logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
30m 54s

Why can’t my child swallow?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

To feed a child is fundamental to a parent, it’s instinct. But what if your baby can’t swallow?

After receiving lots of emails to a programme we made on dysphagia – or swallowing difficulties – we were asked to explore the condition as it affects children.

In this edition, Ruth Alexander speaks to parents Kelly Rose, in the UK, and Melanie and Sean Hoffman in Canada, about how they manage their children's conditions and their relationship with food; and to a doctor, Professor Hamdy El-Hakim, who is on a mission to ensure dysphagia is better understood.

And we hear from the children themselves. Three-year-old Bodhi and five-year-old Ophelia share their thoughts about food.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Bodhi and his mother Kelly Rose. Credit: Kelly Rose/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

Up next
Jul 9
Protein v fibre
Protein is a health and fitness buzzword – plastered on packaging, prioritised in diets and praised by fitness influencers. But is our preoccupation with protein overshadowing another nutritional essential – fibre? Ruth Alexander explores the science, and marketing, behind protei ... Show More
26m 29s
Jul 2
Video game food
It can be the difference between life and death for your character, signal you’re on a hostile planet or in a sumptuous world, or can even give you the whole basis for a game. In this week’s Food Chain we hear where the ideas for some of the most disgusting and delicious foods in ... Show More
26m 29s
Jun 25
The story of your plate
What can we tell about a society from the plates, bowls and cups it uses? In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the history of pottery, from early earthenware to the porcelain discovered by ancient China, known as ‘white gold’. Professor of archaeology, Joanita Vroom from ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
112: Kids Eat in Color. With Jennifer Anderson
Do you struggle with what your child will and will not eat? Listen in to find solutions for a healthy diet for the entire family.  Today I’ll eat just about anything, but it wasn't always this way. I know how stressful it can be for parents when their children want nothing with t ... Show More
44m 3s
Jun 2024
A Nutritionist's Guide to Feeding Picky Eaters (Ft. Jennifer Anderson)
If you're a parent, you've probably faced challenges with feeding your children at some point.Whether your child refuses to try new foods, throws all their food, only wants to eat dessert, or struggles to sit at the table, it can be frustrating to know how to help your child get ... Show More
37m 32s
Jun 2022
Positive Tilt: Get Permission from Your Baby with Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, M.Ed., FAOTA
#236: Having our babies reject food at mealtimes almost always turns into a stressful situation. The question is, should you offer your baby food and patiently wait for acceptance or demand that they eat it? To answer this question, I am joined by Marsha Dunn Klein, OTR/L, M.Ed., ... Show More
22m 18s
May 2022
Parenting With A Disability: Eliza Hull’s Story
When Eliza Hull first brought up with her trusted doctor that she'd like a baby, she was ecstatic. That was until he advised her not to because of her disability. Eliza is the author of We've Got This: Stories By Disabled Parents. She joins Tegan and Leigh to talk about her exper ... Show More
21m 49s
Sep 2021
Pluffy
This week we’re going goo-goo and gaga as we investigate the wonderful words associated with babies. We cut the umbilical cord, discover the Roman connections with c-sections, and reveal the link between a fountain and a baby’s head. So, depending on where you are in the world, p ... Show More
37m 37s
Dec 2023
Ep235: Demystifying Parenting with Sharon Mazel
The blessing and curse of living in the digital age is the overwhelming amount of information. How are you supposed to know what’s reliable and what’s not? It can feel paralyzing to have every fact at our fingertips. Fortunately, you’ve got experts like myself and Sharon Mazel to ... Show More
40m 12s
Jul 2022
Misleading Marketing Claims on Baby Foods with Ada Lizbeth Garcia, PhD
#250: DYK 72% of packaged baby food snacks in the UK make claims about baby-led weaning? But are packaged baby foods healthier than real foods? Can you believe the health claims on pouches and other processed baby foods? In this episode I’m joined by researcher Ada Lizbeth Garcia ... Show More
40m 53s
May 2024
The Moth Radio Hour: All About Moms - Babies, Bees, Concerts and Contacts
A special Mother's Day edition of The Moth Radio Hour. A mother helps her daughter get her first contact lenses, an unwanted parental intervention at a school concert, a new mother in Zambia awaits test results, a life or death bee sting and a teenage mother who couldn't be happi ... Show More
57m 16s
Feb 2022
When Someone You Care About Has an Eating Disorder with Judith Brisman, Ph.D.
“When someone is disordered in their eating often what you find is that they’ve been a kid who has learned to have radar for the feelings of other people. Whether it’s a family where the kid can’t express their emotions and parents’ emotions rule, that kid has learned to look to ... Show More
54m 52s