Melanie Potock

🦷👶🏻When it comes to baby teething (ouch!), I love a good silicone food feeder.

🥰Hi, I’m Melanie, author of 6 books on feeding babies, toddlers & big kids and here to help you navigate every.single.step…That includes teething.

✨Comment AMAZON for a link to my favorite feeding therapy tools – and that includes my 2 favorite ice pops for EVERY teething baby!

😁Silicone food feeders are also great for occasional practice munching up and down, just like the baby in the video. I like to fill mine with frozen fruit for more resistance and to encourage that “munching” action that develops baby’s facial muscles (especially the jaw) and provides deep sensory input to help calm baby too. PLUS – it sure does help those aching little toofers!

❓Questions? Drop them in the comments!

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #asha2024 #responsivefeeding #feedingtherapy

🎃Ready to shop for Halloween treats? Careful, some candy and toys can be deadly for young children.

📲You`re going to want to save and share this post.

😮Were you surprised by the lists in this post? Are you wondering why…

🍫MILK, not dark chocolate? It’s because it melts easier in the mouth and that`s important for toddlers.

🎈Balloons – Latex balloons are a MAJOR choking hazard for kids up to age 8! 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼According to Nationwide
Children’s Hospital: “Children inhale latex balloons (mostly while trying to inflate them) or choke on their broken pieces. Latex is dangerous because it is a smooth material and can conform to the child’s throat, blocking the airway and making it impossible to breathe. Performing the Heimlich Maneuver is usually no help because the air that does get through can make the blockage worse by completely covering the throat. Using your fingers can easily push the balloon further back into the airway.”*

🐈‍⬛Small stickers – These get easily stuck on a child’s finger and they will use their mouth to try to get them off. Tiny stickers can then be inhaled.

🎃On the big day, as soon as you
get home, sort through your child’s loot for anything with loose wrappers, homemade treats (like popcorn balls – just toss ‘em) or the items in this reel.

🎃Have fun, but stay safe! Share this with someone you love.
💕Melanie💕

*nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources
#melaniepotock #halloween2024🎃👻🕷️
#chokinghazards #kidsafety #feedingtherapy

❤️There are so many nuances to parenting a picky eater. I am not saying these six words will change picky eating overnight, but it’s an essential phrase to raise an adventurous eater over time…

❓Want practical tips on avoiding picky eating, solving picky eating, bottle weaning, pacifier weaning and so much more?

✨COMMENT VIDEO✨
& I`ll send you a discount code for my on-demand video library!

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock

🤦🏼‍♀️Does your kid refuse to drink different types or flavors of milk? You can use my method for any transition to a similar drink, just take your time and wait for “THAT LOOK”😉

💦You can even use this to eventually transition your hesitant eater to water, smoothies, whatever!

🥛I’ve been teaching this method for over 20 years, and the key to success is very careful measurement and writing it down.

✨Change is hard for a lot of kids and taking it very slow eases them into a new taste. Some kids don’t need this steady and consistent shift but if you have been struggling to transition your child to a new milk, give this a try!🥰 BUT, give it at least a few weeks…it takes time, and go slow!

❓Does your kid have trouble with new beverages, like a shift from breast milk or formula to a new milk?

🤍Drop questions in the comments and save this post for future reference too!

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #originalidea

#asha2024 #otmom #slpmom #pickyeaters #pickyeating #pickyeater #feedingtherapy #feedingtherapist #ashaigers #mytoddler #toddlertrouble #fussyeaters #fussyeater #milkforkids #drinkyourmilk #ashaigers #responsivefeeding

🍋Avoiding picky eating is like baby’s first bite of a lemon…

🤔Ever notice that those viral videos of “babies trying lemons” include TWO THINGS…a startled, scrunchy face and THEN, that little reach for “more lemon please”. What’s up with that?

💛It’s so easy for us to assume that the first response means they don’t like the taste. Learning to become an adventurous eater means learning to taste all kinds of new flavors – and then trying them again and again.

✨💛✨So, when your kid (of any age) tries something new, no matter what their response, always have more available, in case they request more. Little tastes over time add up! You can start just by having a tiny bit more on their plate and offer it periodically for months to come.

❓Want more tips on picky eating?

👋🏼Comment VIDEO and I’ll send you my on-demand course library, ranging from helping baby start solids to helping older, anxious eaters try new foods.

✨As always thanks for marking my page as a “favorite” so you never miss a tip!

🥰Melanie

(Note: Lemons are acidic, so best to try this particular taste only occasionally to protect baby’s teeth)
#melaniepotock #startingsolids #pickytoddler #ashaigers #ElevateatASHA, #ASHA24, #SLPeeps

❓Wait - Babies can have raw celery and raw carrots even before starting solids? BE SURE TO KEEP READING so you know how to do this safely.

🥕Teethers for 5-month-old babies can include hard, resistive food such as a fat carrot stick, or a wide stalk of celery. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Always supervise baby with food teethers.
2. Make sure their back/trunk is well supported so that their little hands can easily bring the food teether to their mouth ( just like a non-food teether).
3. Wash food teethers thoroughly before offering to baby.
4. Safety Test: Can you snap it in half with your thumb and forefinger on the same hand? Yes – don’t offer it. No – offer with supervision!

🥰Benefits?
Even before baby is ready for solids (closer to 6 months of age) they can get small tastes as they mouth these resistive foods, just like you can taste carrot if you lick a carrot! Babies are open to trying new tastes and programmed to explore with their littles hands to mouth, so this is the perfect time to introduce veggies in this manner.
👉🏼Like any teether, the munching (up and down repeated chomps) will strengthen their jaw and facial muscles. It will also offer sensory input in terms of different textures, cooler temperatures and because it’s food – flavor!
👉🏼All teethers help babies learn to manage their gag reflex, but in my professional experience, I notice that babies like to suck on food teethers as well as try to chew them. 👉🏼Both are great experiences for the mouth, and both “work” areas of the tongue that play a part in developing tongue lateralization skills, tongue protrusion skills (for spitting out food) and learning to manage the sensation of a gentle gag with no other food in the mouth.

🪥Think of it this way – if you experience a gagging sensation, do you find it easier to manage if you accidently did that with you toothbrush or if you accidently start gagging while eating? The toothbrush of course! Neither is comfortable at first, but the toothbrush is quickly removed and we can swallow to relieve the sensation.

❓Questions? Drop them in the comments!
❤️Melanie
#melaniepotock #foodteethers #ashaigers #babyfood #feedingtherapy

😳If you’re a parent of a picky eater, you know how stressful it can be! Me telling YOU to calm down is NOT going to help.🤦🏼‍♀️

🤍But was IS going to help, is putting on your best academy-award performance and modeling calm in the moment. Then, we can brainstorm together on which strategies to try at the next meal. Kids go through phases or picky eating, and some require feeding therapy to help them find the joy in food. It’s VERY stressful for the parents and the child – and the siblings & extended family too!

❓Want to learn strategies right now?

🗣️COMMENT VIDEO & I’ll send you a discount for any course that I teach on my on-demand course library.

✨DM me if you have questions about which course is best for your situation – and know that this will get better with the right support.

🧘🏼‍♀️Here’s to modeling calm in the moment.

🤍Melanie
#melaniepotock #pickykids #pickytoddlers #slpfeeding #ashaceus

🥰I’m adding more feeding and kid’s toy deals as you read this…so keep checking back!#amazonaffiliate #ad

✨COMMENT DEALS and I’ll send you a link so you can shop right away!

💙👩🏼‍🍳💙I had fun making this list for you, and I hope you find it helpful. Also…that blue play kitchen. Did you spot it? ✨Gorgeous!✨

😘Melanie
#melaniepotock #amazonbigdealdays #feedingkids #feedingtherapy #pickyeaters

🎉It’s going to be an incredible year!
✨DM me to learn how your #pediatrichospital #speechtherapyclinic or #conference can book my courses in 2025!
🥰Melanie

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #ashaigers #feedingtherapy

Serious play happening!🤍Lovevery Play Kits are designed by child experts to for your child’s stage of development, but don’t be surprised if they continue to play with toys from various kits for many months to come!

🫶🏼COMMENT LOVEVERY for a link to learn more & get free shipping! #affiliatelink

🤍This little man is playing with…

🫶🏼Stainless Steel Tip & Turn - just one of the toys from The Explorer Play Kit
✨Practice bilateral coordination with two-handed play.

🫶🏼Ball Drop Box - just one of the toys from The Inspector Play Kit
✨Build gross motor skills while learning that something can be there even when you can`t see it.

🫶🏼Spinning Rainbow – just one of the toys from The Sensor Play Kit
✨Perfect for practicing fine motor skills and reaching with both hands at once.

🫶🏼Race & Chase Ramp – just one of the toys from The Adventurer Play Kit
✨Explore motion and direction with our unique side-by-side racing ramp.

🥰DM if I can help you choose which is best for you! Have you tried @lovevery Play Kits yet?

❤️Melanie

#melaniepotock #LoveveryGift #Lovevery

🍁3 easy & inexpensive fall food favorites for your baby & toddler!

🎃Pumpkin is a squash, but most often we scoop pumpkin puree right from the can this type of year! Be sure to get 100% pure pumpkin & not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar. Try stirring in a dash of cinnamon and serving it straight from the spoon or stirred into various pasta sauces, like marinara. Your kids will get an extra boost of micronutrients, vitamins & carotenoids so important for good vision!

🍂🍁🍂Squash is plentiful right now, and can stay fresh in a cool, dark place for months to come. So stock up when it’s on sale & buy lots of varieties! My favorite way to prep it for any age is to roast till soft & then cut into soft cubes for baby to self-feed. It’s nutritious & loaded with fiber, so terrific for kids’ gut health too!

🍎Apples – did you know there are over 2,500 varieties grown in the USA? Raw apples are a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, but you can still grate bits of raw apple for babies if they have developed their pincer grasp. Try roasting a whole apple in the oven to serve over several days in soft, safely cut cubes or thin slices or to stir into other foods, like oatmeal. Apples last for weeks if stored in the fridge but even longer in a cool, humid & slightly dark place.

❓🍂🍁🍂❓Tell me, what’s your favorite – pumpkin, squash or apples this time of year???
🥰Melanie

#melaniepotock #foodforbabies #toddlerfood #responsivefeeding #slpfeeding

#ad @ellaolaofficial is the tasteless, undetectable vitamin recommended by pediatricians and RDs because kids get that nutritional boost with no added sugar.

🤍Hi, I’m Melanie, a pediatric feeding specialist with over 30 years experience helping the pickiest of picky eaters. When I ask pediatricians and nutritionists what vitamin they approve of for my clients, it’s EllaOla.

✨Tasteless, odorless, undetectable
✨19 vitamins AND MINERALS
✨15 Superfoods, fruits & veggies
👏🏼And so easy to stir into food/drinks!

🫶🏼I’ve partnered with @ellaolaofficial because I’ve tested it, and I want you to know that this is a game changer for any kid, but especially our picky eaters.❤️

🥰Melanie @mymunchbug_melaniepotock

🫶🏼 #aap2024 #ellaolaofficial #ellaolavitamin
#pickyeater #arfid #autism