A Child’s Sense of Taste: What Every Parent Should Know

The sense of taste, or gustation, is one of our five main senses. It refers to our ability to detect and distinguish different flavors in our food and drinks, such as sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami (a savory or meaty taste).

Now, how can the sense of taste help your child regulate? To understand that, we first need to understand the term “regulate”, in the behavioral sense. In the context of a child’s behavior, regulation refers to the ability to manage or control emotional and behavioral responses in a given situation.

The sense of taste can contribute to regulation in a few ways:

1. Ritual and Routine: A regular meal schedule can provide a sense of order and security for children, which in turn can promote self-regulation. The familiar taste of food items that are regularly included in a child’s diet can also provide a sense of comfort and predictability.
2. Exploration and Novelty: Encouraging children to explore different tastes can also be beneficial. Trying new foods can be an exciting experience that teaches children to cope with novelty and change. This can stimulate curiosity and flexibility, which are important for cognitive development and emotional regulation.
3. Sensory Play: The sense of taste can be incorporated into sensory play activities. Exploring different tastes, textures, and temperatures of food items can help children learn to tolerate a range of sensory experiences and engage in mindful eating.
4. Mindful Eating: Finally, teaching your child mindful eating can help regulate emotions. This involves eating slowly, savoring each bite, and truly enjoying the flavor of the food. It teaches children to pay attention to their physiological hunger and satiety cues, which can help prevent overeating and emotional eating.
5. Comfort: Certain tastes might also provide comfort or serve as a coping strategy for a child. For example, a particular snack or drink may soothe a child’s stress or negative emotions.

Remember, every child is unique. For children with sensory processing disorders, this sensory information can be perceived differently. Some may be hypersensitive (over-responsive) to certain tastes, finding them too intense or overwhelming. Others might be hyposensitive (under-responsive), and may seek out very strong flavors or eat non-edible substances due to a lack of sensitivity to taste.

Taste is an essential sensory system that can have a profound impact on a child’s alertness, mood, and self-regulation. Here are some activities that leverage the sense of taste to either alert or calm a child.

Alerting Activities:

1. Sour Foods: Sour flavors, like lemon or sour candy, are typically alerting and can help to increase a child’s focus and attention.
2. Spicy Foods: If a child can tolerate it, spicy foods or flavors can also be considered alerting.
3. Cold Foods or Drinks: Cold items such as ice water, ice cream, or frozen fruit can have an alerting effect. 
4. Chewing Gum: The action of chewing is alerting and gum often has strong flavors which keep the sense of taste involved.

Calming Activities:

1. Warm Foods/Drinks: Warm items like herbal tea or a bowl of warm soup can have a soothing and calming effect on your child.
2. Sweet Flavors: Sweet foods often have a pleasing and calming effect. A fruit or a small piece of chocolate can serve the purpose. Be mindful of sugar content, though.
3. Sucking on Something: Having your child suck on a piece of hard candy, a lollipop, or a pacifier can be soothing. The action of sucking combined with the release of flavor over time can be calming.
4. Comfort Foods: Serving your child’s favorite meals can serve as a comforting and calming activity. The smells and tastes associated with known and enjoyed foods can reduce anxiety and promote calmness.

Always monitor your child during these activities to ensure safety (especially with hot liquids or hard candies) and observe their reactions to various stimuli. Every child is different, and what works for one might not work for another. The sense of taste can assist your child with regulation by providing methods for grounding (mindfulness), calming, and/or alerting as well as can be utilized to promote routines, flexibility, and exploration.