Melanie Potock

Some of our strongest childhood memories aren’t about the food itself.
They’re about what the food represented.♥️

For me, it was summer evenings on the Chesapeake Bay, gathered around newspaper-covered tables, cracking fresh Maryland blue crabs with my family.🦀

When I moved away, I wasn’t ready to let that tradition go. So every summer, I have crabs shipped overnight so we can continue what my parents started decades ago.

This year, something felt especially meaningful.

Although he’s been “present” for the past two years at the table, this year my grandbaby was old enough to crack open the crabs and pick out the crab meat. He sat at the table for the longest time, having the BEST time with the entire family.♥️

📚Research on family rituals tells us they’re different from everyday routines. Rituals create a sense of identity, belonging, and connection that children often carry into adulthood. In fact, many adults recreate the same family meal traditions they experienced as children when they begin raising families of their own. This is a topic I explore more in Raising a Healthy Happy Eater – 🎙️just comment BOOKS to peek inside!

As a pediatric feeding therapist, I spend a lot of time helping families reduce stress around food. But I also know this:

The goal isn’t just raising children who eat a variety of foods.
It’s raising children who feel loved, connected, and welcome around the table.♥️

Maybe one day, my grandbaby will gather his own family around a crab feast and tell them, “This is what our family has always done.” ♥️That would mean more to me than he could ever know.

🥰I’d love to hear about your family.
What’s one meal tradition you’ve carried from one generation to the next—or one you’d love to begin?

✨Melanie✨

Melanie Potock, family traditions, family meals, family rituals, mealtime connection, responsive feeding, family dinner, raising healthy eaters, feeding therapy, childhood memories, family connection

🤔What if the behavior you’re seeing at mealtime isn’t the problem...
...it’s the clue?

One of my favorite moments from this conversation with Dr. Minkin
(@alisaminkin ) - talking about behavior at mealtimes.

Food refusal, leaving the table, gagging, crying, shutting down... those are the behaviors we notice first.

But underneath that “hat” may be anxiety, sensory processing differences, oral motor challenges, physiology, appetite challenges, medical concerns, or a combination of factors.

After helping more than 10,000 children over the past 25+ years in feeding therapy, I’ve learned that lasting progress begins when we stop asking, “How do I stop this behavior?” and start asking, “What’s making eating so hard for this child?” and “What is this child trying to tell me?” That’s the conversation every parent and feeding professional needs to hear.

💕 Comment POTOCK and I’ll send you:
• the direct link to this podcast episode
• a discount code for my popular course, ARFID, ASD & Anxiety

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock, ARFID, anxious eating, feeding therapy, pediatric feeding specialist, sensory processing, food refusal, pediatric anxiety, oral motor, picky eating, autism, responsive feeding

Toddlers are wired to say,
“I do it!”
Let’s use that.

Invite them into the kitchen.
Even tiny jobs help build confidence.
✔️ Washing produce
✔️ Stirring yogurt
✔️ Spreading cream cheese
✔️ Cutting bananas with a kid-safe knife

💦Messes can be cleaned.
♥️Confidence lasts much longer.

🎙️🔪Comment KNIFE if you’d like my favorite kid-friendly kitchen tools and kid-safe knives that frankly, I cannot do without! They are the best!

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock, toddler meals, picky eating, feeding therapy, cooking with kids, food exposure

After helping more than 10,000 children over the past 25+ years as a pediatric feeding therapist, one thing matters more to me than anything else:
Your trust.

❌💰That’s why you’ll never see me recommend a product simply because someone offered to pay me. In fact, I rarely participate in “affiliate” partnerships, although I get offered at least 10 per week.

♥️If I share something, it’s because I’ve used it in my own life, with families, or in feeding therapy, and I truly believe it helps make mealtimes easier, safer, or more enjoyable.

⭐️In fact, I turn down far more partnerships than I accept, and although I have specific rates for brand partnerships, if I don’t trust the product, then you won’t trust me, so the 💵 just is NOT worth it.

So when you see me working with a brand, you can be confident it earned its place here first. 👉🏻Your trust is NOT something I’m willing to trade.

💛 I’d love to hear your thoughts on the latest chatter on Reddit/Facebook about SLP and OT “grifters” (their terminology, not mine) – Do you think that’s a thing? Or do you understand why they sell so many products on their social media? Ready – GO! I truly want to know your thoughts in the comments…

🕵️‍♀️BTW, in full transparency…Here are a few of the brands that I have worked with over the past few years, and I am honored to have had brand partnerships with @onceuponafarm , @lovechildorganics , @drinkorgain , @gobekids , @nestleusa , @innobabyllc , @ellaolaofficial and @veza_innovations ♥️

Melanie🥰
Melanie Potock, feeding therapy, pediatric feeding therapist, picky eating, toddler nutrition, evidence-based parenting, trusted recommendations

If you’ve ever wondered where picky eating ends and ARFID begins, this podcast is for you.

@mymunchbug_melaniepotock joined pediatrician @alisaminkin to unpack why ARFID is so much more than “being picky,” why anxiety often plays a major role, and how autism can add another layer of complexity.

♥️Whether you’re a parent, therapist, physician, or educator, I hope this conversation helps you better understand the children who need our support the most. 💜

✨ Comment POTOCK and I’ll send you:

✔️ the direct link to the podcast
✔️ a discount code for my popular ARFID, Autism & Anxiety on-demand course

🥰Melanie
Melanie Potock, ARFID, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, pediatric feeding therapy, picky eating, autism, ASD, anxiety, feeding therapist, pediatrician, child feeding, feeding disorders

“Children grow at the table in more ways than one.”

Who said that? Anybody know? Because I want to shout it from the rooftops! Even the pickiest eaters do best when we focus on
💜 Conversation
💜 Patience
💜 Family traditions
💜 Confidence

⭐️Tip #1: Not every meal will be peaceful. That’s real life. But the goal isn’t a perfect dinner.

⭐️Tip #2: The goal is creating enough positive experiences that children want to come back to the table tomorrow.

⭐️Tip #3: Start early having regular family mealtimes – but no matter what, just start. Even 2 meals together per week – and add more when you can.

📚Comment BOOKS and I’ll send you links to peek inside my most recent books to give you more ideas!

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock, family meals, toddler dinner, picky eater, responsive feeding, feeding therapist

Communicating with family members on How to Feed Babies, Toddlers & Young Kids can be delicate! I have the solution for you.♥️

Comment HANDOUTS for free handouts in English and Spanish that include allergen introduction, choking prevention, and oh so much more!!! ⭐️ (please be sure you’re following me to get those free resources)⭐️

And drop your questions in the comments too♥️ I am here to help.

Melanie🥰

Melanie Potock, picky eating, feeding therapy, responsive feeding, toddler eating, sensory feeding, family meals

What if your child’s picky eating isn’t about being stubborn...but about something that’s making eating feel hard? ❤️

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned after helping more than 10,000 children over the past 25+ years is this:
Behavior is communication.

Instead of asking, “How do I get my child to eat?” try asking, “What’s making eating difficult?”

Here are 3 things to consider:
🥄 1. Look beyond the plate.
Is chewing difficult? Is your child overwhelmed by certain textures, smells, or temperatures? Is anxiety making new foods feel impossible? The “why” matters.
🧩 2. Remember that more than one factor can be involved.
Picky eating isn’t always sensory. It isn’t always oral motor. It isn’t always anxiety. Many children have a combination of factors, which is why every child deserves an individualized approach.
💕 3. Focus on understanding before changing behavior.
When we understand what’s making eating difficult, we can choose strategies that build confidence instead of increasing pressure. That’s where meaningful, lasting progress begins.

🎉 Comment “50%” and I’ll send you information about 50% off my most popular course, The Feeding Development Course - ♥️It’s the only feeding course taught by an interdisciplinary team that includes:
• 👩‍⚕️ A pediatrician
• 🥗 A Registered Dietitian
• 🧠 A psychologist specializing in pediatric anxiety
• 🗣️ And me, a speech-language pathologist & pediatric feeding therapist

Whether you’re a parent or a professional, you’ll learn how feeding development, sensory processing, oral motor skills, nutrition, and anxiety work together to help children become more confident eaters.

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock, picky eating, feeding therapy, responsive feeding, toddler eating, food refusal, feeding development, oral motor skills, sensory feeding, pediatric anxiety, family meals

♥️Parents often apologize when they meet me, because they are worried that their child’s picky eating is their fault.

It’s not. No need to apologize.
You love your child.
You’re doing your best with the information you have.
That’s all any of us can do.

✨Evidence changes.
✨Recommendations change.
✨Children change.

TIPS:
✨Feeding therapy is customized for your kid!
✨BOOKS are the next best thing to learn how to raise an adventurous eater.
✨Talk to your pediatrician on how to find help.

The good news?
Small changes at the table often lead to big changes over time.

💕 Progress doesn’t require perfection.
It requires consistency, patience, and a little hope.

🎙️Comment BOOKS if you’re ready for practical, evidence-based strategies you can start using today. Be sure you’re following @mymunchbug_melaniepotock to get the links!

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock picky eater help, feeding therapy, family meals, responsive feeding, toddler meals

Counting bites is one thing, but it’s NOT EVERYTHING when it comes to extreme picky eaters in feeding therapy.

Progress doesn’t always look like eating.
Sometimes it looks like:
💜 Sitting at the table longer.
💜 Touching a learning food.
💜 Laughing while playing with mashed potatoes.
💜 Taking one tiny taste after weeks of saying “No.”

These wins matter.

In fact, they’re often the reason bigger changes happen later.
The next time your child doesn’t eat much, ask yourself:
“Did they build confidence today?”

That answer may tell you much more than the number of bites they took.

I hope you’ll follow me @mymunchbug_melaniepotock for daily tips, I’d love for you to be a part of my community!

Melanie

Melanie Potock, feeding therapy, picky eating, toddler meals, responsive feeding, food confidence, pediatric feeding