Melanie Potock

🥕 Before babies can really EAT a carrot, they can learn a lot from one.

They are called “food teethers”: very large, thick, FIRM pieces of food
that baby can hold, mouth & gnaw on without being able to bite off a chunk.

Think:
🥕 A large, fat raw carrot
🌱 A thick, firm piece of celery

Why do I love food teethers?

👄 They give baby opportunities to explore different tastes, smells &
textures.

👅 They encourage tongue movement & oral exploration as baby mouths the
food.

🦷 They give those little gums something firm to chomp on.

✋ And holding, bringing to the mouth & turning the food around gives baby
wonderful hand-to-mouth practice

But SAFETY matters.

Food teethers should be too large & too firm for baby to bite through or
break off a piece. Stay right there and actively supervise the entire time.

👉🏼 Before handing it to a seated baby, try hard to snap, bend or break it
yourself. And keep checking it as baby gnaws. If it starts to soften, shred,
split or break apart, take it away.

This is very different from offering cooked, “smushable” carrot or other
foods that baby is expected to actually bite, chew & swallow.

🥰 Food teethers aren’t about how much baby eats. They’re another way to
safely build familiarity with real foods while practicing early feeding
skills.

Save this for when your baby is getting ready to explore solids & share it
with another parent!

⚠️Important Safety Tip: Never offer food teethers in a moving stroller or in
a car seat. Baby needs to be still, trunk supported and seated. You can
start as early as about 5 months of age if baby has good head and trunk
control, and can bring toys to mouth with relative ease.

Melanie ❤️

Melanie Potock, food teethers, explore page, starting solids, baby feeding,
oral motor skills, feeding development, baby led feeding, introducing
solids, feeding skills

I FINALLY put it ALL in one place! 💜
If you’re an SLP, OT, RD, parent – focused on helping kids learn to eat, this FREE resource guide sheet is for you.
Inside you’ll find quick links to my:
✨ Free feeding toolbox
✨ Books & on-demand courses
✨ Feeding group resources
✨ Free monthly newsletter
✨ YouTube videos & more
Keep it handy for yourself, make copies & share the resources with the families you serve.

👇 Comment GUIDE and I’ll send you the FREE download, plus a discount code!
Melanie ❤️

Melanie Potock, pediatric feeding, explore page, feeding therapy, picky eating, ARFID, pediatric feeding disorder, feeding resources, SLP, occupational therapy

🎃 The easiest way to make cookies & milk feel like a Halloween PARTY. 👻🥛
And it only takes about 2 minutes.

🍫 Melt a small handful of chocolate chips
🥛 Dip the rim of a tiny cup into the melted chocolate
✨ Dip it into Halloween sprinkles
👻 Add milk + a few buttery little ghost cookies on the side
That’s it!

And YES, this works with a silicone cup too. In fact, I love using a small cup for little kids because somehow tiny just makes everything more fun. 🥰

💜 The cup in this video is from ezpzfun.com. Use my affiliate code Melanie10 on their site anytime — Jot that code down – it’s always nice to get a discount!

📌SAVE this one for a Halloween snack, playdate or after-dinner surprise!

Melanie ❤️
Melanie Potock, explore page, Halloween snack for kids, Halloween food ideas, cookies and milk, toddler snack ideas, feeding kids, fun with food, Halloween treats

😳 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

🥪 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