The Airplane Spoon Podcast: Real questions and Real stories about Feeding Children

Sarina Murrell
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Airplane Spoon Podcast, a space for honest conversations about feeding children. If you’ve been here before, you may notice that this podcast has evolved. Previously known as P Soup: Real Conversations – For Parents, With Parents, About Kids, this show 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 one area that impacts so many families—feeding. In The Airplane Spoon Podcast, we’ll continue the conversation with a more specific lens on feeding babies and children. Hosted by feeding therapist and director of The Airplane Spoon, Sarina Murrell, this podcast is for parents navigating the everyday challenges of feeding—from picky eating and food refusal to sensory differences and mealtime stress. Each episode explores the real questions parents are asking: Is my child eating enough? Why won’t they try new foods? Am I doing something wrong? Through real stories, practical insights, and a relationship-based approach, this podcast goes beyond quick fixes to help you understand what’s really happening when feeding feels hard. Because feeding isn’t just about food. It’s about connection, trust, and helping your child feel safe enough to learn. If mealtimes have become stressful, overwhelming, or all-consuming—you are not alone. This podcast is here to support you, guide you, and remind you that progress is possible.

  1. Aug 14

    21: What method should I use to introduce solid foods to my baby?

    Baby-led weaning or purees? In this episode, feeding therapist Sarina Murrell breaks down the real difference between letting baby lead the feeding and spoon-feeding purees — and makes the case that most families land somewhere in between. She walks through why babies are inherently messy eaters (and why that's developmentally normal, not a red flag), then offers a simple three-step framework to help you decide what's right for your baby, your energy level, and your family's season of life right now. Parent Reflection QuestionsWhere am I right now — do I have the capacity for messy, exploratory meals, or do I need convenience this week?Am I treating purees as a failure, or can I reframe them as one valid food form among many?What's my goal for this specific meal: getting food in, or letting my baby practice a skill?How often am I actually sitting down and eating with my baby, versus feeding them separately?

  2. Aug 7

    20: How can I make going to restaurants with my child more enjoyable and successful?

    Going out to eat should be a shared, positive memory — but for a lot of families, it turns into a stressful cycle of waiting, wiggling, refusing, and cold food. In this episode, Sarina walks through why restaurants are hard for young children in the first place, and four practical strategies to make the experience calmer and more successful for the whole family. Key concepts: Children (especially birth to five) are wired for sameness and predictability, not novelty — so restaurant eating goals should look different than they do for adults"Success" at a restaurant can simply mean calm and connection, even if your child eats the same familiar foods every timeNew foods and higher-volume eating are better goals for home, not restaurantsPreviewing the menu (or bringing food from home) reduces uncertainty and anxiety for both parent and childYou don't have to order off the kids' menu — side dishes, shared plates, and small portions of familiar foods are all valid optionsWaiting is the hardest part of the restaurant experience for kids — plan around it with snacks or by delaying table time until food is closeA hard restaurant moment doesn't mean your family can't do restaurants — give yourself permission to adapt or leave, without worrying about what others think Reflect on this: What does a "successful" restaurant outing actually look like for your family right now?Is there a restaurant or a few go-to menu items that already work for your child?What's one strategy from today's episode you could try on your next outing — previewing the menu, bringing a familiar snack, or splitting up wait time?

  3. Jul 31

    19: Is it OK that I use screens to get through mealtimes with my child?

    Is it OK to use screens to get through mealtime with my child? If you've ever grabbed the remote, handed over the iPad, or given up your phone just to get your child fed, this episode is for you — and it starts with permission, not guilt. In this episode, feeding therapist Sarina Murrell breaks down why parents reach for screens at mealtime, what the research says about screens and the brain (dopamine, cortisol, and attention), why screen size and distance change how "checked out" a child becomes, and how distracted eating affects hunger cues and food choices. She also shares how to tell the difference between a bored child and a child who "needs" a screen to eat — and a realistic, step-by-step way to start scaling screens back without overhauling every meal at once. If this episode resonates, start with just one meal this week — often a weekend dinner is the easiest place to begin. Learn more about feeding support at TheAirplaneSpoon.com You've got this. Love. Enjoy. And eat. 🎧 This is The Airplane Spoon Podcast — real questions and real stories about feeding children, hosted by a pediatric feeding therapist.

  4. Jul 24

    18: Is constipation the real reason why my child won't eat?

    Constipation is one of the most overlooked contributors to “picky” or low-appetite eating in young children. This episode walks through the withholding cycle, how a full colon affects hunger, how to recognize withholding behavior, and the evidence-based basics of treatment — diet, toileting routine, and medication when recommended. Parent Reflection QuestionsHave I noticed my child stiffening, hiding, or going still at certain points in the day — and could that be a withholding going poop response rather than a mood or behavior issue?Does my child's appetite pattern (little interest in meals, filling up on a few bites) show up alongside any signs of bathroom discomfort or infrequent stools?Am I comfortable bringing up poop frequency or possible constipation at our next pediatrician visit, even if bowel habits feel like an awkward topic?

  5. Jul 17

    Podcast 17: What are your family values around feeding your child?

    What are your family's values around feeding your child — and are you holding onto them when a doctor, therapist, teacher, or even a stranger tells you otherwise? In this episode, feeding therapist Sarina Murrell breaks down how assumptions and stereotypes — about breastfeeding, cultural food practices, self-feeding, and more — quietly override what families actually want for their kids. Through real stories from her clinical work, Sarina makes the case for one simple shift: ask, don't assume — for parents and providers alike. Parent reflection questions What are your non-negotiable values around how your child eats?Has a provider ever told you something needed to change without asking what you wanted first?Where do you fall — low priority or high priority — on things like self-feeding, utensils, or where your child sits to eat?

  6. Jul 10

    16: How can I cook with my child?

    A question I get often: should you cook with your child, and how do you actually do it without it turning into chaos? Short answer: yes, you should — and it gets much easier once you adjust a few expectations. This episode walks through three parts: what adults need to expect from themselves, how to simplify the process to set everyone up for success, and what to realistically expect from your child once you're cooking together. Key ConceptsThe goal is exploration, not compliance. Cooking with a child works best when the purpose is curiosity and connection — not perfect instruction-following or staying spotless. Recipes with lots of ingredients and steps (like bread or pizza dough from scratch) are more likely to get messy; that's normal, not a failure. Cooking with someone is different from cooking for someone. Cooking for others is an act of love aimed at a finished product. Cooking with others changes the goal — it's about the shared process, which won't look like solo cooking, and that's expected, not a problem to fix. Adult regulation comes first. Kids often mirror the adult's stress response. If a spill or mess sends the adult into frustration, the child becomes dysregulated too. Small moments — flour on a face, a spilled cup of milk — can be reframed playfully ("you look like a snowman!") instead of corrected sharply. Pouring, in particular, is a genuinely complex motor skill (shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand coordination), so grace matters. Start simple to build success. Easy entry points: squeezing orange juice with a hand juicer, blending a smoothie from frozen fruit, or assembling a "pizza" on premade crust with jarred sauce and shredded cheese. Modeling the task first (showing, then letting the child try) helps kids who've never done it before. Complexity — chopping, grating, mixing dough from scratch — can be added gradually as confidence builds. Involvement lowers pressure, and that changes eating. Kids often taste food during the cooking process — licking a spoon, biting into raw crust — that they'd never willingly try if served on a plate. The difference is involvement (they made it, so they're connected to it) and the absence of pressure (nobody's asking them to eat it). Serena doesn't encourage tasting during cooking, but she doesn't discourage it either — that intrinsic curiosity is valuable and shouldn't be interrupted. Watch the body, not just behavior. Wiggling, trying to get down, or attempting to leave often signals sensory or emotional discomfort, not misbehavior. Naming it ("you got a wiggle") helps kids build self-advocacy instead of having an adult silently fix the discomfort for them. Giving a child a small "job" (like rinsing an apple) can offer a break without fully disengaging them from the activity. The adult's mood sets the tone. If the adult is genuinely having fun, the child usually will too — and kids can tell when that enjoyment is faked. Parent Reflection QuestionsWhat's my actual expectation when I picture cooking with my child — a clean kitchen, a finished dish, or a shared moment? Which one am I prioritizing without realizing it?Where could I simplify a recipe I already want to make, so my child can be involved without it becoming overwhelming for either of us?The next time my child gets wiggly or tries to leave during a food activity, can I name it out loud instead of redirecting or correcting right away?

  7. Jul 6

    15: Why does my child gag on even the smallest pieces of solid food?

    In this episode, Sarina Murrell, feeding therapist and director of The Airplane Spoon, answers a question she's heard again and again this week: why does a child gag the instant any bit of solid food lands in their mouth? She breaks down the protective role of the gag reflex, why mixing purees with lumps can backfire, what "lateralization" means and why it matters, how sensory differences (including in autistic children) change the picture, and the surprising link between mouth breathing and gagging. Parent Reflection Questions Does my child gag more when I feed them versus when they feed themselves — and what does that difference tell me?Have I noticed my child chewing mostly at the front of their mouth, or do they move food to the side teeth?Does my child breathe through their mouth while eating, or do they seem congested/mouth-breathe often during the day or at night?Is my child's gag response tied to certain textures specifically, or does it show up even with non-food sensory input (like touching messy play materials)?What's one small strategy from this episode I could try this week — front-mouth exposure, distinct chewing vs. swallowing foods, or a chat with our pediatrician about breathing?

  8. Jun 19

    14: My child won't eat apples—how can I still get apples into her (all about food forms!)?

    Your child won't eat fresh apples—but what about applesauce? Apple juice? Freeze-dried apple chips? In this episode, we explore food forms as legitimate variation: how the same ingredient (apples, carrots, chicken, rice) can show up in different sensory and behavioral ways, and why that matters for feeding. This isn't about hiding food or tricking your child. It's about recognizing that feeding is more flexible and expansive than we often think. When your child eats applesauce, she's eating apples. When he drinks apple juice, he's eating apples. When she crunches freeze-dried apple, she's eating apples. We walk through fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains—showing the variety of forms each can take—and discuss how to use food forms strategically and without pressure to expand what your child is willing to consume. PARENT REFLECTION QUESTIONS 1. What forms of a particular fruit or vegetable does your child currently eat? (Fresh, cooked, blended, juice, powder?) 2. Are there foods he eats in one form but not another? What's different about the form he prefers? 3. How might offering a familiar food in a different form expand access without pressure?

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Airplane Spoon Podcast, a space for honest conversations about feeding children. If you’ve been here before, you may notice that this podcast has evolved. Previously known as P Soup: Real Conversations – For Parents, With Parents, About Kids, this show 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 one area that impacts so many families—feeding. In The Airplane Spoon Podcast, we’ll continue the conversation with a more specific lens on feeding babies and children. Hosted by feeding therapist and director of The Airplane Spoon, Sarina Murrell, this podcast is for parents navigating the everyday challenges of feeding—from picky eating and food refusal to sensory differences and mealtime stress. Each episode explores the real questions parents are asking: Is my child eating enough? Why won’t they try new foods? Am I doing something wrong? Through real stories, practical insights, and a relationship-based approach, this podcast goes beyond quick fixes to help you understand what’s really happening when feeding feels hard. Because feeding isn’t just about food. It’s about connection, trust, and helping your child feel safe enough to learn. If mealtimes have become stressful, overwhelming, or all-consuming—you are not alone. This podcast is here to support you, guide you, and remind you that progress is possible.

Information

  • Creator
    Sarina Murrell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean