ChiKids Speech & Feeding, LLC

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Chicago, IL
ChiKids Speech & Feeding, LLC

Speech-Language Pathologist, Feeding Specialist, and Certified Lactation Counselor providing resource

01/08/2026

✨ Real families. Real progress. Real support. ✨

These words mean everything to me 🤍
Behind every testimonial is a baby or toddler who found their way forward—and parents who finally felt supported, understood, and empowered.

At ChiKids Speech & Feeding, we support infants, toddlers & kids through a wide range of feeding and speech challenges, including:

🤍 Bottle & breastfeeding challenges
🤍 NICU aftercare
🤍 Bottle aversion
🤍 Difficulty starting solids
🤍 Dysphagia & aspiration management
🤍 Oral-motor & oral-sensory feeding challenges
🤍 Picky eating
🤍 Oromyofunctional disorders
🤍 Speech delays & speech disorders
🤍 Articulation disorders
🤍 Childhood apraxia of speech
🤍 Autism
🤍 Pill swallowing

If you’re wondering “Is this normal?” or “Does my child need help?”—you don’t have to figure it out alone.

💬 Comment “HELP” and we’ll send you a link with more information on how we can support your child’s feeding and speech journey.

You deserve calmer mealtimes and confident milestones 🤍

01/07/2026

What I look for when I watch a baby eat, as a pediatric feeding specialist 👀

Most parents don’t realize there are feeding milestones happening at every stage—it’s not “just eating”. 🤍

When I watch a baby eat, I’m looking at their
✔️ stability, independence, fine motor skills
✔️ jaw, tongue and lip movement
✔️ biting & chewing
✔️ swallowing & oral clearance
✔️ texture and flavor acceptance
✔️ their enjoyment & interaction with their caregiver and the food

These skills change as the whole baby develops, and knowing what’s age-appropriate makes it so much easier to support your child before frustration shows up at meals.

That’s why I created my Infant-Toddler Feeding Development Checklist—
✨ broken down by age
✨ shows what skills to expect
✨ includes simple activities to help your child move to the next stage

👉 Comment “CHECKLIST” and I’ll send you the details so you can stop guessing and start supporting feeding development with confidence.

🤍 Save this reel if you’re navigating solids or toddler meals.

01/06/2026

👉 Want a FREE guide to meltable solids, why and how to introduce them and a list of my favorites to serve to baby starting solids?
💬 Comment “PUFFS” and I’ll send you the link!

✨ Why I love meltable solids (like puffs and melts) as a speech pathologist & pediatric feeding specialist ✨

Meltable solids aren’t about filling your baby up—they’re about learning how to eat.

When babies are offered meltable solids, they practice:
✔️ Fine motor skill and practice- picking up different shapes & sizes, and dry textures are easier to pick up
✔️ Tongue movement- moving pieces laterally (to the side) in the mouth, and dry textures are easier to control in the mouth
✔️ Diagonal chewing patterns- melts & puffs dissolve easily so are great for early chewers
✔️ Sensory development-dry, crumbly textures and strong flavors in these foods offer something new for baby to taste and feel in the mouth

These “practice foods” help build the oral-motor and feeding skills babies need as they move on to more complex textures. Think of them as a bridge—not a crutch.

Saving this for later = future you at mealtime 🙌

01/05/2026

✨ 2025 was a big year for ChiKids ✨

Thank you to all my teammates, brand partners, designers, colleagues, and all the sweet families I work with who made this year special!

✔️ Published a book
✔️ Partnered with goal brands
✔️ Launched new branding and a new website
✔️ Written up in a local magazine
✔️ Cared for the sweetest kids & their families
✔️ Built more
✔️ Grew and evolved and had fun!

Looking forward to what 2026 has in store 🤍 If you are looking for a brand partner, a speech or feeding therapist, a coach…. Send me a DM! I’d love to work with you!!
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Sometimes it can feel like the year went by in the blink of an eye, and you didn’t accomplish all that you had set out to. If you feel this way, take a moment to review. For me this was a good reminder of all the goals achieved and growth made. 🤍

12/31/2025

✨ TOP FIVE of 2 0 2 5 ✨

This week I’m sharing my top five posts of 2025 & this one came in at 1.4M views! 🤩 Introducing allergens is super important and something everyone asks about, so I am so happy to teach all of you alongside my colleague 🥰
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It can be tough to find the most up-to-date recommendations, so today & have teamed up to teach you!

👀 Watch & learn!! 👀

💫 Wanna learn more about food allergies & introduction? Comment below and we’ll send you a link to our new book Baby Leads the Way, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics!

Baby Leads the Way: An Evidence-Based Guide to Introducing Solids will teach you everything you need to know about starting solids! It’s written by an amazing team of medical professionals and moms, and has a whole chapter dedicated to food allergies with all the details you need!

12/29/2025

✨ TOP FIVE of 2 0 2 5 ✨

This week I am sharing my top five videos from 2025. This one came in #3 at 1.2 MILLION views! 🤩🤩

Gosh, thanks for all the love and support this year! I am so grateful! Food throwing is definitely a challenge for all and I am happy to help support!
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Are you growing tired of getting hit in the head with flying food? Frustrated cleaning up your floors after ever meal? Use these strategies to help your little food thrower.
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First, I want to say that this stage does not last too long! We just need a few strategies to get you through.

TRY THIS:

1️⃣ Ignore. It’s not easy, but the more attention you give, the more baby will enjoy this game. If you have a dog, hold the dog back until the end of the meal when baby leaves the chair so she doesn’t learn to focus on feeding him.

2️⃣ Step back and evaluate why your baby is throwing. Is baby not hungry? Too much snacking between meals or milk prior to sitting down? Baby sitting too long? Eating alone and looking for your attention? Foods on the tray are too new or unfamiliar? Take what you find into consideration when approaching the throwing. Change your routine and schedule to set baby up for success. Baby and toddler meals don’t need to last long.

3️⃣ Redirect. Change baby’s focus by giving them a new food or drink. This shift may be exactly what baby needs. Be sure this food/drink was pre-planned as a part of your meal. This means don’t give baby all the food & drink at once. Save a bit on the table until you need it.

4️⃣ Give baby a place to put it. Remind baby “you can put it here”. Try the cup holder on the tray, a small suction bowl at the side of the tray, or your hand when you think baby is prepping to toss.

5️⃣ End the meal. If baby is throwing, it’s highly likely they are full and ready to be done. If you’re worried they didn’t eat much, offer a balanced snack in 2 hours.
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12/28/2025

✨ TOP FIVE of 2 0 2 5 ✨

This week I’m posting my top five posts of 2025! This one came in at #4 with over 750K views!! 🤩
——
THREE activities for BABY to practice before starting solids 🤍

Around 5 months is the perfect time for these (though tummy time should begin on day 1)!

These are all about PREPPING BABY by building strength & stability, improving hand to mouth coordination, and practicing tastes of a familiar flavor in a different form!
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If your baby is tube fed, talk to your medical team about doing the baby pop & teethers too! They may be the perfect activity for your child during the family meal.
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parenting momlife babyactivities babyfood babyledweaning healthybaby

12/27/2025

✨ TOP FIVE of 2 0 2 5 ✨

2025 was a whirlwind of a year here at ChiKids! In these last 5 days of this year, I’m sharing my top 5 most viewed videos of the year!

⭐️ This silly one came in at over 550,000 views! I guess you all share in the pain of messy eating! ⭐️

I promise the benefits outweigh your pain. 🤣

Mom & Dad, you’ve got this. 💪🏻

Share this with a friend who feels the pain too, and follow along here for tips to help you survive! 🩵

12/13/2025

✨ We called Santa & it really worked!! ✨

It went to his voicemail-he must have been busy getting gifts ready-but you can leave a message with your Christmas wishes!! 🎅🏻

HO HO HO 🎅🏻❤️🎄

Address

Chicago, IL

Website

http://chikidsfeeding.com/

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