Stocking Stuffers for Your Autistic Picky Eater
Looking for some practical gifts this holiday season? Well, you’re in the right place! Today, I am sharing all of my favorite, can’t-live-without kitchen items for feeding kids. This is the actual stuff you will find me using on a regular basis to feed my 2 and 5-year-olds. Whether you’re looking for new ideas, stocking stuffers, or you just need a refresh, there’s sure to be something here for you!
1) If you are through the phase of needing the toddler-size spoons and forks, you might like to use a spork. The spork is fun, it’s colorful, and it’s fewer utensils for you to set the table with or to wash. Enough said. Thank you, spork.
2) Whether or not you are old enough to skip the toddler spoon and fork, you might still be using a bib for messier meals. I hate the sloppy slop that can land on kids’ cute outfits, so, I like these silicone bibs, and especially when tomato soup is involved! They protect shirts, they catch drips in the pocket, and they wipe clean easily.
3) When I present new foods, I like to present the food in tiny amounts. It’s less overwhelming and results in less food waste. A great way to coral those little bites is on a little food pick. These friendly food picks are great size for little fingers-but also often get a smile out of older elementary-aged kids. They add a little fun to taste experiments!
4) Another little tool I love for presenting small portions or new tastes is a silicone muffin cup. These little cups can hold a just-right bite of a new food, or a serving of pumpkin seeds, a perfect portion of raisins, or hot tip here! – a single portion of maple syrup that you can pop in the microwave.
5) We really like hot drinks at my house, so, I am frequently serving hot cider, hot cocoa, or a steamer, this time of year. If you also like to serve hot drinks, you probably know that no one can ever drink a whole mug before it goes cold, and even if they could, they aren’t so manageable for smaller people. So, it was a happy accident for me when I realized that our lesser-used espresso mugs were the perfect thing for kids! Now these mugs are in fast rotation, everyone can finish their appropriately sized drink, and it remains hot the whole time. To make these really fun, I usually draw something special for each kiddo on the mug with a wine marker, and I serve the mug with an espresso spoon.
6) In case you were wondering, a steamer is a cup of plain, steamed milk. We first started buying these for our girls at coffee shops on special occasions. Now that they are so popular with my honeys, we make them at home in a frother. …You know that sticky mess when a pot of milk boils over on the stove? Never again!
7) When we aren’t trying to keep drinks hot, I really like these straw cups for kids. They keep things cold for a long time, they don’t break when they hit the floor, and the straws are soft silicone, not rigid (i.e., more dangerous). These cups also give me some solace when I realize someone’s milk got left out of the fridge yet again! The milk stays cold for a long time, even out of a refrigerator or lunchbox. Less wasted milk? Yes, please. :)
8) Likewise, for on the road, I choose these thermoses as my favorite brand for kids. And to make sure they don’t get lost, I hug them with these name labels that are fully customizable. They come in a pack of 4 for labeling multiple cups, and they are extremely durable. Both of these items, especially when paired together, make a practical and personal birthday gift or stocking stuffer for kids.
Inchbug drink label hugging a kids cup
9) Another uber giftable item is this colorful knife set for kids. Use your judgment, but with a grown-up helping, I think you can start using these with even very young kids.
10) When I’m packing snacks or lunches for school or on-the-go, I really like the functionality of the bentgo box. It offers opportunity to present a small amount of several options – a winning combination for picky eaters. And to pack it, I recommend a neoprene lunchbox with ice packs. You can throw the neoprene sack in the wash regularly, and no matter what spills, you’ll never have to worry about a stinky lunchbox ever again. Thank goodness!!
11) This year, I’m also trialing the bentgo backpack for one of my girls. It has a special compartment on the bottom just for a bentgo box. So far so good! With this, I like that her lunchbox isn’t something she has to carry separately from her backpack. The lunch compartment is large enough for the bentgo box, utensils, and 2 ice packs to keep everything really chilly, and there is a drink holder on the side of the bag. We’ve only been using this since August, so, check back for an update on how this is going!
12) Whether you are packing food to leave the house or to eat right at home, if your kiddos like to eat purees such as applesauce, I recommend these reusable pouches. They are dishwasher friendly and can help you use pouches when you want the convenience. Store-bought pouches are great, too, but these allow you to buy or make your puree in bulk. In our home, we like to buy applesauce at CostCo and fill up all of our pouches with it. Then, we’ve got pouches to-go whenever we are in a hurry.
13) I wanted to finish off the list with a baker’s dozen, but there are two more items I absolutely have to share, so, I’m sneaking them both here under #13! These are 2 items I love to use in my own kitchen, that make it way more accessible for kids. One, a tower that saddles up to the island so the kids can help with meal prep or steal tastes before food makes it to the table, and two, a stokke tripp trap chair. In fact, I love these chairs so much that we have 2 of them. Both of my kids (2 and 5) sit in these chairs every day for all of their meals. I love how these seats bring them comfortably to the table so they aren’t dangling their legs, kneeling on a grown-up chair, or having to reach up for their food. When kids are comfortable, they can focus their energy on the important task at hand – eating!
There you have it! All of my tested favorites for feeding kids. What are your favorites? Please share in the comments below so we can all find more tried and true items!
Did you like this post? If you did, you’ll LOVE my best tips to improve picky eating in this free resource.
