Melanie Potock

You made soup for the family… and you already know your picky eater probably won’t touch it. 🍲
Before you give up, try these three feeding therapy tricks:
1️⃣ Always add fun tools.
A short straw and a tiny spoon instantly make soup more playful and approachable for kids.
2️⃣ Keep the serving underwhelming.
Serve just a little bit of soup in a small cup or tiny bowl.
✨Deconstruct a little too. Pull out AND pat (almost) dry a few noodles, veggies, or pieces of meat so your child can explore the ingredients separately.
⭐️Bonus tip: a tiny espresso cup of broth for sipping is often a big hit.
3️⃣ Freeze the leftovers.
Defrost and offer it again next week.
Because if a child is going to make friends with a new food, that food must keep showing up for play dates. 😊

❤️Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.

picky eater / picky eating / feeding therapy / pediatric feeding therapist / feeding therapist / picky eater tips / toddler eating / kids and food / kids refusing dinner / kids nutrition / raising adventurous eaters / family meals / parenting tips / mom life / dad life / feeding kids / toddler picky eating / kids refusing food / mealtime struggles / feeding therapy strategies

I grew up surrounded by four big brothers. Strong, supportive, protective… yet…

What I didn’t know then was how much my life and career would be shaped by extraordinary women.
💕Women who collaborated with me.
💕Women who mentored me.
💕Women who invited me to speak, learn, and grow.
💕Women who showed up in conference rooms, classrooms, clinics, and kitchens to help families and children thrive.

✨From co-writing Raising a Healthy Happy Eater and co-creating the Dr. Yum Food Adventure with Dr. Yum and an extraordinary team of women…
to learning alongside thousands of brilliant therapists, dietitians, and educators around the world… to being represented by an agency that focuses on influencers that are doing good❤️ and show up on social media with purpose, thus allowing me to align with brands that operate with integrity and truly care about kids…
I’m constantly reminded how powerful it is when women support other women.

And today, I get to watch my two daughters become strong, compassionate women in their own right. That might be the greatest gift of all.🫶🏼

✨Happy International Women’s Day✨ to the women who collaborate, mentor, teach, support, and lift others along the way.

Here’s to women who lift other women…you know who you are, and I’m so grateful for you.💕

🥰Melanie

✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.

International women’s day / SLP feeding / picky eaters / raising a healthy, happy eater / responsive feeding

5 foods toddlers (and kids) can choke on… unless you prepare them safely.
🤔But there is at least one I want you to skip till age four.

I always tell parents and professionals:
Choking is usually silent.🤐😳
You often won’t hear coughing or gagging. You’ll see distress, but there may be no sound at all.
That’s why preparation matters.

✨Prep these foods up till age 4…yep, age 4. (Some 3 year olds can bite into smaller pieces, but they have the attention span of a , well, a three-year-old, so…)
1. 🥜Whole nuts
Chop very finely. Not chunky pieces like you saw me doing in this video. Tiny pieces are safest.
2. 🍅Round fruits and vegetables
Foods like grapes, cherry tomatoes, and blueberries should be smashed or quartered so they’re no longer round.
3. 🌭Hot dogs
One of the #1 choking hazards for kids.
Cut into long skinny strips first, then finely chop for younger toddlers.
Around age three, thin strips may be appropriate depending on the child.
4. 🌽Corn chips
They break into sharp pieces that are difficult for toddlers to manage.
You could crush them into crumbs… but honestly, it’s easier to skip them until about age four. Oh and corn kernels! Check out my highlights on “corn” for safe prep for 🌽.
5. 🍿Popcorn
Save popcorn for age four and older.
And the first time? Not in a dark movie theater.
😳Remember: choking is silent.
You need to see your child when they are eating.

✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
❤️Melanie

Melanie Potock picky eater help, toddler choking hazards, baby led feeding safety, toddler food safety tips, feeding therapy tips, safe foods for toddlers, pediatric feeding therapist, toddler mealtime safety

“A treat for myself… you don’t have to earn it.”🎶 That lyric stopped me in my tracks.

Because when it comes to kids and food, I’m a tiny bit rebellious too.

I’m rebelling against the idea that dessert has to be earned.

When dessert is always the reward at the end of the meal, it becomes the most powerful food on the plate. Kids focus on getting to it, negotiating for it, or refusing dinner so they can hold out for sweets later.

Instead, sometimes I normalize dessert right alongside the meal.🍪

Not every day.
🥦Just like I don’t serve broccoli every day. But occasionally placing a small sweet on the plate helps take dessert off the pedestal and teaches kids that all foods can fit.

A few examples from this video:
• 2 mini shortbread cookies (about 1 gram sugar total)
• 2 low-sugar animal cookies (less than 1 gram sugar each) @lovechildorganics are a fave!
• 1 miniature peanut butter cup (about 5 grams sugar)

✔️Small portions.
✔️No drama.
❤️Just food.

When sweets lose their “special status,” many kids become less obsessed with them and more willing to eat the rest of the meal too.
That’s not rebellion.
That’s feeding kids with balance.

✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock / picky eater help, normalize dessert, feeding therapy tips, responsive feeding, toddler mealtime strategies, healthy relationship with food, pediatric feeding therapist, raising adventurous eaters

Kid’s nutrition boost…but make it fun. 🌈These colorful “sprinkles” are just hemp seeds shaken with a tiny drop of food coloring in a small bag. Once they dry, kids can sprinkle them on almost anything.

🤔Why hemp seeds? They are tiny, mild in flavor, and packed with nutrients like protein, healthy fats, and minerals. That makes them a simple way to add a little nutrition boost to foods kids already enjoy.

Try sprinkling them on:
• yogurt
• toast with nut butter
• oatmeal
• smoothies
• pancakes or waffles
• even veggies!🥦

❤️Sometimes a small change in presentation turns nutrition into play. And when kids get to sprinkle their own “magic dust,” they are more likely to explore new foods.

PRO TIP: Kids who are allergic to sesame probably should not have hemp seeds due to cross reactions. Rare, but check with your allergist first.

✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock picky eater help, food exploration for kids, feeding therapy tips, toddler nutrition ideas, healthy toppings for kids, pediatric feeding therapist, sensory food play, raising adventurous eaters

Picky eater? This tiny bottle might change your lunch game!

☺️Squeeze bottles aren’t just cute - they give your kid control (and less mess) when they’re just starting to try dips. Think ranch, or a high-protein option like hummus, or gosh - even applesauce! Start small and keep it fun - Remember, let them take the lead with a little squeeze!

💬Comment BOX for a link to over 30 creative lunchbox items, like these little bottles made just for dips! #amazonaffiliate

💕because sometimes , it’s not the dip - it’s the delivery.🙌🏼

Feel free to repost using the ✨repost icon!✨

🥰Melanie

Melanie Potock / lunchboxes for kids / feeding therapy / anxious eaters / SLP feeding

Cooking with kids does NOT have to be complicated.🧑🏻‍🍳❤️

…AND research shows that when kids help prepare food, they are more likely to:
😋Taste new foods
🥦Eat more vegetables
⭐️Show less picky eating
👌🏼Build fine motor skills
👋🏼Strengthen sensory tolerance to smells and textures
🤓Develop language and sequencing skills
🧮Practice early math through measuring and counting
💪🏼Grow confidence and independence
❤️Build a healthier long-term relationship with food

❓Want simple ways to help your picky eater at home, or if you’re a feeding therapist, in your therapy sessions?

💬Comment #help below — and don’t forget the # — and I’ll send you free resources and more to get started.

Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.

🥰Melanie

picky eater help, how to get my child to eat vegetables, toddler cooking ideas, kids in the kitchen, simple family meals, food play at home, pediatric feeding therapy, feeding intervention strategies, food chaining techniques, sensory based feeding, pediatric feeding disorder, ARFID support