Pocketing food is quite common and can seem a strange thing for little ones to do. It is sometimes helpful to understand what food pocketing is and the many reasons it can happen, from a lack of skill in eating to perhaps some sensory issues. Often Food Pocketing is just short lived, but depending on the cause/s it can also require some support to encourage children to swallow their foods.
This blog will uncover the reasons why children pocket food in more depth and what you can do as a parent to support your child to reduce pocketing.
What is food pocketing?
Food pocketing is holding food in a little pocket of the mouth such as the cheek, or behind the gums. Essentially this is NOT where we want food to end up.
What does it look like?
It can look different in each child but here are some signs to look for:
- Cheeks appearing full is the most obvious
- Holding food in their mouth after a meal has finished
- Spitting food out
- Coughing when eating
- Speech is unclear
There are many reasons why this can happen which we can explore here.
Why do children pocket food?
- Feeling of urgency to eat – either through desperation to get on with eating the meal and get to another activity such as playing, or through some pressure to eat up. Additionally they could be doing it to try and speed up the time to pudding or even just general pressure to clear the plate. Leading to a build up of food in the mouth.
- Sensory issues – Some children may not like the taste and or texture of the food once it is in their mouth and hold it in their mouth instead of spitting or swallowing it. They may not even know how to spit it out.
For other children it could be more about not being able to process the sensations of where the food is in the mouth. If they are not getting these signals of where food is in the mouth, it can get lost and held in the mouth. This is also known as sensory processing disorder. For more information and guidance, check out this free download
Sometimes children do not even realise it is there and then add more food into their mouths. Stuffing food can become a problem too.
- Lack of oral motor skills – Eating is a complex skill, and it takes time to master these skills involving the coordination of the tongue, jaw, lips and cheeks in the mouth.
If your child is struggling to learn part or all of the oral motor skills needed to eat, particularly chewing and swallowing. Then they won’t know how to get food to this stage and it gets pocketed in the mouth. They will need some support from a speech and language therapist.
It may also be that they simply can’t manage the textures on offer and so they cope with it by simply pocketing the food and avoiding swallowing.
- Painful to swallow – If they have a sore throat or it hurts to swallow then they are likely to resist swallowing food and pocket the food instead.
If your child is only pocketing food sometimes, this can reassure you that they do know how to chew and swallow food – so it is then more likely to be a sensory issue with certain foods, or difficulty with certain textures. If they are doing it frequently, it is more likely a skill issue.
What to do when your child pockets food
Reduce meal distractions creating a calm and enjoyable eating environment, so they will enjoy being at the table for meals and not feel the need to rush meals down. If they are still eating fast then here are lots of things you can do to help slow them down.
Reduce pressure to eat – If you are asking your child to eat up, take more bites or even try a bit more on the plate then it is all pressure to eat. Try these mealtime language tips to take the pressure off.
Offer smaller pieces- if they are ready then you can offer smaller pieces, ensuring they are easy to chew foods until they are ready to progress. Ensure they are appropriate textures for them too.
Encourage sips of water – this can make it easier for food to be chewed and swallowed. It may also delay them putting more food in the mouth as they pause to take sips of water. This can help food be smoother and easier to swallow.
Serve foods easier to swallow e.g when they have a sore throat – if the reason for pocketing food is painful swallowing due to a sore throat then you could offer some softer foods making it more comfortable to swallow until it gets better.
When should you seek help
When pocketing food continues for some time and impacts their eating habits then it would be time to seek help from a speech and language feeding therapist, such as- Laura Bottiglieri from milk to mealtime.
Particularly if you have:
- Tried the above strategies and are seeing no progress.
- They pocket food regularly at every meal with all types of different foods.
- They are not eating enough and losing weight.
- You think they have some sensory issues
- They regularly cough during meals which needs some investigation.
Why your child is food pocketing can not always be easy to understand. Hopefully this information can help you to understand what might be causing it and the 5 strategies that can help solve the issue. If you are worried about your child, then always seek professional help.