How to Teach your Child to Peel a Cutie

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Do you have a child that wants to be independent? Perhaps your child is also becoming more selective about foods. Guess what? You can utilize their desire to do things themselves in a positive way to promote successful mealtimes!

Foodie Judy here, back for another feeding therapy installment! Incorporating a motor skill into the eating process can be a great way to interest children in food - kids are more inclined to eat what they created! Plus, children are hard-wired to practice, practice, practice until they master a skill, so even if they’re initially uninterested in eating a cutie mandarin segment (a wet, squishy food) when served, suddenly it’s a fun food to eat when they get to peel it.

We love serving cuties because they’re inexpensive, a perfect size for little hands, and contain a lot of vitamin C - important in absorbing iron! This is a great activity for kids 18+ months, as they start to utilize more bilateral coordination at that age (one hand holds the object, the other does the work). This skill is important for so many tasks as they get older, including playing instruments, cooking and creating artwork.

Here's the steps for teaching your child to peel a cutie:

1. Explore the cutie. Hold it, smell it, roll it around.
2. For younger toddlers (18+ months), start peeling the cutie. Let them hold it and try peeling the rest themselves. Listen the sound made when it's peeled. Be patient - they will take a while!
3. Ask your toddler to squeeze a segment over a spoon to create juice - many they want to try the juice too!
4. Let your toddler explore and eat (or not) - this is a gradual process.

If your child struggled to peel the cutie peel, start by having them pull apart the segments first. Get the peel started so they can more easily continue peeling it off. Check out Megan’s daughter Mia practice this exercise by swiping through this Instagram post. She happened to really want to eat the cutie because it’s a favorite food, but notice that she was adamant that she peeled it herself. The last video is my favorite. Show your kids the videos and try it together!

Here are some developmental goals of this activity:

• Explore the sensory facets of a cutie: feel, smell, taste, sound while peeled.
• Tolerate holding, licking, and eventually eating a cutie (wet texture).
• Learn how to peel a cutie and eventually other citrus - an important life skill!

Need more help with a picky eater? Check out our toddler course!

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