Picky Eater Help

Expert Feeding Help
for Professionals and Parents

Melanie Potockā€™s keynotes, courses, books & articles focus on raising kids to be healthy, happy eaters. From babies to toddlers to teens, ā€œCoach Melā€ is here to help.

Raising a Healthy Happy Eater Isnā€™t Always Easy

Get Expert Advice on Feeding Babies, Toddlers & School Age Kids,

Including Extreme Picky Eaters

Upcoming Events & Courses

On-Demand Courses

Visit the Course Library

Live In-Person Events

Raleigh, NC on April 6, 2024
Canada on April 12-13, 2024
Atlanta, GA on April 27, 2024
Anderson, SC on April 29, 2024

Live On-Line Courses

No Upcoming Classes

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 thatā€™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.Ā  Parents report that toddlers are the most challenging to feed, thanks to active little bodies and fleeting attention spans.Ā  Learn how to lay positive foundations for eating at 6 months of age, navigate the ā€œterrific twosā€ and avoid picky eating in the preschool years!Ā  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 itā€™s especially important from preschool and into the elementary school years.Ā  Whatā€™s the number one food group that parents struggle with the most?Ā  Vegetables!Ā  The secret to helping kids love any kind of food is to follow Melanieā€™s Three Eā€™s: Expose, Explore, Expand.Ā  Youā€™ll learn how to use the Three Eā€™s and create veggie-love in Melanieā€™s book, Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables with 100 Easy Activities and Recipes.Ā  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 childrenā€™s book!Ā  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.Ā  Donā€™t miss the parent tips in the back of the book!Ā  Learn about all of Melā€™s books here.


šŸ˜³ARFID, sometimes thought of as extreme picky eating, means your kid is walking around with a very full bucket of anxiety, especially food anxiety. 

šŸ‘‹šŸ¼Hi, Iā€™m Melanie, a pediatric feeding specialist who helps kids with ARFID find joy in food! I also train other therapistsā€¦donā€™t miss the incredible discount on my Atlanta course at the end of this post.

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼One subtype of ARFID is often related to food trauma, including a choking incident or a severe allergic reaction. Itā€™s not always the case, but in can beā€¦

šŸ¤”I recently learned about @foodallergycounselor where parents and kids can access mental health professionals specifically trained in food allergy anxiety. #goodtoknow 

šŸ¤And if youā€™ d like to learn from me about how to help kids with ARFID in feeding therapy, (parents welcome too!) please join me in Atlanta on April 27th for a morning Masterclass titled ARFID: The Anxious Eater. VERY SPECIAL pricing for the next few days of just $125 (typically $225-$250) and limited seating. Go to mymunchbug.com/melanie-potock-live-events/ or DM me for the direct link.

ā“Tell me in the comments ā€“ what questions do you have about ARFID?

ā¤ļøMelanie
#melaniepotock #extremepickyeating #arfidawareness #slpfeeding


āš ļøHereā€™s why I donā€™t offer longer teethers to babies till after about 4 months of ageā€¦please read to the endā€¦

šŸ‘‹šŸ¼Hi, Iā€™m Melanie, a speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding development in children. Iā€™m here to help you start your baby on solids and solve picky eating problems too!

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼The right teether at the right age is important for helping baby develop oral skills for feeding and speech. 

šŸ‘‹šŸ¼šŸ‘‹šŸ¼Babies begin to bring their hands to their mouth and suck on their fists at about 3 months of age and also try to grasp objects intentionally (not reflexively). That means they try to do it on purpose, but there little hands arenā€™t that coordinated and thatā€™s whyā€¦

āŒYou donā€™t want to use teethers right away that have a long projection, even if itā€™s silicone. Babies this age need round teethers or ones with short nubs they can gnaw on. Itā€™s so easy for them to poke their delicate eyes until they have better control of their hands. It takes time to develop this coordinated hand to mouth movement! 

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼At about 4 1/2 to 5 months, longer silicone extensions on a teether are great, because baby can control it in their mouth, getting it a bit farther back without accidently shoving it too farā€¦thatā€™ so uncomfortable!

ā¤ļøOnce they can control a longer teether, a little texture on the silicone projection will help their tongue move to the left and right, an important skill for starting solids at 6 months of age!

šŸ›ļøYouā€™ll find my best teethers for each age on my Amazon Shop: Amazon.com/shop/mymunchbug with notes on which are best for each age. 

ā¤ļøDM me if you have questions!
šŸ„°Melanie
#melaniepotock #feedingtherapist #startingsolids #slpfeeding


šŸ˜¤Are you frustrated with your picky eater? I know whatā€™s that likeā€¦I had one very adventurous little eater until I didnā€™t.

šŸ¤Great at starting solids, superb oral motor skills, loved to cook with meā€¦and then UGH. The Terrific Twos (isnā€™tā€™ that what itā€™s called?) and she got pickier and pickier.

šŸŖœAnd shortly after that, I changed careers to become a pediatric speech pathologist and eventually specialized in feeding development. Little by little, I got a whole new bachelor's degree plus a graduate degreeā€¦and did that all important post graduate training, and so much more.

šŸ‘‹šŸ¼Hi, Iā€™m Melanie, and youā€™re on my page because you want to raise an adventurous little eater, from the moment you start solids and throughout the school years. I am here to help! Thanks for following meā€¦and speaking of, here are 7 facts about me ā€“ thanks for saying hi in the comments! 

šŸ7 years in a pediatric hospital outpatient setting, including working in the NICU & on the Autism Team

šŸŽ“Over a hundred hours in post-graduate continuing education courses (Phew! My brain hurts sometimes)

šŸ“šAuthor of 6 books, including the award-winning Raising a Healthy Happy Eater, co-authored by Dr. Yum of @doctoryumproject 

šŸŽ¤Keynotes & full-day lectures in 4 different countries over the past 20+ years.

ā¤ļøMadly in love with my first grandbaby who is ALMOST ready to start solids! 

šŸ“Past equestrian, hoping to get back in to riding soonā€¦

šŸšŸŽšŸFavorite foods: As long as it isnā€™t moving on the plate, I love it.

šŸ„°Thanks for following me!
Mel
#melaniepotock #feedingtherapist #onceuponafarm


āœØLearn my easy hack for visualizing correct portion sizes per ageā€¦you can use this trick when feeding babies to big kids! (Up to age 7)šŸ„°

šŸ„°Remember, this is a starting portion and with several foods on the plate thereā€™s more volume overall - and of course they can have more if they want more, if itā€™s readily available. This is just where we start so that kids pay attention to their own hunger and satiety cues and so we donā€™t waste food.ā™„ļø

āœØLearn more tips for feeding kids by taking an on-demand course on my video course library!
šŸ‘‰šŸ¼mymunchbug.com/course-library/

šŸ˜³Were you surprised by this strategy? Donā€™t miss the graphic at the end of this reel!
ā¤ļøMelanie
#melaniepotock #ashaigers #responsivefeedingtherapy


šŸ’”Do you know a child whoā€™s been diagnosed with ā€œfailure to thrive?ā€ As a parent, that medical terminology can be heart breaking, especially when feeding our babies is already a struggle and we are trying so hard to help them grow...

šŸ’• So, letā€™s reframe our thinking. Failure to thrive doesnā€™t need to become part of a familyā€™s vocabulary.

šŸ„Letā€™s leave it in the medical chart and instead, use ā€œtrying to growā€ā€¦šŸ’—

šŸ¤”What do you think? Shall we change the mindset and just leave the other term for the insurance folks? I like this ideaā€¦
ā¤ļøMelanie
#melaniepotock #preemie #failuretothrive #pediatricfeeding #ashaigers


šŸ½ļøFor parents of picky eaters, putting new foods on their plate feels like a waste and itā€™s hard to grasp the importance of frequent exposures for a variety of reasons:

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼1.	Food is expensive!
šŸ‘‰šŸ¼2.	They think arenā€™t going to eat it and more likelyā€¦
šŸ‘‰šŸ¼3.	They are going to raise a ruckus over it!

šŸ©¶But, itā€™s the first thing I often address when helping families turn picky eating around. 

šŸ‘‹šŸ¼Hi, Iā€™m Melanie, author of 6 books on the topic of feeding kids, especially how to raise adventurous eaters from the very first bite of solid foods! Thanks for following me and adding me to your favorites so you get daily tips!

ā¤ļøšŸ’ŖšŸ¼ā¤ļøTo help, I need to know what the child CAN do. Can they tolerate the foods in a serving dish on the table? Can they tolerate it on a small plate next to theirs? Can they tolerate new foods as long they donā€™t touch the preferred foods? So many questions! Each child is unique. Iā€™m never going to make them do anything, but I am going to build confidence so they can tolerate things that they hadnā€™t in the past, when they are ready to take that step.

šŸ„°Typically, I start with food play away from mealtimes to determine how easy it is for kiddos to interact with new foods. My book, Adventures in Veggieland, emphasizes my philosophy of the Three Eā€™s ā€“ Expose, Explore and Expand to Veggie Love. 

šŸ’• Exposures are everything. Start with the tiniest amount so we donā€™t overwhelm them. A teaspoon of a new food is enough, and then, we arenā€™t wasting food because itā€™s being used for a purpose. 

šŸ‘ŒšŸ¼Itā€™s ok to put that little sample back in the fridge to revisit the plate tomorrow too. 

šŸ§ŠKeep small samples of leftovers that can be frozen in an ice cube tray. Just pop out a cube and defrost while making dinner. 

šŸ˜‰Remember, eating comes much laterā€¦it starts with making friends with foods that keep showing up at mealtimes. Repeated exposures ā€“ thatā€™s the key.

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼Got questions, drop them in the comments!
ā¤ļøMelanie
#melaniepotock #fussyeaters #ARFID #pediatricfeedingdisorders #ashaigers


šŸ’¦Need your toddler to drink more water? Try my cup fairy strategy!

šŸ§šā€ā™€ļøAny fun and unique cups will do, just be sure the cup fairy brings a new one each morningā€¦buy 2 or 3 new cups and rotate through them for about a week till water becomes a habit with ANY kind of cup.

šŸ§šā€ā™€ļøGet creative, use stickers or fun straws! But the containers in the video are my favorite tool for this strategy! I got mine at @walmart šŸ’—

šŸ¤šŸ’¦šŸ¤Water Motivation Facts for you!

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼šŸ’¦Water helps with constipation & several research studies indicate that school age kids learn better when hydrated. True for adults too! 

šŸ‘¶šŸ¼Babies under age 6 months should not have water (unless mixed appropriately into formula) and after that can start with small sips. 

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼šŸ’¦According to the AAP*, (balanced with other fluids, like breastmilk and other types of milk), babies 6 to 12 months can slowly ease into having a total of 1 cup per day and from 12 to 24 months they need up to 4 cups per day and from 2 to 5 years they can have up to 5 cups per day. 

šŸ§šā€ā™€ļøšŸ’¦Let me know if you try this!
ā¤ļøMelanie

*Source: HealthyChildren.org 
#melaniepotock #originalidea #drinkwater


šŸ¤Older toddlers who are having trouble chewing sufficiently need smaller pieces to practice that first CHOMP. 

šŸ’ŸCutting soft foods into pea-sized cubes gives the piece EDGES that are easier to feel and hold between their back teeth. Aim for the last tooth, whichever one they have, in the corner of their smile.

šŸ¤You can model this technique for kids as young as 9 months if their imitation skills are good and their pincer grasp is developing well enough to hold a cube. 

šŸ‘£When we want to teach a child a new skill, we break it down into the smallest steps. The first step to chewing well is that first chew! And a pea sized amount allows the child to chomp down with teeth, rather than just using their tongue to squish and swallow. 

šŸ’ŸPlacing the cube on the side of the mouth, rather than directly in the front, will stimulate the chew and then the tongue will move toward the little smushed cube to grab it, center it on the tongue and swallow.

āœ‹šŸ¼Once this skill is established with several new foods, you can begin to offer handheld, larger pieces for toddlers to bite on the SIDE of their mouth. Model the chewing a bit more so they know to chew, chew, chew before swallowing.

šŸ“ŒšŸ„°Did you find this helpful? Help my Instagram grow by tagging a friend and inviting them to follow me @mymunchbug_melaniepotock šŸ„° I appreciate your help, thank you! Melanie

#melaniepotock #feedingkids #slpfeeding #responsivefeeding


šŸ˜³Itā€™s dangerous to have blankets of any size in babyā€™s sleep or resting space, especially near their nose and mouth. PLUS, ideally we want to wean baby from the pacifier during the daytime at age 6 months. So, the lovey attached to the paci  makes no sense from a practical standpoint. 

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼If your child is one year year-old or older and his age appropriate motor skills - this is a temporary strategy to help with weaning.

šŸ¤”Wondering how to wean a baby, toddler or older kiddo from the pacifier? Use code mymunchbug10 on my video course that walks you through the entire process. You can do itā€¦ It just takes the right guidance to wean and Iā€™m here to help! Click the link in my bio for all my video courses, from pacifier weaning to bottle weaning to picky eating & more or copy mymunchbug.com/course-library/ or just DM!

šŸ¤ Thanks for taking the time to read this and keep our babies safe! 
šŸ„°Melanie

#melaniepotock #pacifier #babysafety #safesleep


šŸ§¹Kids as young as three can do chores, but I prefer to call them ā€œresponsibilitiesā€ ā€“ daily jobs that we can all do as ā€œhelpersā€ in our family. We are a team!

šŸ¤#affiliatelink below: Thank you @lovevery for the gifted Play Kits! 

ā¤ļøIntroduce these skills even as early as two, but research indicates that daily responsibilities are important for ages three and up to raise empathetic, confident kids. Here are 3 reasons to teach your Littles about ā€œresponsibilitiesā€

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼1.	Being a ā€œhelperā€ may create better self-esteem and a sense of identity in the family. When kids see themselves as ā€œhelpersā€ with responsibilities within the family, they are motivated to participate. 

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼2.	Cleaning with water and squirt bottles, squirt mops and other fun kid-sized cleaning tools builds fine and gross motor skills PLUS boosts along those all-important language and cognitive skills like sequencing, memory and vocabulary. 

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼3.	Last but not least, remember: Play is a childā€™s work. Littles LOVE to clean. Why not start with a responsibility that they already LOVE and build from there? Offer child-size tools for kids to explore their world through daily activities like mopping, scrubbing, and my favorite ā€“ squee-geeing! (Is that a word? Well, it is now.) The tools in this video are by @lovevery and included in two of their Play Kits. Click the link in my bio to see Lovevery info!šŸ„° Or DM ME for the link.ā¤ļø

šŸ’¦Squeeze & Spray Mop from The Storyteller Play Kit 

šŸ’¦Squirt bottle & Squeegee from The Enthusiast Play Kit 

šŸ‘‰šŸ¼Tell me: Do your kids do chores? 
šŸ™‚Melanie 

#melaniepotock #Lovevery, #LoveveryGift

Research: Bryon et al ā€œHelpingā€ Versus ā€œBeing a Helperā€: Invoking the Self to Increase Helping in Young Children. Child Development, 2014


Melanie Potock

Pediatric Feeding Expert and Author

Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP is a mom who once had a picky eater.Ā  Sheā€™s experienced first-hand the stress that parents feel when they are worried about their childā€™s nutritional health.Ā  Fast forward to today, and youā€™ll find Melanie blending her knowledge of feeding therapy with practical parenting strategies that help the entire family eat healthier.Ā  Sheā€™s an international speaker and author of six books, including co-authoring the award-winning Raising a Healthy Happy Eater.Ā  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, ā€œCoach Melā€ is here to guide you.

Melanie's Advice Shared In...

  • Washington Post
  • PBS Kids
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Autism Parenting Magazine
  • CNN
  • ASHA Blog
  • ASHA Leader
  • Parents.com
  • The Bump
  • New York Times
  • WebMD
  • Parents
  • Romper
  • Fit Pregnancy
  • Georgia Chapter AAP
  • Fatherly
  • Care.com
  • Dr. Greene
  • Yahoo Parenting

Courses for Parents & Professionals

Melanie offers both on-demand courses and live-streaming Masterclasses.Ā  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?Ā  As a parent, SLP or OT, what do you need to know about child nutrition?Ā  What about the anxious eater ā€“ Could this be more than just picky eating?Ā  Melanieā€™s on-demand course subscriptions provide the answers!

Want more in-depth instruction in a small group, virtual setting?Ā  Register for one of Melanieā€™s Masterclass!

Explore course options here.

Booking Signing

Parenting Advice

Melanieā€™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 Melanieā€™s advice to be practical and possible, even in the most challenging cases.Ā  Thatā€™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 Associationā€™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 ā€œprovide practical solutionsā€ for parents, caregivers and therapists and your company needs a ā€œhighly knowledgeable, organized presenterā€ with ā€œenergy and enthusiasmā€ who can deliver a ā€œdynamic courseā€, then your best choice is Melanie Potock. Contact Melanie here.

Product Consulting

Need expert input on your new parenting product?Ā  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?Ā  Feeding is developmental, just like learning to crawl, walk, run. At least 1 in 4 typically developing children have trouble learning to eat! Ā Raising a healthy, happy eater requires the right tools and the right advice. Ā Melanie provides company education and collaboration via webinars, social media and creating educational videos for your audience.

Contact Melanie here.

Blog

feeding advice for parents and professionals

+
Parenting a Picky Eater,

50 Easy Ways to Get Your Kid to Eat New Foods

ByĀ Salma Abdelnour Gilman It may seem like an impossible dream right now, but your kid has the potential to love all kinds...Read More
+
Sensory Concerns,

A Special Needs Guide for Learning to Eat with Your SEVEN Senses ā€“ Part One

  Most of us think of five senses and the human body: Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. But, when it comes...Read More
+
Parenting a Picky Eater,

3 Ways to Explain Baby-Led Feeding to Your Extended Family

By Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP Whether itā€™s a holiday dinner, a virtual family brunch or an outdoor family picnic, well-meaning relatives may...Read More
+
Parenting a Picky Eater,

Planting for Kids

By The Lettuce Grow Team Melanie PotockĀ has a knack for taking eaters of all ages from picky to passionate. Here are a...Read More