Melanie Potock

🤍Want to prevent picky eating in your toddler and preschooler?

🤍🤍🤍Here are 3 resources to guide you. But first, let’s rephrase this. Preventing picky eating IS POSSIBLE if a child doesn’t have medical, motor, sensory or other “feeding” issues that are getting in the way of becoming a picky eater.

So…try these three strategies:

1.✨Invest in a really good book to guide you – COMMENT #BOOKS for all my books. The award-winning Raising a Healthy Happy Eater, written with pediatrician Dr. Yum, is a step-by-step guide to raising an adventurous eater!
2.✨Offer about a tablespoon of new food(s) at each meal. Exposure is everything! One tablespoon isn’t a waste if they don’t eat it, because they SAW IT. That’s the first step. (More in the book above.)
3.✨GET HELP EARLY. Please don’t “wait and see” if your kid’s going to grow out of it. One out of four typically developing kids will develop a feeding disorder, where it’s more than picky. Ask your pediatrician for a referral for feeding therapy is you have any concerns, at all.

🤍✨🤍Bonus Tip:
Mark my page as a FAVORITE please, so you get daily tips. I’m so grateful that you’re following me. Thank you!
😘Melanie
#melaniepotock #pickytoddler #responsivefeeding #asha204 #slpfeeding

🥛Milk can provide essential nutrients for kids, but when kids just guzzle & go, it doesn’t leave opportunities to explore new foods & become an adventurous eater. And, after baby’s first birthday, many pediatricians recommend switching from formula to whole milk, or possibly introducing whole milk even if breastfeeding.

Psst…You’re going to want to save this post for later…

🥛But…Milk can cause a sudden decrease in appetite & desire for new foods, because…It’s filling. I challenge you to drink a mere 8 ounces of milk in the span of a few minutes. That’s less volume than a typical tall latte & your stomach has a greater capacity for more. Yet, you’ll feel pretty
full, almost immediately.

🥛Same for kids – they go from hungry to satisfied in a matter of minutes.

💩Milk can be constipating if kids are drinking a lot. Constipation shuts down appetite, especially for new foods. Too much milk can also impact iron absorption.

🤔Wonder what to do? If your child can self-regulate milk & sips on it while eating the other food, then no worries! But if they are too dependent on milk to fill little bellies, then serve milk in a small straw cup with a thin straw, so it’s not as easy to guzzle. When it’s gone, there’s still water that can
be refilled. Parent mindfully & compassionately: “You do love milk! We will have some more with
dinner.”

🍪What about snacks? Limiting milk to mealtimes helps kids focus on trying a variety of snacks. But, if you need a quick boost of energy, a small carton of milk with a straw is a terrific snack on the go.

✨The AAP recommends just 16 to 20 oz of milk for kids ages 2 to 5. Kids ages 1 to 2 only need 16 oz (24 max). Other dairy foods or dairy substitutes can be fine alternatives.

✨BONUS fact (AAP)Children ages 12-24 months are advised to drink whole milk and children 2 and older nonfat (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk”
🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock

❤️This is educational content only - not medical advice.

🥐If your picky eater eats NOTHING but dinner rolls at the holiday family dinner…

😤And ANYONE protests, fusses, or is downright mean to you about it…

🥰Give them my Instagram. Tell them to DM me. I’ve got your back.

❤️Seriously, try to remember…family holiday mealtimes are about FAMILY more than the food.

🍗Feed your kiddo ahead of time if you’d like.

🍗Bring them their own food & let the hosts know. Hold your ground and explain that you’d like to focus on the HOST and not how much your kid eats.

🍗Or just don’t explain at all. You don’t have to explain.

🤷🏼‍♀️You just need to show up, be pleasant, and help with the dishes. There. You’re the perfect holiday dinner guest. DONE.

❤️Drop a heart if you agree, and send this to video to a friend who needs a little extra love today.
🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #pickyeater #slpfeeding #asha2024 #ARFID #ARFIDrecovery #feedinglittles #feedingtherapy #extremepickyeating

🗣️Comment “MALINA” & I’ll send you the direct link to order @healthy.mom.healthy.kids NEW book to help prevent your child from developing food allergies. 💖

💖Malina wants all of you to know that (and I’m quoting her, here, because she’s an incredible resource for you!)
✨Food allergies affect 1 in 13 kids and can be life-threatening, but they are often preventable.
✨There`s a critical, short window in a baby`s first year of life to reduce food allergy risk
✨Most parents (and even most healthcare providers) need more up-to-date information on food allergy prevention, as well as practical feeding guidance in order to make it actionable

👉🏼Get the book that is an evidence-based, comprehensive baby-led feeding guide and cookbook with step-by-step guidance on starting solids and reducing the risk of food allergies, 8 weeks of BLF + allergen maintenance meal plans, and 80 family-friendly recipes to make the process streamlined, flexible, and delicious, all based on the latest research.

🗣️Comment “MALINA” for a direct link to purchase or go to FoodAllergyPreventionBook.com to learn more.

🎉🥳🎊Congratulations Malina! 🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #introducingsolids #whatifeedmybaby #blwideas #expectingparents #3monthsoldbaby #4monthsoldbaby #5monthsoldbaby #6monthsoldbaby #startingsolids #foodintroduction #firsttimemama #allergybaby #allergens #babyledfeeding #breastfeedingtips #formulafeeding #exclusivelypumping #ivfmama #expectingmom #newmama #firsttimemom #babyledweaningideas #breastfeedingmom #blw #breastfeeding #7monthsoldbaby #8monthsoldbaby #feedingbabies

☺️Who me?

👋🏼I’m Melanie, feeding specialist, 6X author to help you raise healthy, happy eaters, and influencer for trusted, top brands in the baby & kid space at @naturallyinfluenced. International speaker. First-time GiGi. Very uncoordinated on the dance floor, but never going to stop dancing. That’s me!🥰

💜I love family, kids & food. And I love that you’re following me here. Thank you!

❤️Drop a heart in the comments – would love to know you better!

💃Melanie
#melaniepotock #feedingslp #pickyeatingexpert #startingsolids #responsivefeeding #asha2024

❤️Just call me GiGi, now and forever. Being a first-time grandparent is INCREDIBLE & I’ve learned so much about new products to make my time with baby easy & fun!

✨COMMENT grandparent or parent (great for both generations!) & I’ll DM you my affiliate links to my tested & true favorites from highchairs to car seats to so much more!

🤔If I had to pick – I would have to say everyone needs a @tushbaby. Saves my back, keeps baby close and comfy. PLUS, as speech language pathologist I love that baby is so close to my face to get the sweet connection that helps develop baby’s language skills!

❤️❓❤️What do you love best about being a grandparent or parent? Tell me in the comments!

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #notsponsored #amazonaffiliate #asha2024 #slpfeeding #firstgrandbaby

#ad #ellaolapartner ✨When your child’s a picky eater (and I work with the most extreme picky eaters) I know it feels scary. 🤦🏼‍♀️You’re constantly worried that you child’s pickiness will lead to nutritional deficits, especially when they refuse to eat a variety of healthy foods.

❤️Finally, there’s hope. @EllaOla Unflavored Multivitamin packets were developed by Pediatrician and Pediatric Dietitians (and moms!) as an alternative to the traditional gummy or chewable vitamins - this multivitamin has all the good stuff your little ones need without any of the icky stuff like dyes, artificial additives, or added sugar.

✨Let’s be sure to talk about choking. And as a feeding specialist with 30 years of experience helping the pickiest of eaters, I know that choking prevention is crucial for learning eaters. Many of the kids on my caseload can’t chew or aren’t safe to swallow pills – or simply will not try new tastes or textures without months of feeding therapy. When I need to consult with their RDN to find vitamin for them right away and @EllaOla gets the RDN’s thumb’s up! 👍🏼

✨Imagine - what if you could rest assured that your kiddo is getting the minerals and vitamins they need – because you simply stirred in the finest, lightest, colorless, tasteless powder into your picky eater’s preferred foods?

✨I’ve tested it in mac-n-cheese, catsup, ranch dressing and milk, just to name a few…and…

✨I cannot taste, smell or detect it at all.✨It’s a game changer!

❤️Melanie
#melaniepotock #feedingspecialist #kidsvitamins #kidsmultivitamin #ellaolapartner #pickyeaters #arfid #autism #feedinglittles #slpfeeding #melaniepotock

❓🎁Need 50 more ideas for baby’s first birthday? Comment FIRST for a direct link to my favorite feeding tools and toys!

🥳Happiest first birthday to your little munch bug!

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #firstbirthday #smashcake #slpfeeding #asha2024

😒Is he going to be a picky eater? Maybe. But today he’s getting fruit for lunch and nothing else.

🤦🏼‍♀️Geez, this is hard. Hi, I’m Melanie, a pediatric feeding specialist and supposedly an “expert” on picky eating. Six books on the topic, 30 years experience and did I say this is HARD?

❤️That’s my grandbaby. He’s teething. He’s miserable. And you know what makes him happier than a pig in mud? Fruit. Going to @chickfila and all those cows. 🐮One of his first words was “moo!”) Being held A LOT. 🥹

💔And when you’re kid (or grandkid) isn’t eating, it’s stressful. But the occasional skipped meal, or a meal of just one food, isn’t going to sabotage your plan to raise an adventurous eater.

👏🏼Consistently offering the same foods over and over leads to picky eating, and research shows that. But you know what? Today we are just eating fruit and having lots of snuggles, or “huggles” as we call them in our family.

✨Here are tips to avoid the picky eating trap (when kids aren’t hurting, or sick). Try your best to…

✨Keep toddlers (and big kids) on a consistent meal and snack time schedule. Grazing kills appetite and is terrible for kid’s dental health.

✨Don’t stress if they don’t eat that snack or meal. Breathe. Try again in a few hours.

✨Focus on offering VARIETY. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. More if they want it.

🐮💗No matter what, keep it fun: COWS. Moos. Huggles.

❓Questions? I’m here to help – drop them in the comments. I’ll answer in between all the moos and huggles today.

🐮❤️🐮Melanie
#melaniepotock #teethingbaby #fussyeating #pickytoddler #feedingtherapy #asha2024