In this episode, feeding therapist Sarina Murrell breaks down the most common cup types, explains what's actually happening inside your child's mouth with each one, and gives practical, age-by-age guidance to help you choose with confidence.

In this episode:

• Why the cup your child uses matters for oral motor development — not just spill prevention
• Sippy cups: the difference between hard and soft spouts, and why all-day sipping is worth reconsidering
• Open cups: why they're the gold standard, when to start, and how to make it less messy
• Straw cups: how to know if your child is using a straw correctly
• Age-by-age cup recommendations from 6 months through preschool

Whether your child is just starting solids or has been using the same cup for years, this episode will help you understand what to look for — and what to let go of.

In this episode, feeding therapist Sarina Murrell breaks down what growth charts actually measure, how they were built, and — just as importantly — what they can't tell us about how your child is really doing with food.

In this episode:

• What a percentile number actually means (hint: higher is not better)
• The difference between the CDC and WHO growth charts — and why it matters
• Why breastfed babies and children from certain ethnic backgrounds often track lower on US charts
• What a percentile drop really means, and when it's worth paying attention to
• Why a "normal" growth chart doesn't always mean feeding is going well
• Questions to bring to your next pediatrician visit

Growth charts are a valuable tool — but they're just one piece of the picture. This episode will help you understand the full story.

Spoiler: it's almost never just about behavior.

What You'll Learn

• Why sitting at the table supports digestion, nutrition, and family connection
• How physical comfort (seating position and setup) affects your child's ability to stay seated
• Why sensory sensitivities can make the table feel overwhelming
• How movement before meals can help your child settle
• Why having one safe food on the plate matters
• How transitions and hunger timing affect mealtime behavior

Tips to Try at Home

✔ Check the seating position — feet supported, table at the right height

✔ Sit in your child's seat and notice what they're experiencing

✔ Offer movement before meals (jumping, animal walks, wall push-ups)

✔ Always include one safe, accepted food on the plate

✔ Give transition warnings before meals and use a visual timer

✔ Check hunger timing — adjust snack and meal schedules if needed

Final Thought: If your child struggles to stay at the table, there's almost always something underneath — a sensory need, a physical discomfort, a transition challenge. Start with one small change, and know that you're doing an amazing job supporting your child.

🌐 www.theairplanespoon.com

In this episode, Sarina shares real stories from feeding therapy to explain why strong flavors are not off-limits for children—and how curiosity, exposure, and supportive language can help children safely explore new tastes.

You’ll learn how to introduce bold flavors in a way that feels safe, playful, and pressure-free.

• Why children can enjoy strong flavors, including spicy and sour
• How curiosity helps children explore new foods
• Why there are no “bad foods”—only new learning experiences
• How adult language influences children’s reactions to new flavors
• Why repeated exposure helps children build their flavor preferences

What you'll Learn:

• Children can enjoy a wide range of flavors—including spicy and sour.
• Exposure helps children learn what they like and don’t like.
• Reactions to strong flavors don’t always mean dislike—it may just be new.
• Flavor preferences change over time.
• The goal is exploration, not pressure.

Tips to Try at Home:

✔ Offer small tastes if your child shows curiosity

✔ Use neutral language (avoid saying “you won’t like this”)

✔ Let your child explore flavors slowly

✔ Have a “plan” when trying spicy foods (water, yogurt, or fruit nearby)

✔ Remember—trying a food once is already learning

Strong flavors like spicy or sour don’t have to be avoided.

With curiosity, support, and safe exposure, children can discover their own unique flavor preferences.

In this episode, I explain why soft foods are not always easy foods and how foods like banana and avocado can actually be confusing for a child’s mouth. You’ll learn why gagging can happen, why these foods feel unpredictable, and simple ways to help your child feel more confident trying them.

• Soft foods are not always easy foods.
• Banana and avocado sit between crunchy foods and purees, which can make them confusing to eat.
• Gagging can be protective.
• It often means your child needs more time and feedback to understand the food.
• Some foods give less feedback.
• Banana and avocado can feel slippery and hard to control, which may lead to avoidance.

Tips to Try at Home

• Try the flavor first (smoothies or mixed into purees)
• Add crunch (chia seeds, sesame seeds, crushed toast)
• Use stronger flavors (cinnamon on banana, lemon on avocado)
• Change the temperature (try frozen banana)
• Model eating the food and keep offering without pressure

If your child refuses banana or avocado, they may not be picky—their mouth may still be learning.

With time, practice, and positive experiences, many children learn to manage these tricky textures.

You’re not alone—and you’re doing an amazing job supporting your child. 💛

In this episode, we explore how children grow from reflexive eating to intentional eating, how changes in food predictability can affect acceptance, and how developing preferences and independence influence food choices.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why children may stop eating foods they once accepted
• How changes in texture, taste, and predictability affect eating
• The role of autonomy and developing decision-making
• Why children return to familiar foods when uncertain
• How to understand food refusal as part of development

This episode offers reassurance and understanding to help parents navigate this common stage with confidence.

We also talk about:

• Why children taste bitter flavors more strongly
• Why hiding vegetables can sometimes backfire
• How the language we use around food matters
• Why sensory exploration is more important than nutrition talk
• Easy ways to start introducing vegetables
• Why seeing, touching, and smelling vegetables counts as success

This episode is all about reducing pressure, building trust with food, and helping children learn to feel comfortable around vegetables over time.

Many parents don’t necessarily disagree with using food toys—but they often wonder:

“How could playing with toy food possibly help my child eat better?”

In this episode, we explore how pretend play with food can become a powerful first step in a child’s feeding journey—especially for children who feel avoidant, nervous, or upset around meals.

You’ll hear real-life therapy stories, including:

• A child who began feeding therapy while feeling anxious at mealtimes and needing distractions to eat—and how pretend food play helped shift his relationship with food.
• A child who used stickers and felt foods to explore new foods through play, language, and imagination—before ever tasting them.

We’ll talk about why pretend food experiences matter, even though the food isn’t real. Because here’s the truth:

Even when the food is pretend, the experience in the brain is real.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How toy foods help children build familiarity with new foods
• How playful exposure can change emotional associations with eating
• Why practicing food language like “yum,” “juicy,” and “crunchy” can be so powerful
• How pretend play helps children feel curious instead of pressured
• Why feeding progress doesn’t always start at the table

We’ll also talk about being strategic with food play—modeling language, keeping it playful, and creating safe opportunities for children to explore foods without pressure.

If mealtimes feel stressful right now, this episode will help you see how learning about food can begin through toys, imagination, and connection—long before bites happen.

If this question has been on your mind—you are not alone.

In this episode of The Airplane Spoon Podcast, therapist Sarina Murrell explores one of the most common concerns parents have: what to do when a child refuses to try anything new.

Through a real story from feeding therapy, Sarina walks through why children often stick to the same foods—and what actually helps them begin to expand their diet over time.

If mealtimes feel repetitive, stressful, or discouraging, this episode will help you see feeding through a different lens.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why trying new foods can feel overwhelming for children
• The many variables in food (texture, smell, taste, temperature, appearance)
• Why “sameness” feels safe and predictable
• What happens when children begin to reduce the number of foods they eat
• How pressure at mealtimes can make things harder
• A real story of a child who only ate a few foods—and how things began to shift

Key Takeaways for Parents:

• Children often need many experiences with food before they are ready to eat it
• Those experiences don’t always look like eating
• Learning to eat includes:
  • Touching
  • Smelling
  • Playing
  • Exploring
  • Talking about food
• Remove the pressure—avoid asking your child to eat
• Model and expose—let your child see and experience food in different ways
• Progress is often slow and gradual, and that’s okay
• Small wins matter

Keep in Mind:

If we stop offering opportunities to interact with food, children don’t get the chance to learn.

Keep exposing. Keep modeling. Remove the pressure. And look for small moments of progress.

If this episode resonated with you, follow the podcast and share it with another parent who might need support around feeding.

In this introduction episode, Sarina Murrell—feeding therapist and director of The Airplane Spoon—introduces the heart behind this podcast and why it was created.

If you’re a parent who feels like feeding your child has become overwhelming, stressful, or all-consuming… you are not alone.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why feeding challenges can feel so heavy for families
• The real questions parents ask every day
• What makes feeding more complex than it seems
• And what you can expect from this podcast

This is a space for honest conversations, real stories, and practical support—without judgment.

Because feeding is not just about food.

It’s about connection, learning, and helping your child feel safe.

A Note about this Podcast:

This podcast was previously P Soup: Real Conversations – For Parents, With Parents, About Kids, where we explored a wide range of topics in child development.

Those episodes will remain available, as they continue to hold meaningful conversations and stories.

As this podcast grows, it is shifting to focus more deeply on feeding—one of the most common and complex challenges families face.

Some children learn language in “chunks” — long phrases, scripts, or song lines — instead of single words first. This way of learning is called Gestalt Language Processing (GLP). It’s a natural, valid, and powerful path to communication.

Together, we’ll explore:

• What it means to be a gestalt language processor
• Why echolalia (repeating phrases) is a meaningful step in language development
• How GLPs move from scripts toward flexible, self-generated speech
• Practical ways parents and caregivers can support their child’s language journey

Understanding GLP can shift how we see our children — from “just repeating” to truly communicating.

References and Resources

• Marge Blanc — Author of Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language, a foundational text on GLP.
• Meaningful Speech — www.meaningfulspeech.com — A parent- and professional-friendly hub for learning more about gestalt language development.

Together, we talk about:

• What it’s like to face the decision for a feeding tube
• How a family adjusts to the new routines and responsibilities
• The emotional side of feeding differences—for parents and children
• The surprising ways tube-feeding can strengthen connection and support growth

This episode is about more than medical care—it’s about family, adaptation, and finding new ways to thrive.

Whether you’re a parent walking a similar path, a professional supporting families, or just curious to hear a real story behind the tubes and terminology, Michelle’s perspective offers honesty, hope, and heart.

Whether you’re supporting a child with a feeding tube, considering this path, or just curious to understand more—you’re in the right place.

Next episode: We'll be talking with a parent of a child with a feeding tube, sharing what this journey has looked like in real life.

We also talk about when picky eating might be something more — like a feeding or swallowing challenge — and how to know when it’s time to seek extra support. And as a bonus, we dive into the power of labels, and how the words we use to describe our kids can shape their self-identity far beyond the dinner table.

If you’ve ever felt confused, frustrated, or worried about what your child will (or won’t!) eat, this episode is for you. Let’s take the pressure off and approach mealtimes with more understanding, empathy, and hope.

In this episode, we cover:

🍽️ Why the term "picky eating" is overused — and often misunderstood

🧠 The developmental reasons children may avoid certain foods

🧃 Tips to make food experiences feel safer and more predictable

🛠️ Simple ways to involve kids in food prep without pressure

❤️ How labels shape identity — and what to say instead of "picky"

Mentioned:

• Feeding therapy and the four pillars: medical, nutrition, skill, and social-emotional
• The concept of food jags and predictable eating patterns
• Empowering children through choice and ownership at meals

👀 Next episode preview:

We’ll be cooking up Parent Styles Soup — diving into the unique strengths, values, and challenges that shape the way we parent. Whether you're all about structure, nurturing, logic, or creative freedom, understanding your parenting style can be a powerful tool in showing up with intention.

In this episode of P Soup, we're diving deep into Screen Time Soup — not to judge or scare, but to bring clarity, curiosity, and compassion to a topic many parents wrestle with daily.

We’ll explore:

🍲 How different types of screen use affect thinking, learning, and creativity

🍲 What the research says about behavior, emotional regulation, and parent-child connection

🍲 The broader impacts on health, including sleep, movement, and stress

🍲 The nuance — including how technology can be a powerful support for children with developmental differences

🍲 Why human connection is irreplaceable, even in a digital world

🍲 And the key question: Is this screen stepping in where I want to be showing up?

This episode is an invitation to think more intentionally about screen time — not from a place of fear, but from a place of love, values, and meaningful connection.

We are going to talk about what trust is and what trust isn’t. 

Then, I’m going to share my Trust-Based model that I use when I support families and children.

And finally, I will paint a picture of trust by thinking about a bridge.

Next episode: Screen Time Soup

We talk about support systems, school experiences, cultural perspectives, and how fatherhood itself can be reshaped by a child’s unique way of being in the world. Whether you're a parent, educator, or just curious about real-life stories behind the label of autism, this conversation offers insight, honesty, and hope.

We’ll explore common misconceptions, the unique ways autistic individuals learn and communicate, and the invisible challenges many families face. Plus, we’ll talk about therapy options, representation, and why embracing neurodiversity matters.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to support an autistic child in a way that respects their individuality, this episode is for you.

Reading aloud is like a superfood for the brain—boosting language skills, strengthening relationships, and even counteracting screen-time distractions! In this episode of P Soup, I dive into the science and magic behind reading aloud, sharing how it supports language development, emotional growth, and deepens the bond between you and your child.

You'll hear:

📚 The 5 key benefits of reading aloud (including brain science & empathy-building!)

📖 Tips for making reading a stress-free, joyful part of your daily routine

📕 My favorite book recommendations for different ages & interests

Resources Mentioned:

📖 The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction – Meghan Cox Gurdon

📄 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policy Statement (Nov 2024): Literacy Promotion as an Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice

Book Recommendations from This Episode:

✨ Interactive Books:

• Press Here – Hervé Tullet
• High Five Animals – Sandra Boynton
• Peek-a-Who – Nina Laden

😂 Silly Stories:

• Clip Clop – Nicola Smee
• Bedtime for Chickies – Janee Trasler

📚 Longer Stories:

• Elephant & Piggie series – Mo Willems
• We Don’t Eat Our Classmates – Ryan T. Higgins

❤️ Forever Classics:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Grouchy Ladybug, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – Eric Carle
• Fox in Socks, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – Dr. Seuss

💬 What I'm Reading Aloud Now:

• The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (with my nephew)
• Blink – Malcolm Gladwell (with my wife)

Whether you already read with your child or need a little motivation to start, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration to help you make the most of storytime.

🎧 Listen now and let’s make reading aloud a cherished part of your family’s daily life!

Mealtime is about more than just food—it’s a powerful opportunity to build connection, strengthen family bonds, and support your child’s development. In this episode, we dive into the why behind shared mealtimes, exploring the social, emotional, and cognitive benefits backed by research. We also tackle real-life challenges like busy schedules, picky eating, and screen distractions, with practical tips to make mealtimes more meaningful and manageable for your family.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How family meals support social, emotional, and language development

✅ The surprising academic and health benefits of shared mealtimes

✅ Why mealtime routines help kids feel safe and connected

✅ Practical strategies for making family meals easier—even with picky eaters and busy schedules

✅ Tips for reducing screen time and encouraging more conversation at the table

Join the Conversation!

💬 Have a mealtime success story or challenge? I’d love to hear from you! Email me at psoup.podcast@gmail.com

Next Episode: Reading Books Aloud Soup 📚

Reading aloud is one of the best ways to boost your child’s language, literacy, and emotional connection with you. In the next episode, we’ll explore how to make reading time a special, stress-free habit in your home. Don’t miss it!

🎧 Subscribe & leave a review if you’re enjoying P Soup! Your support helps more parents find this resource.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Grace’s experience raising a bilingual child
• Common myths about bilingualism and language delays
• Practical tips for supporting bilingual development at home
• The role of community and extended family in language learning
• Encouraging a child to embrace both languages without pressure

As a multilingual professional working with diverse families in California’s Bay Area, I’ve seen firsthand the concerns, myths, and joys of raising bilingual children. In this episode, we’ll explore how language development works in bilingual kids, debunk common misconceptions, and share practical ways parents can support their child's bilingual journey.

What We Cover in This Episode:

✅ How children acquire two or more languages

✅ Simultaneous vs. sequential bilingualism

✅ Code-switching—why it’s normal and beneficial

✅ Debunking common myths about bilingualism

✅ Supporting bilingual children—practical strategies for parents

✅ Encouragement for families navigating bilingualism

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Learning two languages does not cause speech or language delays.

🔹 Code-switching is normal and shows linguistic flexibility.

🔹 Bilingualism is a gift—even children with speech delays or disorders can successfully learn two languages.

🔹 Parents should speak the language they are most comfortable with to provide strong language models.

We’ll talk about the emotions that come with navigating these diagnoses, why labels can be both helpful and overwhelming, and how professionals can be more sensitive when sharing information with families. Whether you're seeking clarity about your child's development, wondering about early intervention, or just looking for reassurance, this episode is for you.

The “milestone mentality” assumes a universal path of development, but factors like exposure to experiences or cultural differences can influence when skills emerge. A single "no" answer in screenings might raise concerns, but it doesn’t always signal a problem.

The key takeaway: Development is not a race. Celebrate progress, focus on the whole child, and remember that every child has their own timeline. Instead of obsessing over milestones, embrace each small step forward in the developmental journey.