep accidents shame-free, and rule out constipation. Most children settle with a calm, child-led restart; persistent holding, distress or regression warrants a quick paediatric check.
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