Do you ever find yourself saying your child is a messy eater? Does it seem like more food is on the table, floor, on their hands and mouth than in their bellies at the end of meals? (Maybe you’ve thought you don’t know if you could clean up after meals without your pet to help get the food that falls on the floor?? Only kidding…but really…my dog has always been the best post-meal vacuum cleaner!) Or maybe your child is a slow eater and you think meal times will never.end. Being a messy eater may actually be a sign of an orofacial myofunctional disorder rather than just lazy eating.
No, you’re not crazy. Trust your mama gut. You’ve felt there was more going on all along.
Chewing with the mouth open, while may be common, is not normal. We need to chew with our lips closed in order to chew food effectively and efficiently. Our tongue needs to be able to move in various directions (up, down, left, right, etc) in order to move food around to assist chewing and breaking the food down enough for a complete swallow.
Often, if there is a breakdown in one of these areas, (eating with the lips apart, not moving the tongue well while eating), it impacts how we prepare our food to be swallowed as well as the swallow itself. You may notice your child always takes a drink to help them swallow (called a “liquid wash”) and clear any food residue from their mouth. While it may help them clear their tongue, it’s not optimal and a sign that the tongue is having difficulty gathering all of the food in order to complete the swallow properly.
You may even notice that your child is a picky eater, having a limited amount of foods they will eat on a regular basis. This can be due to a sensory issue and/or oral dysfunction. If any part of chewing and swallowing is difficult, it can be scary to eat those foods. Our body and mind are pretty smart and are going to shy away from foods that feel extra challenging or unsafe to chew and properly prepare for swallowing.
If you have any of these concerns, it’s a good idea to schedule an evaluation with a myofunctional therapist if your child is over the age of 4 years. Under 4 years you will want to reach out to a pediatric feeding therapist (SLP or OT) for a sensori-oral motor feeding evaluation.
Remember, just because something is common, doesn’t mean it’s normal. At the end of the day, your child will thank you when they feel safe to eat. Another benefit is addressing these challenges reduce that messy eating, too…something many kids appreciate as they get older and become more aware of their habits!
