Presenting your child's food and drinks
Overview
Using the right mat, plates, cups and cutlery can help keep things tidy, show your child where to eat, and help them learn new skills. Learning to eat with hands and utensils takes time and can be messy. This section shares tips to help your child get used to using forks and spoons, and ways to make clean-up easier.
Mats and dishes
The colour of plates, cups and bowls can affect how your child feels about eating. It might help them try new foods or eat the ones they already like. Bright and bold colours can look fun, but they might also feel a bit too much. It’s often easier to see food on plain plates in calm colours, like white or grey. Drinks could be more accepted in see-through cups. For example, orange juice in a clear glass looks natural and familiar, but in a blue cup, it may appear green and strange. High-contrast colours can change how food looks. This can make the food seem less tasty or not as nice to eat. The resource below shares some helpful tips about how the colour of plates and cups can make eating easier and less messy.
Downloadable resources
This downloadable resource has been developed with Saskia, a Children's Occupational Therapist.
Using utensils
Helping your child learn to use utensils (such as forks and spoons) is an important step in their eating journey. It helps them develop fine motor skills (small hand muscles) and makes mealtimes easier. Practising regularly can help them get better at managing a wider range of shapes, size and textures. Cutlery with wider handles is easier for small hands to hold. Child-sized utensils are more manageable for young children and can help them bring food to their mouth more easily. Some utensils have finger indentations to guide your child’s fingers into the right position, making self-feeding easier when they are ready to grip cutlery like adults. One helpful example is Kura Care children's cutlery, which includes finger rest indents. For very young children, pre-spoons with slotted openings can help food stay on the spoon without needing to scoop, which can reduce frustration during early self-feeding. It’s normal for children to go back to using their hands when they’re tired, feeling unwell, or need more sensory feedback from their food. You can also introduce cutlery through play. For example, using utensils to cut play dough rolls or balls can be a fun and low-pressure way to practise.
See this section for for more ideas on using play outside of mealtimes.
Top tips for presenting foods and drinks
This downloadable resource has been developed by Saskia, a Children's Occupational Therapist
Key messages
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Jump straight to what parents and early years professionals have said about presenting foods and drinks
