Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP is a mom who once had a picky eater. She’s experienced first-hand the stress that parents feel when they are worried about their child’s nutritional health. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find Melanie blending her knowledge of feeding therapy with practical parenting strategies that help the entire family eat healthier. She’s an international speaker and author of six books, including co-authoring the award-winning Raising a Healthy Happy Eater. Whether you’re raising a child who seems to be on the path to loving all kinds of healthy foods (and you want to keep it that way) or if your child is stuck in the chicken nugget rut, “Coach Mel” is here to guide you.
Melanie Potock
Pediatric Feeding Expert and Author
Expert Feeding Help
for Professionals and Parents
Melanie Potock’s keynotes, courses, books & articles focus on raising kids to be healthy, happy eaters. From babies to toddlers to teens, “Coach Mel” is here to help.
Raising a Healthy Happy Eater Isn’t Always Easy
Get Expert Advice on Feeding Babies, Toddlers & School Age Kids,
Including Extreme Picky Eaters
Upcoming Events & Courses
Babies
This book is designed to answer the most common questions about feeding babies and toddlers up to age three. It also debunks myths while offering practical tips on making mealtimes joyful and less stressful. It teaches a no-nonsense, straightforward approach to responsive feeding that’s focused on nurturing trust and communication between parent and child. Read more about Responsive Feeding here.
Toddlers & Preschoolers
In her award-winning book, Raising a Healthy Happy Eater, Melanie and her co-author, pediatrician Dr. Yum, teach parents how to guide their children on the path to adventurous eating. Parents report that toddlers are the most challenging to feed, thanks to active little bodies and fleeting attention spans. Learn how to lay positive foundations for eating at 6 months of age, navigate the “terrific twos” and avoid picky eating in the preschool years! Get the brand new, updated 2nd edition. Read more about feeding young children here.
School Age
Kids can cook right along with their parents from an early age, but it’s especially important from preschool and into the elementary school years. What’s the number one food group that parents struggle with the most? Vegetables! The secret to helping kids love any kind of food is to follow Melanie’s Three E’s: Expose, Explore, Expand. You’ll learn how to use the Three E’s and create veggie-love in Melanie’s book, Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables with 100 Easy Activities and Recipes. Read more about feeding school-age kids here.
More fun!
As a speech language pathologist, Melanie combined her love for language, little kids and food by writing a children’s book! You are Not an Otter: The Story of How Kids Become Adventurous Eaters is available on Kindle, in paperback, and in both English and Spanish. Don’t miss the parent tips in the back of the book! Learn about all of Mel’s books here.
Tell me, do you love a pomegranate or not so much?❤️
🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #feedingtherapy #slpfeeding #pickyeaters #feedinglittles
🥑 Starting solids? These 3 things matter more than which food you offer FIRST! After 25+ years helping more than 10,000 children learn to eat AND writing the category-leading book on the topic, here are 3 things I want every parent to know!
✨ 1. POSITIONING FIRST!
An upright, well-supported baby with stable hips & feet is better positioned to develop feeding skills and swallow safely. Don’t underestimate the importance of a properly adjusted high chair!
✨ 2. MODEL THE SKILLS!
Babies learn by watching YOU! Sit face-to-face, exaggerate your chewing movements, show baby how you bite & chew, and enjoy eating together. You are baby’s first feeding teacher!
✨ 3. INTRODUCE ALLERGENS EARLY!
Once baby is developmentally ready for solids, typically by about 6 months, begin introducing common allergens like peanut & egg in baby-safe forms. Early introduction can help reduce the risk of developing certain food allergies. Babies with severe eczema or existing food allergies may need individualized guidance from their healthcare provider.
❤️ Feeling overwhelmed by starting solids? I’ve got you!
👉🏼 Comment HANDOUTS and I’ll send you my feeding development resources, including how to teach baby to eat, introduce allergens & build confident feeding skills!
🥰And YES! They’re available in SPANISH, too! Share them with a parent, grandparent or caregiver who could use a little extra guidance.
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
Melanie ❤️
Starting Solids | Baby Feeding Tips | Baby Led Weaning | Infant Feeding Development | Allergen Introduction | Feeding Therapy | Starting Solids in Spanish
🍷 If you’ve ever spent an hour making dinner only to watch your child eat NOTHING, welcome. You’ve found your people. ❤️
I know. Right now you just want to be LEFT ALONE. Maybe hide in the stairwell with a glass of wine and pretend nobody needs you for the next 20 minutes. 😂
But when you’re ready to come out of hiding, I’m HERE!
After 25+ years as a pediatric feeding therapist AND the parents of one very adventurous eater and one very picky eater… I can tell you this: You’re not the only parent being personally victimized by steamed broccoli. 🥦 I get it.
✨ Stick around! I share practical, evidence-based strategies to help make mealtimes less stressful & help kids find joy in food.
👇🏼 Now tell me, what’s your BIGGEST dinner frustration? The refusing? The whining? The negotiating? The perfectly good dinner nobody touched?
I’m listening! ❤️
Melanie
Melanie Potock, picky eating, toddler dinner refusal, feeding therapy, mealtime struggles, picky eater tips, parenting toddlers
✨ The feedback from my recent courses has been incredibly meaningful,
especially when therapists tell me they’re leaving with more confidence,
practical strategies & a better understanding of HOW to help children with ARFID.
After 25+ years in pediatric feeding therapy & helping more than 10,000
children, my goal is simple:
👉🏻Help therapists understand the anxiety behind food refusal & know what to
DO about it.
That’s why my ARFID: The Anxious Eater Masterclass includes real client
videos, clinical examples, practical treatment strategies & resources you
can use with families.
🚨 JUST 3 SEATS LEFT!
📍 Austin, Texas
📅 December 6, 2026
✨ My LAST live ARFID Masterclass of the year!
👉🏼 Comment TEXAS & I’ll send you the registration information.
💕Thank you to every therapist who has trusted me with their continuing education this year. Your feedback means so much!
Melanie ❤️
ARFID masterclass, pediatric feeding therapy, feeding therapists,
occupational therapy, speech language pathology, feeding anxiety, ARFID
treatment, continuing education
FEEDING THERAPISTS: Here’s ANOTHER SURPRISING FACT: The food isn’t always where the allergen is hiding….
Imagine carefully choosing foods for a therapy session, only to overlook a potential allergen in your sensory materials, art supplies or therapy environment.
😳 Food allergy safety goes WAY beyond checking food labels. And some of these risks weren’t covered in our clinical training.
After 25+ years as a pediatric feeding therapist, I want every SLP, OT & feeding specialist to understand how allergens can show up in unexpected places.
👉🏼 Would you have guessed these FOUR?
🥜 PEANUTS in animal feed? Some birdseed mixes & animal feeds contain peanuts or peanut pieces.
🌱 SOY in crayons? Some crayons are made with soy-derived ingredients. Not all soy-derived materials contain allergenic proteins, but it’s worth knowing what’s in your therapy supplies.
🌾 WHEAT in Play-Doh? Yes! Many commercial & some homemade play doughs contain wheat flour. Think about little hands moving from sensory play to snack time.
✨ SESAME in lotion? Sesame-derived ingredients can appear in lotions, soaps & creams, sometimes listed as Sesamum indicum.
❤️ Here’s what I want you to remember:
A child doesn’t necessarily have to eat a new food to encounter an allergen. But exposure doesn’t automatically mean an allergic reaction, either. The type of contact, amount of allergenic protein & child’s individual allergy all matter.
And when we’re introducing new foods in feeding therapy, understanding those details is part of thoughtful preparation.
💜 Feeding therapy isn’t just about the bite. It’s about understanding the whole child, including their medical history, allergies & individualized safety needs.
📲 PLEASE SHARE THIS POST with an SLP, OT, feeding therapist, educator or parent who might learn something new!
💾 SAVE it for the next time you’re planning a sensory activity or introducing new foods in therapy.
👇🏼 Which one surprised you most? Peanuts, soy, wheat or sesame? Tell me in the comments!
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock / feeding therapy / early intervention / allergens / SLP feeding
Since when does a child have to EARN the cookie their parent packed for lunch, or that’s handed out by a teacher?
😳 Some schools have a lunchtime rule: Eat your sandwich, fruit & veggies FIRST. Then you can have your dessert. Sounds reasonable, right? But here’s what we know from feeding therapy...
When dessert becomes a reward for eating other foods, we unintentionally put sweets on a pedestal.
And the foods children are required to eat? They can start to feel like chores.
❤️ For children with ARFID, pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), feeding anxiety, or challenges eating enough during a busy school day, these rules can create even MORE pressure.
Here’s what I wish every school understood:
✔️ A cookie doesn’t have to be earned.
✔️ Eating dessert first doesn’t automatically mean a child won’t eat lunch.
✔️ Children benefit from opportunities to recognize & respond to their own hunger & fullness cues.
✔️ Removing food-related rewards & contingencies can help reduce mealtime stress.
This isn’t about encouraging kids to eat cookies instead of lunch. It’s about taking the power struggle OUT of lunchtime.
❤️After 25+ years as a pediatric feeding therapist, I can tell you that helping children build a positive relationship with food requires more than deciding what goes into their lunchbox.
It also means considering the messages they receive when they open it.
👇🏼 Does your child’s school have a rule about when dessert can be eaten? I’d love to hear how schools are handling this!
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
❤️ Melanie
Melanie Potock
school lunch rules
school dessert policy
dessert before lunch
responsive feeding
food neutrality
feeding therapy
pediatric feeding disorder
ARFID
feeding anxiety
school lunch pressure
And it has pockets.💀
Happy Halloween!🎃
🧡Melanie
#melaniepotock #feedingtherapy #slpfeeding #pickyeaters #halloween2026
🤔Before you decide your toddler is a “picky eater”… ask yourself these 5 questions.
Because three blueberries, one lick of a cracker & a hard NO to dinner can
make any parent wonder, “Wait…is this the start of picky eating?” 😳
But one rough meal, or even a few rough days, doesn’t tell us the whole story.
✨ Before you worry, zoom out & ask:
✔️ Are they snacking or sipping calories frequently between meals?
✔️ Are they teething or otherwise uncomfortable?
✔️ Have mealtimes gotten into a pattern where refusing one food means another preferred option quickly appears?
✔️ Could constipation be affecting their appetite?
✔️ When you look at the whole week, are most days actually easier than today?
👉🏼 That LAST question matters.
In 25+ years of feeding therapy, I’ve learned that we have to look for PATTERNS, not judge a child’s eating by one frustrating meal.
Toddlers have fluctuating appetites. Growth isn’t linear. Teething, constipation, fatigue, frequent snacking & even a change in routine can
affect how much they eat.
❤️ One difficult day doesn’t automatically mean you have a picky eater.
And to be very clear: Picky eating, Pediatric Feeding Disorder & ARFID are
real, and I take feeding concerns seriously. But toddlers can also go through SHORT phases of eating less, refusing familiar foods or seeming
suddenly “picky.”
✨ Save this reel for the next time dinner goes sideways. Then zoom out before you worry.
👇🏼 Which of these 5 questions surprised you? What would you add?
Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
❤️Melanie
Melanie Potock • Toddler eating • Picky eating • Pediatric Feeding Disorder
• ARFID • Feeding therapy • Responsive feeding • Toddler appetite • Child
development • Family meals
🎃 We get distracted by how much candy our kids might eat on Halloween…but the most important thing to put away on Halloween isn’t the candy…it’s your PHONE. 📱
Halloween night is busy. Costumes, candy, excited kids, dark streets & cars moving through neighborhoods. It only takes a few seconds of distraction for something to go terribly wrong.
😢One statistic I wish I didn’t have to share: Children are more than twice as likely to be struck & killed by a vehicle on Halloween than on other days of the year, according to the CDC.*
So this Halloween, let’s ALL keep our eyes up & our phones down.
📱 Walking with kids? Put the phone away & stay alert.
🚗 Driving? No texting, scrolling, checking directions or “just one quick thing.”
✨ Slow down & expect kids to move unpredictably.
❤️ Make kids easier to see with glow sticks, lights or reflective tape.
(And yes, candy buckets need to be checked for chokable, opened or otherwise unsafe items. )
👉🏼 Please SHARE THIS POST before Halloween. A simple reminder to put our phones down could help keep a child safe.
Melanie ❤️
*CDC, Halloween safety guidance
Melanie Potock | Halloween safety | distracted driving | trick or treat safety | pedestrian safety | child safety | toddler Halloween | Halloween with kids
🎃 Halloween doesn’t have to be BIG to be magical. Your child does not need to trick-or-treat for hours, fill an entire bucket, wear the costume all night, make the crafts, attend the party AND pose for the perfect picture to have a wonderful Halloween. ❤️
For some kids, Halloween is exciting.
For others, it’s a LOT.
👻 Costumes that feel strange
🔔 Doorbells & unfamiliar houses
🎃 Crowds, decorations & flashing lights
🍬 So. Much. Candy.
😳 A routine that suddenly looks completely different
So if your child is happiest visiting three houses and heading home...that counts.
If they want to hand out in your pajamas instead of a donning a costume...that counts.
If they’d rather hand out candy, watch the action from the porch or skip trick-or-treating altogether...that counts too.
✨ Halloween isn’t measured by how much you squeeze into one night.
🧡It’s about connection, comfort & finding the amount of fun that feels right for YOUR child.
And if your family LOVES going all-in on Halloween? Go for it!
But there’s something pretty wonderful about knowing when “just enough” really is enough. 🥰
💾 Save this reminder for October 31st & share it with a parent who might need permission to make Halloween a little smaller this year.
🧡Melanie
Melanie Potock | Halloween with kids | toddler Halloween | sensory-friendly Halloween | parenting toddlers | child development | Halloween tips | feeding therapist | SLP
🎃💙 Got a teal pumpkin & non-food treats ready for ALL kids on Halloween? I’m cheering you on! You’re helping make Halloween more inclusive for kids with food allergies. ❤️
But there’s ONE mistake to avoid:
👉🏼 Don’t let kids reach for non-food treats. YOU pick up the toy & place it in their trick-or-treat bucket. HERE’s WHY:
🍫🥜Kids often snack on candy as they go house to house, which means peanut, dairy & other allergen residue may be on their hands.
If they reach into your teal pumpkin or treat bowl, that residue can transfer to the non-food treats inside, creating a risk of allergen cross-contact for the next child.
✨ Keep bubbles, glow bracelets, large stickers & other non-food goodies separate from the candy. Whenever possible, hand the child their choice or place it directly into their bucket.
Such a small step. Such a thoughtful way to help more kids enjoy Halloween. 🎃❤️
👉🏼 SHARE this before trick-or-treating begins!
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock | food allergies | teal pumpkin | Halloween safety | allergen cross-contact | inclusive Halloween
🚗 What do you do when a child is so anxious, they refuse to even ENTER the building for feeding therapy?
😳A young patient with ARFID, pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), or significant feeding anxiety arrives for therapy…and won’t get out of the car.
The parent asks:
“Can we just do feeding therapy in the car today?”
My answer? NAY. 🙅🏼♀️
❤️ Not because the parent is wrong for wanting to reduce their child’s distress.
But because that refusal is giving us really important information.
✨ Before we can work on food, we may need to work on feeling safe enough to participate in therapy.
Think about the hierarchy.
Trying an unfamiliar food is WAY up there.
Walking through the front door is much lower.
If a child can’t comfortably take that first step yet, moving therapy to the parking lot may unintentionally teach them:
🚗 I don’t have to go inside because inside really IS too scary.
Instead, I’d lower the demand and build confidence one tiny step at a time.
✔️ Walk toward the building, then…
✔️ Practice going through the doors and right back out.
✔️ Make the hallway part of a game.
✔️ Explore the therapy room with NO expectation to eat.
✔️ Sit at the table without food being part of the plan.
❤️The goal isn’t to force bravery. It’s to scaffold it. And sometimes, THAT is feeding therapy.
📍SLPs & OTs in COLORADO & TEXAS: I’m bringing my 4-hour ARFID Masterclass to you, and there are only 6 SEATS LEFT at EACH location!
🏔️ COLORADO: November 6, 2026 | ONLY 6 SEATS LEFT
🤠 AUSTIN, TEXAS: December 6, 2026 | ONLY 6 SEATS LEFT
💬 Comment COLORADO or TEXAS and I’ll send you the details for that Masterclass.
Melanie ❤️
✨ Follow me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
Melanie Potock / ARFID / pediatric feeding disorder / feeding therapy / feeding anxiety / feeding therapy strategies / ARFID treatment / pediatric feeding therapist
Pediatric Feeding Expert and Author
Melanie's Advice Shared In...
Courses for Parents & Professionals
Melanie offers both on-demand courses and live-streaming Masterclasses. CEUs are optional for both OTs and SLPs, yet audience members include parents, RDs, pediatricians & other health care professionals.
Need help with a picky eater, or just want to prevent kids from falling into the chicken-nugget rut? As a parent, SLP or OT, what do you need to know about child nutrition? What about the anxious eater – Could this be more than just picky eating? Melanie’s on-demand course subscriptions provide the answers!
Want more in-depth instruction in a small group, virtual setting? Register for one of Melanie’s Masterclass!
Explore course options here.
Parenting Advice
Melanie’s advice has been shared in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Parents Magazine and more. Over 150 articles for both parents and professionals are found here or contact Melanie for a personal one-hour coaching session via video chat.
Masterclass participants get a 25% discount on coaching.
Learn more about professional and parent coaching here.
Keynote Speaking
An international speaker, award-winning author and pediatric feeding specialist, audiences find Melanie’s advice to be practical and possible, even in the most challenging cases. That’s because Melanie is in the trenches, working closely with the most extreme picky eaters and supporting families and health professionals around the world. Melanie has been invited to speak at over 100 different events, including the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s National Conference and the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.
Audiences say it best: If you are looking for a professional speaker who can “provide practical solutions” for parents, caregivers and therapists and your company needs a “highly knowledgeable, organized presenter” with “energy and enthusiasm” who can deliver a “dynamic course”, then your best choice is Melanie Potock. Contact Melanie here.
Product Consulting
Need expert input on your new parenting product? Melanie has provided expert advice for Orgain, Inc., Holland Health Care, Inc., Healthy Height, Inc., NumNum, LLC and numerous health care and parent product companies.
Looking for an expert to educate your team on how children learn to become adventurous eaters, baby-self feeding or the importance of purees? Feeding is developmental, just like learning to crawl, walk, run. At least 1 in 4 typically developing children have trouble learning to eat! Raising a healthy, happy eater requires the right tools and the right advice. Melanie provides company education and collaboration via webinars, social media and creating educational videos for your audience.
Contact Melanie here.
