TalkTools® Pre-Feeding Kit
The TalkTools Pre-Feeding Kit is a comprehensive clinical toolkit designed to develop the oral sensory motor skills that support safe, effective, and nutritive feeding. Developed in response to therapist and family requests for a single kit appropriate across ages and a wide range of feeding challenges, this kit provides everything needed to begin a structured pre-feeding program using the TalkTools Sensi® vibrating oral tool and a curated selection of specialized tips.
Therapy Goals
- Develop oral sensory motor skills necessary for safe and nutritive feeding
- Facilitate graded sensory stimulation of the jaw, lips, tongue, and cheeks to build pre-feeding readiness
- Support desensitization of oral hypersensitivity as a precursor to food acceptance and spoon feeding
- Strengthen jaw grading and controlled bite force needed for safe chewing and swallowing
- Promote tongue lateralization and controlled movement to support bolus management
- Prepare the oral musculature for spoon feeding, straw drinking, and cup drinking transitions
- Designed by TalkTools clinicians specifically for pre-feeding programs across ages and diagnoses
- Includes tip shapes selected to address the full range of pre-feeding oral motor objectives
- Pairs directly with the book A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding for a structured clinical framework
- The Sensi® vibrating handle enhances sensory input to maximize therapeutic effect with each tip
- Appropriate for diverse client populations including infants, toddlers, and individuals with complex needs
- Reusable pouch keeps all tips organized and clean between sessions
- Compatible with evidence-based pre-feeding and OPT hierarchies
- Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing pre-feeding and feeding therapy
- Occupational therapists (OTs) addressing oral sensory defensiveness and feeding readiness
- Clients with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or complex medical histories
- Infants and children with oral hypersensitivity, oral aversion, or sensory-based feeding difficulties
- NICU follow-up programs and early intervention services
- Therapists implementing A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding (Overland and Merkel-Walsh) in clinical practice
- School-based therapy settings and private practices specializing in feeding disorders
- 1 x Sensi® with Blue Chewy Tip (attached)
- 2 x Soft Pointer Tips
- 2 x Soft High Jaw Tips
- 1 x Wee Round Tip
- 1 x Soft Spoon Tip
- 1 x Textured Side Spoon Tip
- 1 x Textured Probe Tip
- 1 x Tongue Depressor
- 1 x Chewy Tip
- 1 x Round Tip
- 1 x Reusable storage pouch
| Material | FDA-compliant, food-safe silicone tips; BPA-free, latex-free, lead-free, and phthalate-free |
| Vibration | Delivered through the Sensi® handle to each interchangeable tip |
| Water resistance | Do not submerge the Sensi® handle; clean tips by hand washing only |
| Safety | FDA compliant, BPA-free, latex-free, lead-free, phthalate-free |
| Handle compatibility | All tips are compatible with the TalkTools Sensi® handle |
| Companion resource | A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding by Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT and Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP |
- Before first use, wash all tips thoroughly with warm soapy water and rinse well
- After each use, clean all tips with warm soapy water; rinse and allow to air dry
- Do not submerge the Sensi® handle in water
- Do not place the Sensi® handle in the dishwasher; tips only should be hand-washed
- Do not use harsh abrasives, bleach, or alcohol-based cleaners on tips
- Inspect all tips before each use; discard any tip showing cracks, tears, or deterioration
- Store tips in the included reusable pouch when not in use
For detailed instructions on pre-feeding activities to implement with this kit, refer to the book A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding by Lori Overland, MS, CCC-SLP, C/NDT and Robyn Merkel-Walsh, MA, CCC-SLP. To learn how to implement these pre-feeding techniques in practice, attend the course A Sensory-Motor Approach to Feeding in person or as an online self-study. Visit the TalkTools Event Calendar for a workshop near you.