{"id":4537,"date":"2020-03-28T03:32:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T03:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/?p=4537"},"modified":"2020-03-28T03:32:22","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T03:32:22","slug":"distraction-feeding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/","title":{"rendered":"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:52.333333333333%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:221.42857142857%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}<\/style><p><em><strong>In several blog posts I write about how distractions while eating, called distraction feeding, can help picky eaters eat better. When is distraction feeding OK to use? And when is it better to feed your child without distractions?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4601\" src=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb.jpg\" alt=\"distraction feeding graphic\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-1080x565.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-735x385.jpg 735w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 96px), 720px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4601 eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201200%20628'%3E%3Crect%20width='1200'%20height='628'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"distraction feeding graphic\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 96px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb.jpg.webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-300x157.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-768x402.jpg.webp 768w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-1024x536.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-1080x565.jpg.webp 1080w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-fb-735x385.jpg.webp 735w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n<h2>What is distraction feeding?<\/h2>\n<p>Distraction feeding is simply using various distractions while eating to get your child to eat. Some typical distractions while eating are the \"airplane flying trick,\" feeding your toys or having your child feed you first, waving toys in front of your kids, dancing or singing while your kids are eating, and of course: TV.<\/p>\n<p>Distraction feeding is often used by parents of babies and toddlers to get them to eat. In fact, I have a whole list of <a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/how-to-feed-toddler-refuses-to-eat\/\"><strong>tips and tricks to get your toddler to eat<\/strong><\/a>, and many of them are various distraction feeding ideas.<\/p>\n<h2>Why does distraction feeding work?<\/h2>\n<p>Distraction feeding works because your child is distracted from the food and not as focused on being freaked out or repulsed by new food on the plate. Their senses are occupied with distractions, so they just do not oppose trying new foods, eating non-preferred foods, or eating more food.<\/p>\n<h2>Distraction feeding is controversial<\/h2>\n<p>Distraction feeding is definitely controversial, because a child is not as aware of their food and not as in tune with their body if they are eating while they are distracted.&nbsp;This can lead to a child not knowing when they are full and when they should stop eating, which can then lead to childhood obesity or portion control and weight problems later on in life.<\/p>\n<p>If a child is distracted and not as aware of their food, then they might not learn to eat certain textures, might not learn to enjoy certain flavors, and might not accept new foods to try later on in life.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it's not ideal if a toddler only eats when distracted. But the pros of distraction feeding can sometimes outweigh the cons. Some examples below...<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Sensory overload<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are many children whose picky eating is caused by sensory overload. Some kids are <em>too<\/em> aware of everything they are eating. They might be freaked out by all the different colors, textures, and flavors on their plate. This is definitely the case with my son, who's had some amount of food aversion since he was a baby.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Underweight kids<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Many toddlers and children can also be underweight because of their picky eating and sensory issues.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s where my recommendations for distractions come in &ndash; because I&rsquo;ve been through all of this with my son and we needed a way -&nbsp;<em>any way -&nbsp;<\/em>to get him to eat.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Recommendations from a feeding therapist<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>My son has been working with a feeding therapist for months, on and off. We&rsquo;ve seen huge progress in his eating, and I wrote more about it in my post about <a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/toddler-feeding-therapy\/\"><strong>feeding therapy for picky eating<\/strong><\/a>, read about it if you&rsquo;re curious.<\/p>\n<p>Our feeding therapist has specifically recommended to use small distractions if we are working on trying a new food with my son, or a food that we know he does not like because of a texture. She agreed that this is typically NOT recommended, but it works very well for my son.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BINGO!<\/strong> This is the same mom instinct I had even before we started feeding therapy. I was glad to hear I wasn&rsquo;t doing this feeding thing <em>totally<\/em> wrong.<\/p>\n<p>I want to emphasize that this is a recommendation for <strong><em>my son<\/em><\/strong> from our feeding therapist who has been working with him for <strong><em>months.<\/em><\/strong> This does not necessarily apply to every child, so please work with a pediatrician AND an occupational therapist to determine the right approach for <em>your<\/em> child.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Distractions to use while eating<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are many distractions that can be used while trying to feed a picky eater toddler:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Small toys<\/li>\n<li>Feeding while playing, or solving a puzzle<\/li>\n<li>Reading a book to your child<\/li>\n<li>Listening to music<\/li>\n<li>Flash cards<\/li>\n<li>Watching TV<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can definitely try whichever one you think your child might enjoy. I just want to warn that if you decide to try to use TV, you might have a really hard time going back on that. Trust me. We&rsquo;ve been there. We used to rely on our son watching TV to get him to eat for over a YEAR. We finally decided to put an end to it because it was really taking away from having a nice meal together as a family. Here is <a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/cut-out-screen-time-meals\/\"><strong>how we cut out TV while eating<\/strong><\/a>. So I would recommend trying <em>any<\/em> of the other ideas before you go the screen time route.<\/p>\n<p>I especially recommend rotating between several different distraction methods so your child doesn&rsquo;t start relying on ONE of them to eat. This way your child won't get used to eating only while playing and refuse to eat otherwise. (This is also related to my tip for <a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/tip-reduce-toddler-meltdowns\/\"><strong>reducing toddler meltdowns<\/strong><\/a> and raising a more easy-going toddler.)<\/p>\n<p>These distractions totally work for my son. He is definitely more open minded about trying a new food if he is not staring at the food on his plate, being overwhelmed about having to try something new, something unfamiliar, something that might be a color he doesn&rsquo;t want to eat or a shape that looks \"wrong\" to him.<\/p>\n<p>Like magic, he opens his mouth for food if he is wheeling his car around the high chair, or if he is working on a puzzle on the coffee table in the living room. He is willing to give food a fair chance if we are talking about pictures we see on flash cards, or if he is bobbing his head up and down to his favorite songs. It takes the pressure off of having to eat.<\/p>\n<p>And of course, he eats like a champ when he is zombied out by a cartoon. We save that tactic for when we have to go out to eat and he just refuses to sit, or when we are traveling and really need him to sit and eat quickly. But we NEVER do it at home anymore &ndash; it would be too easy for him to fall into the iPad habit again at home.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>20 ways to get a toddler to eat when they refuse<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I have a great blog post where I share <a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/how-to-feed-toddler-refuses-to-eat\/\"><strong>20 different tips and tricks that get my son to eat<\/strong><\/a>, and if you look at them you will see that most of them are distractions in one way or another. Some are behavioral \/ psychology tactics that make my son <em>want<\/em> to eat, but most are distractions, plain and simple.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at them, see if they might help your picky eater!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The end goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Of course, the goal for me is to have my son be open minded about trying new foods, and not get upset or anxious if he sees new foods on his plate. He doesn&rsquo;t have to <em>like<\/em> all the foods he tries, I just don&rsquo;t want him to have a meltdown if he sees a speck of parsley on his rice, or someone offers him something new to try.<\/p>\n<p>Once my son is consistently eating a new food while being distracted, I show him the food he is eating, tell him what it&rsquo;s called, and make sure he is aware of what he is eating so that he learns that he actually likes this food!<\/p>\n<p>We&rsquo;ve been using this tactic with him for several foods, and it&rsquo;s been working for us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More picky eating resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/sensory-tricks-feeding\/\"><strong>3 easy sensory tricks I use to get my toddler to eat<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/toddler-feeding-therapy\/\"><strong>Feeding therapy for picky eating<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/52-weeks-of-sensory\/\"><strong>52 Weeks of Sensory<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/picky-eater-first-vegetable\/\"><strong>How I got my son to eat his first vegetable<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/food-chaining-tomatoes\/\"><strong>Food chaining &ndash; how to get your child to eat tomatoes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>I would love to hear from you below &ndash; Does your baby only eat if distracted? Is your toddler always distracted at mealtimes? What do you think of distractions while eating? Are we just spoiling our kids and being too soft on them? Or do you agree that it might be a good tactic to use to help picky eaters eat better? Please leave me a comment below, I would LOVE to hear from you!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And please don't forget to share this with a friend or save it for later on Pinterest:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4602 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5.jpg\" alt=\"distraction feeding pinterest graphic\" width=\"700\" height=\"1550\" data-pin-title=\"Distraction Feeding and Picky Eating\" data-pin-description=\"Distraction feeding is using various distractions while eating to get your child to eat. When is it a good idea and when is it simply a gimmick? Some feeding therapists recommend distraction feeding in some situations - I write about our feeding therapist's recommendation for my picky eater son, who has been in feeding therapy for months.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5.jpg 700w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5-135x300.jpg 135w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5-462x1024.jpg 462w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4602 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5.jpg.webp\" alt=\"distraction feeding pinterest graphic\" width=\"700\" height=\"1550\" data-pin-title=\"Distraction Feeding and Picky Eating\" data-pin-description=\"Distraction feeding is using various distractions while eating to get your child to eat. When is it a good idea and when is it simply a gimmick? Some feeding therapists recommend distraction feeding in some situations - I write about our feeding therapist's recommendation for my picky eater son, who has been in feeding therapy for months.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5.jpg.webp 700w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5-135x300.jpg.webp 135w, https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5-462x1024.jpg.webp 462w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-pin-5.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-2\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In several blog posts I write about how distractions while eating, called distraction feeding, can help picky eaters eat better. When is distraction feeding OK to use? And when is &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable-jtr":false,"footnotes":"","disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false},"categories":[9,6,5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted - High Chair Chronicles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Distraction feeding is using distractions while eating to get your child to eat. It can be a good idea for some kids who are picky eaters!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted - High Chair Chronicles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Distraction feeding is using distractions while eating to get your child to eat. It can be a good idea for some kids who are picky eaters!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"High Chair Chronicles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kate\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kate\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d6a7dc1c8f5e5356028cebb7bb1c63de\"},\"headline\":\"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\"},\"wordCount\":1408,\"commentCount\":3,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Motherhood\",\"Sensory\",\"Toddler Meals\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\",\"name\":\"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted - High Chair Chronicles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00\",\"description\":\"Distraction feeding is using distractions while eating to get your child to eat. It can be a good idea for some kids who are picky eaters!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"distraction feeding graphic\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Toddler Meals\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/category\/toddler-meals\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/\",\"name\":\"High Chair Chronicles\",\"description\":\"Overcoming picky eating\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"High Chair Chronicles\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/HCC-logo-2-May-2021-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/HCC-logo-2-May-2021-2.png\",\"width\":1853,\"height\":653,\"caption\":\"High Chair Chronicles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d6a7dc1c8f5e5356028cebb7bb1c63de\",\"name\":\"Kate\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140ad2299b0eb200833fa79bb3a46b6a?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140ad2299b0eb200833fa79bb3a46b6a?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kate\"},\"description\":\"Kate is a first time mom to Elliot. She LOVES food and even has a food blog in addition to this blog, so her son's picky eating definitely took her by surprise. Before having her son, she loved rock climbing, traveling, and yoga. Now she just wants to nap.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/author\/babaganoshblog\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted - High Chair Chronicles","description":"Distraction feeding is using distractions while eating to get your child to eat. It can be a good idea for some kids who are picky eaters!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted - High Chair Chronicles","og_description":"Distraction feeding is using distractions while eating to get your child to eat. It can be a good idea for some kids who are picky eaters!","og_url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/","og_site_name":"High Chair Chronicles","article_published_time":"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kate","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kate","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/"},"author":{"name":"Kate","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d6a7dc1c8f5e5356028cebb7bb1c63de"},"headline":"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted","datePublished":"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00","dateModified":"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/"},"wordCount":1408,"commentCount":3,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg","articleSection":["Motherhood","Sensory","Toddler Meals"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/","url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/","name":"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted - High Chair Chronicles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg","datePublished":"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00","dateModified":"2020-03-28T03:32:22+00:00","description":"Distraction feeding is using distractions while eating to get your child to eat. It can be a good idea for some kids who are picky eaters!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq.jpg","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"distraction feeding graphic"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/distraction-feeding\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Toddler Meals","item":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/category\/toddler-meals\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Distraction Feeding - Why Some Toddlers Eat Better When Distracted"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/","name":"High Chair Chronicles","description":"Overcoming picky eating","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#organization","name":"High Chair Chronicles","url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/HCC-logo-2-May-2021-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/HCC-logo-2-May-2021-2.png","width":1853,"height":653,"caption":"High Chair Chronicles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d6a7dc1c8f5e5356028cebb7bb1c63de","name":"Kate","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140ad2299b0eb200833fa79bb3a46b6a?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140ad2299b0eb200833fa79bb3a46b6a?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g","caption":"Kate"},"description":"Kate is a first time mom to Elliot. She LOVES food and even has a food blog in addition to this blog, so her son's picky eating definitely took her by surprise. Before having her son, she loved rock climbing, traveling, and yoga. Now she just wants to nap.","url":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/author\/babaganoshblog\/"}]}},"mv":{"thumbnail_id":4600,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/distraction-feeding-sq-300x300.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4537"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/highchairchronicles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}