Comparison of bite-presentation methods in the treatment of food refusal.

Sharp et al. (2010) compared three ways to offer a bite to one preschooler who refused food.

They used an upright spoon, a flipped spoon, and a Nuk brush in the same meal.

The team counted how many bites the child spit out and how clean the mouth looked after each one.

The flipped spoon and the Nuk brush cut spitting and left the mouth cleaner than the upright spoon.

The upright spoon almost always ended in a mess; the other two tools did not.

Ibañez et al. (2021) ran the same three-way test eleven years later with five children and saw the same winner: Nuk brush first, flipped spoon second, upright spoon last.

Coe et al. (1997) showed that giving a spit-out bite again can also lower spitting, but only after the child already accepts food.

Staddon et al. (2002) found that softer food alone can cut spitting.

Together the papers say: change the tool, the food, or the follow-up — each tweak helps, and Nuk or flipped spoon gives the fastest gain.

If you start a feeding session and the child spits every upright-spoon bite, flip the spoon or switch to a Nuk brush right away.

You may see fewer expulsions in the first meal without adding extra demands or new food textures.

Keep the upright spoon in the drawer until acceptance is strong.