An interview with Cara Fox of Talk Eat Play Grow: all about pediatric speech therapy in Philadelphia – and more!
Even if your child doesn’t receive SLP services, I still think Cara’s work is so relatable and insightful. I highly recommend following along with her on social media. Enjoy the interview below!
Tell me about your background; did you always work in pediatric speech therapy in Philadelphia ? What interests you in this line of work?
I have always been an SLP since starting my professional career! I went to undergrad at Loyola knowing that this was what I wanted to do. Transitioned to grad school at Loyola and the rest is history! I have been a practicing SLP for 10 years now. My primary interests have always been the pediatric population – specifically feeding and early language.
How did Talk, Eat, Play, Grow! come to be?
It started as an Instagram account that came to be during the pandemic! We just wanted to focus on posting tips & tricks for families. Slowly families started asking if I would provide some private therapy and within 8 months I left full time job and took the leap to run TalkEatPlayGrow full time!
You’re not only a small business owner, but a mother as well. How do you balance life with little ones at home? Can you share a few tips on how you manage work life in pediatric speech therapy in Philadelphia with parenting life?
This is the hardest part BY FAR for me. You achieve two life dreams – being a mom and being a business owner. Yet, they are so hard to balance! Being a mom comes first for me – so NOTHING else matters. I run my business and make every decision based on optimizing my time/energy with my kids. I am SO grateful that running my own business allows me to do this.
1) Acknowledge that being a mom & being a business owner are both REALLY hard. So it’s okay if both feel really overwhelming. 2) Lean into asking for help and delegating so you don’t take on EVERYTHING. 3) Schedule time for yourself. Most of our time is spent on our family and our business – but we need to make sure we take care of ourselves too. For me, it’s mental health days and being transparent with my clients that they are really important for me.
I love following your feeding tips for picky eaters, as someone who had a toddler who was very slow to eat solid food. For the toddler crowd, what are your top two suggestions for expanding palettes for picky eaters?
I live this currently too with 2 toddler boys! 1) Between 15-24 months, most children will experience a “picky” period – it is developmental and normal. It’s helpful to know this so we don’t immediately panic! 2) EXPOSURE – we can’t control what our kids eat off their plate, but we can choose what is on the plate. Exposing our children to foods we would like to them eat/enjoy is the first step. Even just looking and touching a “new” food is a great first step!
I imagine that your job is extremely rewarding; helping a family to achieve speech and language goals and/or feeding goals must give you (and them!) so much joy. Can you share a recent success story with us?
It’s the BEST part of my job – getting to experience the JOY with these families as their children progress with their goals. My favorite success stories are when families text me that their child said “mama” or “dada” for the first time! Maybe it’s even an “I love you”. What is better than that?! As a parent, I know the weight those words/names carry.
Let’s say a mama reading this has a little one who is concerned about her little one’s speech or feeding progress. What steps would you suggest that she take next with pediatric speech therapy in Philadelphia?
I would encourage them to reach out for help! They can chat with their pediatrician or directly contact someone like us! They don’t NEED to go through their doctor to get support for their child – so no need to “wait it out”! There are a plethora of amazing private clinics, outpatient clinics, and county services in the area.
What tools are in your bag when you go for a speech therapy appointment, and how do you engage even the littlest clients?
OH this is a good one! Favorite speech bag toys: Bubbles, Easter eggs (hide stuff in them!), PlayDoh, Fisher Price Piggy Bank, puzzles, and a baby doll. I try to find what the child is interested in and follow their lead! Trust leads to engagement and engagement leads to learning – so I focus on connection with my clients first!
There are so many options for pediatric speech therapy in Philadelphia depending on what type of services that you’re looking for, location, and general fit with the provider. I hope Cara is someone whose work you look at because she is truly a leader in her field!
Did you find this post helpful? Here are some of my other blog posts that you may be interested in:
Awarded “Best Main Line Maternity Photographer” & “Best Main Line Newborn Photographer” by Main Line Parent
Veronika Paluch is an award-winning and highly sought after maternity, newborn, baby, and family photographer offering luxury, organic fine art portraits and an impeccable client experience. She specializes in documenting authentic connections and simple moments of children & families and the quiet beauty of motherhood. Stripping away all of the extras – the costumes, the props, the rigid posing – leaves room for her to capture classic, timeless images that showcase love & family connection.
Veronika serves clients in her beautiful natural light studio, as well as on location throughout the Greater Philadelphia area including the Main Line, Wayne, Plymouth Meeting, King of Prussia, Devon, Malvern, Paoli, Exton, West Chester, Swarthmore, Media, South Jersey, and Northern Delaware.
+ COMMENTS
add a comment