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.
😳 SHOCKING THINGS I DID AS A MOM BEFORE I BECAME A FEEDING SPECIALIST…
And I’d do every single one again. 😂
Before I became an SLP & pediatric feeding therapist, I was a mom raising
two little girls. And apparently, on occasion…I broke a few “rules.” 🤷🏼♀️
1️⃣ Let my 2 year-old make dinner.
If she didn’t want what was served, she could make herself @cheerios & milk.
No, I didn’t make it for her. Yes, milk dripped ALL the way to the table. 😂
2️⃣ Let them wear Little Mermaid bathing suits to bed.
They loved them. Why not? 🧜♀️
3️⃣ Served toaster pancakes for dinner.
With plenty of syrup. 🥞
4️⃣ Ate dinner in front of the TV.
Sometimes they saved their TV time for family movie night, so we ate
together watching...you guessed it...The Little Mermaid.
5️⃣ Gave them an after-school snack in the car. Enough to take the edge off, but not fill them up. Hungry kids don’t always need to “wait for dinner.”
6️⃣ Let my daughter wear her great-grandmother’s old fashioned hats to
preschool. Complete with a brooch on the brim! 😬 She never met her, but adored those hats. ❤️
7️⃣ Taught them to use napkins early.
Yes, kids need opportunities to get messy. But manners matter too. There’s
a time & place for both.
8️⃣ Had picnics at bedtime.
After piano, T-ball & a long drive home, sometimes I set up a little picnic
while we read bedtime stories.
Did they brush their teeth afterward? Most of the time. 😉
After raising two daughters AND spending 25+ years as a pediatric feeding therapist, here’s what I know:
❤️ Feeding children doesn’t have to be perfect. Neither does parenting.
Sometimes dinner is balanced around the family table.
Sometimes it’s toaster pancakes, in front of Little Mermaid.
And sometimes those imperfect little moments become the memories you
treasure most.
👇 What parenting “rule” do YOU happily break on occasion?
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock, explore page, pediatric feeding therapist, feeding kids,
responsive feeding, picky eating, family meals, parenting, toddler feeding
⭐️ONLY 5 BOOKINGS LEFT FOR 2027!
If you’ve been thinking about bringing me to your hospital, pediatric clinic, feeding program, or professional conference, this is your sign. 💜
My calendar is almost full.
🎤Join me for engaging, evidence-informed trainings on pediatric feeding, PFD, ARFID, anxious eaters & practical feeding strategies that clinicians can put into practice right away.
🎤 Hospitals
🎤 Pediatric therapy clinics
🎤 Feeding teams
🎤 Professional conferences
❤️Want to bring me to your team or event in 2027? Just DM me, and we can brainstorm how to make it happen!
Melanie 🥰
Melanie Potock, pediatric feeding specialist, feeding therapy training, ARFID training, pediatric feeding disorder, PFD, SLP continuing education, feeding conference, professional speaker
🎧 If you buy ONE thing for your baby or toddler during Amazon Big Deal Day, consider this.👇🏻
Noise-reducing headphones.
And they’re not just about protecting little ears.
👂 The American Academy of Pediatrics reminds us that children’s smaller ear canals can intensify higher-frequency sounds, and both the volume AND duration of noise exposure matter.
🧠 Research also suggests that chronic environmental noise can affect children’s learning, attention, sleep & development.¹ ²
Think:
🎶 Concerts & sporting events
✈️ Airports & airplanes
🎆 Fireworks
🎄 Loud holiday events & crowded spaces
You don’t need to use them all the time. But when the environment gets LOUD, having a pair tucked in the diaper bag can be incredibly helpful.
🔥 And they’re just ONE of the 100+ baby & kid products I picked for Amazon Big Deal Day, including my favorites for baby & child development, feeding, play & PURE FUN!
👇 Comment LINKS & I’ll send you the entire list before the deals end!
Melanie ❤️
SOURCES:
¹ American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org, Sounds the Alarm on Excessive Noise and Risks to Children
² Cornell University, research on environmental noise & child development
Melanie Potock, baby headphones, toddler headphones, noise reducing headphones, child development, baby development, toddler development, Amazon Big Deal Day, baby products, toddler products, kids products
Some days, you have the capacity to work on picky eating.
And some days?
You have NOTHING left. 😵💫
On THOSE days, I want you to hear this from a pediatric feeding therapist:
❤️ You are allowed to make feeding your child easier.
That might mean:
🥣 Serving the easiest meal you know they’ll eat.
🍕 Ordering pizza.
🥪 Making the same sandwich…again.
🍓 Putting a few familiar preferred foods on a plate and calling it dinner.
🧊 Using paper plates because even the dishes feel like too much.
You do NOT have to work on food exploration at every meal.
You don’t have to introduce a learning food tonight.
You don’t have to make the beautifully balanced dinner you had planned.
And you certainly don’t have to turn dinner into a lesson because you’re
worried you’re “giving in.”
🩷One easy meal does not undo the work you’re doing.
Feeding kids is a long game. And sometimes protecting your own capacity
helps protect the connection at the table, too.
🙈So if your capacity is at ZERO tonight?
❤️Feed them. Feed yourself. Make it easy. Tomorrow is another day.
🤔What’s your ZERO-capacity dinner? No judgment here. Mine is peanut
butter and jelly. 🥪
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock, picky eater, picky eating, feeding kids, feeding therapy,
responsive feeding, mealtime stress, parent burnout, family meals
DON’T SCROLL AMAZON. I ALREADY DID IT FOR YOU. 🙌🏼
🥰Amazon Big Deal Days are here, and instead of spending hours wondering
what’s actually worth buying, start with my list.
I’ve rounded up 100+ items for babies, toddlers & littles that I’ve
personally used, loved & recommended over the years. ❤️ And an absolute
must, and the BEST baby gift? Headphones to protect their hearing and their brain.
👉🏻PLUS - Feeding tools, cups, plates, toys, toddler gear & more, all in ONE
place.
👇🏼 Comment LINKS and I’ll send you the entire list!
✈️Send this one to a friend – the holidays are coming up and the deals today are incredible!
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock, Amazon Big Deal Days, baby essentials, toddler essentials,
feeding tools, toddler feeding, baby feeding, picky eating, feeding
therapist, toddler products
ARFID MASTERCLASS COLORADO & Texas! Early Bird Pricing ends this Saturday for Colorado, and only a handful of seats left in Texas…do please don’t wait to comment TEXAS or COLORADO to learn more 🩷
DM me with questions!
🥰Melanie
avoidant restrictive food intake disorder / Melanie Potock / pediatric feeding disorder / SLP / OT / RDN / ASHA CEUs
Helping kids with ARFID requires very specific knowledge about how anxiety influences a child’s willingness to try something new.
Learning how to support the parents is a big part of this training.
seats truly are selling fast… Austin Texas is almost sold out, and the early bird pricing for Colorado is going to end in less than a week!
🥪 If they didn’t touch the food in their school lunchbox, try this.
Before you assume they didn’t like what you packed, think about what lunchtime actually looks like at school.
⏰ Kids may have a surprisingly short amount of time to:
Walk to the cafeteria.
Find their lunch.
Open everything.
Eat.
Talk to their friends.
Clean up.
And get back to class.
And here’s the important part...
❤️ Your goal may be to make sure they eat enough to fuel their afternoon.
❤️ Their goal may be to finally get a break and talk to their friends.
Both are good goals!
So instead of only asking, “What should I pack?” I want you to also ask:
“How can I make this lunch easier and faster to eat?”
Here are a few strategies I recommend as a pediatric feeding specialist & mom:
👉🏼 Pack “grab & gab” foods. (This is the strategy have been using for over 20 years and I promise you it makes a difference!)
Cut foods into easy-to-grab pieces they can pop into their mouth while they’re chatting with friends. Think less cutting, peeling, assembling & fussing. I have observed a lot of kids in the cafeteria…and you’d be shocked, how many of them hold an entire sandwich in their hand, turn and talk to the kid next to them, and completely forgot to take a bite!🙈
👉🏼 Choose an easy-open lunchbox.
A Bento-style box can eliminate the time spent opening multiple bags and containers or waiting for an adult to help.
👉🏼 Practice with the actual lunchbox at home.
Have a “lunchbox dinner” occasionally so your child knows exactly how everything opens and where everything is.
👉🏼 Think about the cafeteria routine.
Some schools transport all the lunchboxes together, which means kids have to find theirs before they can even start eating. A bright ribbon or other easy-to-spot identifier can save precious time.
✨ Sometimes the answer isn’t packing a different lunch.
It’s making the lunch you already packed easier to eat in the time they actually have.
🥪 Want to know which lunchboxes, water bottles & lunch accessories I’ve tried, tested & truly love?
👇🏼 Comment BOX and I’ll send you the link to my favorites. (Affilia
⚠️An empty lunchbox coming back from school- that is NOT the goal.
I know. When your kids’ lunchbox comes home empty, it feels like a WIN. 🙌🏼
And when it comes home half-full, it’s easy to think:
🙈They barely ate! What happened?!
But here’s what I want parents to remember…
🍎 School lunch isn’t just about eating.
Kids need enough nourishment to fuel their brains & bodies through the afternoon.
But lunchtime is ALSO a chance to:
💬 Talk with friends
😌 Take a break from the demands of the classroom
❤️ Connect socially
🧠 Reset before heading back to learning
And school lunches can be SHORT.
👉🏼 FOCUS ON - Foods that are cut up, easy to pick up, easy to chew & easy to eat while your child is busy chatting with friends.
Think fewer foods that require lots of opening, assembling, peeling, cutting or managing…and more foods they can simply grab, eat & gab.
Because the goal isn’t:
❌ “Did you eat EVERYTHING I packed?”
It’s:
❤️ “Did you get enough nourishment to fuel your afternoon AND have time to enjoy lunch with your friends?”
SAVE this before you pack tomorrow’s lunch & SEND it to a parent who stresses when that lunchbox comes home with food still in it.
👇🏼 More tips on how to accomplish both next - stay tuned!
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock, kids lunch, school lunch, picky eater, picky eating, lunchbox ideas, feeding kids, pediatric feeding therapist, school lunch ideas, responsive feeding, kids nutrition
If your kid is STARVING while you’re trying to get dinner on the table…this little trick can be a lifesaver. 🙌🏼
I call it a NIBBLE TRAY.
🧊 Grab an ice cube tray and fill it with tiny morsels your child can nibble while dinner is cooking.
🤫The secret? Make several ahead of time. Choose foods that will stay fresh for 3–4 days, stack the trays in the refrigerator so they help seal each other, then cover the top tray with plastic wrap or foil.
Now, when the “I’M HUNGRY!” hits at 5 PM, you’re ready. But I have a few NIBBLE TRAY RULES:
👉🏼 Parents fill the tray.
This isn’t an open-ended snack buffet. You decide what goes in it.
👉🏼 No seconds.
The goal is to take the edge off hunger, not fill little bellies right before dinner.
👉🏼 Leave about HALF the compartments empty.
As dinner starts coming together, add a few tiny tastes of what you’re preparing.
🫑Maybe it’s ONE little piece of raw bell pepper that you’re slicing for the salad.
🩷A tiny morsel of grilled chicken.
🥔A bite of roasted potato.
And here’s why I especially love this for picky eaters:
❤️ They don’t have to eat those dinner foods.
They simply get a chance to see them and smell them BEFORE they arrive at the dinner table. That tiny preview can make the food feel a little more familiar and the experience at dinner a little less overwhelming.
And because YOU choose what goes in the tray, you can include a combination of familiar foods + little previews of what’s coming.
It’s not about sneaking in nutrition.
It’s about helping your child arrive at dinner hungry, but not HANGRY…and giving unfamiliar foods a gentle introduction along the way.
🥰 📖This is one of the practical strategies from Raising a Healthy Happy Eater, the book I wrote with pediatrician Dr. Nimali Fernando, aka Dr. Yum.
👇🏼 Would a Nibble Tray save that pre-dinner hour at your house? Tell me what you’d put in yours!
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock, picky eater, picky eating, kids snacks, dinner ideas for kids, family meals, responsive feeding, feeding kids, toddler meals, toddler snacks, hungry not hangry, Raising a Healthy Happy Eater
ARFID MASTERCLASS IN COLORADO!
This ain’t Texas, but I’m teaching on Austin soon too!
Comment COLORADO and I’ll send you the information for both events!
🥰Melanie
Melanie Potock avoidant restrictive food intake disorder / ARFID SLP OT feeding therapy
I’m used to getting questions about picky eating, ARFID, starting solids & feeding kids. But every once in a while, you ask about the random things you spot in the background of my videos.
So… here are the answers to some of your most-asked random questions:
✨ 1. Why is there a BED in your living room?
Yes, there really is! 😂 It’s an antique child’s bed that was once in my daughters’ rooms when they were toddlers. Now I curl up there and read with my grandbaby. ❤️
✨ 2. Why is your kitchen island so tall?
When we built our house, I had the center island made 3 inches taller. I’m REALLY tall, and that extra height makes food prep so much easier on my back!
✨ 3. Is that gorgeous view your backyard?
Sort of! That’s the view from the golf course, just a short walk from my house. 🥰
✨ 4. Do you ever get nervous speaking in front of people?
Honestly? Never. Not once. 😂💕 I really like talking to people.
✨ 5. Where did you get that antique copper pot?
I found it for $10! Definitely one of my luckiest finds.
✨ 6. What’s the story behind the blue cabinet?
This one gets me every time. ❤️
Years ago, a very elderly couple was selling everything before moving into a retirement home. They sat together, holding hands, watching their belongings being sold.
I asked the husband about that little blue cabinet.
He told me he had made it by hand for his wife when they were first married. She used it to store jars of jelly she canned herself.
They were so clearly still in love. ❤️
I bought it on the spot and promised them I would take very good care of it.
Today it holds my collection of French faience pottery, but what I really treasure is the story behind it.
When something is made with love… well, that’s what I love most. ❤️
✨ 7. And that last question?
Animatronic. Definitely animatronic. 😉😂
Okay, your turn. What ELSE have you spotted in the background of my videos that you’ve wondered about? 👀 Drop your random question below!
Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock / pediatric feeding therapist / picky eating / ARFID / feeding therapy / starting solids / anxious eaters / SLP feeding / behind the scenes
Your family meal doesn’t have to look perfect to matter. 🤍
It doesn’t need matching plates, a home-cooked dinner, or everyone happily eating the same food (although we love that too)!
Because the real value of family meals isn’t what’s on the table.
✨ It’s being together.
❤️A snack on the porch, together.
❤️Breakfast at the counter, together.
❤️Takeout after a long day, together.
❤️Pizza before soccer practice, together.
🤍 Connection matters more than perfection.
Family meals give children repeated opportunities to watch others eat,
participate in conversation, experience different foods without pressure,
and simply feel like they belong at the table.
And for families navigating picky eating or feeding challenges, that last
part is especially important.
Your child doesn’t have to eat everything you serve for a family meal to be
valuable.
Sometimes the win is simply showing up together.❤️
💬 What’s one family meal tradition your kids love? Big or small, share it
below. You might inspire another family!
Melanie 🥰
Melanie Potock, family meals, family mealtime, responsive feeding, picky
eating, feeding development, feeding therapy, mealtime connection, kids and
food, positive mealtimes
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.
