Navigating Holiday Eating Challenges With Compassion
Holiday meals can be joyful — but also stressful for children who are selective eaters, anxious around food, or currently in feeding therapy. The smells, textures, expectations, and social pressure can be overwhelming.
At The Village Therapy Place, we want families to know:
Eating challenges have real sensory, motor, and emotional components — and pressure usually makes them worse, not better.
Here’s how to support your child with warmth and confidence.
Understand the Sensory Side of Eating
Eating requires:
Smelling
Touching
Seeing
Chewing
Managing textures
Tolerating unpredictability
For a sensory-sensitive child, this is a lot.
Holiday meals add:
Strong smells
New foods
Loud environments
Social expectations
Changes in routine
No wonder many kids shut down.
Avoid Pressure and “Just Try It” Language
Pressure increases anxiety. Anxiety decreases appetite.
Instead of:
“You have to take a bite.”
“You ate this last year.”
“Don’t be rude.”
Try:
“You don’t have to eat it — you can just explore it.”
“You can smell it or touch it if you want.”
You can keep your safe foods close.”
Exposure without expectation is the foundation of responsive feeding.
Create a Safe Eating Plan
We recommend:
Bring your child’s safe foods
Offer a seat at the edge of the table, not the center
Keep sensory tools nearby
Allow breaks
Reduce overwhelm by letting kids plate their own food
Try “Food Bridges”
A food bridge creates a gentle link between a familiar food and a new one.
For example:
If they eat plain pasta → offer pasta with butter near them
If they eat crackers → offer a cracker with a tiny bit of dip next to it
If they eat apples → offer applesauce on the plate
No expectations. Just exposure.
Celebrate the Wins That Matter
Sitting at the table
Smelling a new food
Touching a new food
Placing a new food on their plate
Staying regulated during a meal
These are HUGE steps.
Your child is doing their best — and so are you.
