The Importance of Core Support During Feeding

Did you know, the way your child is positioned in their high chair during mealtimes can have a huge impact on their ability to learn to eat solid foods? Feeding is a whole body activity, and your baby’s body needs to be well supported in order for them to have good control of their hands and mouth.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children begin solid foods around 6 months of age. Around 6-7 months babies are sitting independently, and while these new sitting skills are often enough to support your baby during play time, they will still need extra physical support during mealtimes. At this age, your baby still requires a lot of work to maintain the sitting position, and adding feeding activities will place extra physical stress on the newly learned sitting skill. Providing your baby with a good, supportive seating arrangement will allow them to focus on learning important feeding skills such as picking up foods, bringing foods to their mouths, chewing and swallowing.

Many feeding specialists use a common phrase, “what is happening at the hips is what is happening at the lips.” This is just a fun way to remember that if our hips are not in a good position, it can create changes in head control, breathing and mouth control. We want to make sure that a baby’s hips and pelvis are at a 90 degree angle from their legs, and keep the pelvis from tilting in any direction.

You can use your Yeah Baby Goods high chair cushion to provide support for your baby’s back and hips. It will also decrease the amount of space in the seat of the chair and move your baby close to the high chair tray. The tray can provide support for your baby to lean on with their arms and elbows, and the Yeah Baby Goods high chair tray mat will provide traction for your baby’s arms and elbows to remain stable.

Watch this video to learn more about what good positioning looks like, why it's important and how you can use the Yeah Baby Goods support cushion to achieve a supportive position.

Link to AAP recommendation: https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/HALF-Implementation-Guide/Age-Specific-Content/Pages/Infant-Food-and-Feeding.aspx

Klein. Pre-feeding Skills: A Comprehensive Resource for Feeding Development. Tucson, Ariz: Therapy Skill Builders, 1987. Print