Know that your kidâs picky eating is not your fault.
â¨đđźâ¨Thatâs my #1 tip, because if I can help you put that guilt away once and for all, the better it will be for you, and your sweet kid, and the sooner we will be on our way to finding joy in food!
đHi, Iâm Melanie, a pediatric feeding specialist with over 25 years of experience. I can confidently share with you that after treating thousands of kids for picky eating (and even the most extreme picky eating) I have never met a parent who didnât think they were somehow to blame. Stop. Youâre a wonderful parent!â¤ď¸
â¨Hereâs what one of those parents said to me, and Iâll never forget it.
đFor years, her son was consisting on potato chips, french fries and a prescribed pediatric formula, and he was 8 years old. After a few sessions together, she told me this:
â¨âMel, I get it. This is not my fault. But, the change in HIM begins with the change in ME.â
đĽ°Wow. Smart, smart mom. So hereâs what she did:
đ§đźââď¸She put on her best Academy Award-Winning performance and modeled calm when he didnât eat, when he threw a tantrum or when he refused to eat at all at school. Inside, she was anxious, worried, and certain that he would starve. But she still modeled calm, and in turn, he also became much calmer. Meanwhile, we started implementing strategies.
đTogether, we worked on helping him tolerate having new foods on his plate, siting the in the cafeteria without hiding under the table and introduced him to cooking with his parents. We started small. We built from there. And all that time, she made a conscious effort to stop looking so worried, even if she still felt it inside.
â¨đđźâ¨Her body language shifted from âHeâs not going to eat itâ to âI trust that he can do this.â Her feelings of guilt shifted from âThis is my faultâ to âHe trusts me to help him get better.â
â¤ď¸ââ¤ď¸Tell me, whatâs the one thing you worry most about, when it comes to your hesitant eater?
đ¤Melanie
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