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.
Hi baby and toddler parents, what’s your favorite brand of high chair, and why? How long do you use your highchair as a “feeding chair”???
If you’re a parent…Maybe you think raising an adventurous eater is about what you cook…
But it’s really about what’s consistently available. It has to keep showing up!
Picky eating / ARFID / feeding therapy
I get why this feels overwhelming.
You’re busy. You don’t have time to prep “perfect” meals all day. But let’s try to simplify it.
Here’s the shift:
👉 Exposure does not have to be complicated ❤️It just has to be consistent
🫑These sliced peppers?
They’re doing more than you think ✨
✔️ They build familiarity
✔️ They reduce pressure at meals
✔️ They make it easier to offer vegetables again & again
✨And that’s how kids learn to eat new foods.
❌Not from one perfect meal…But from hundreds of low-pressure exposures over time.
✨ Small, boring steps = BIG progress in feeding
👉 💬Tell me in the comments…
What’s one good you’re motivated to prep each week because you’re seeing it make a difference for your child?
❤️Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
It’s when you’re acting like everything is totally fine while also acting like you’re not acting.😂
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
Parenting a picky eater is basically a full-time job on top of your other full-time job(s)🤦🏼♀️
picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler meltdowns
You’re not just “making dinner”
You’re…
✨ making multiple versions of the same meal… again
✨ reheating food that never gets eaten…again
✨ negotiating bites like it’s a hostage situation…again
✨ wondering how your child survives on 3 foods yet still, your doc isn’t worried. (but, no shade on our wonderful pediatricians here!)
✨ and if you’re not sure what “pretend pretending” means…you’re doing it. It’s when you’re acting like everything is totally fine while also acting like you’re not acting.😂
💪🏻And somehow… you’re also
folding laundry
💪🏻cleaning the bathroom
💪🏻answering emails
and trying to stay calm at the table 😅
Here’s the part most people don’t see 👇
This isn’t about “all kids are picky” or “they’ll eat when they’re hungry”
⭐️Picky eating is layered.
It’s feeding development + sensory preferences + learning history + sometimes a little or a lot of anxiety.
Which means…
👉 You need a plan that actually makes sense for YOUR child💛
And yes… it can get easier.
💬COMMENT COURSE and I’ll send you a discount code for my on-demand courses
✨ picky eating
✨ paci weaning
✨ bottle weaning
It’s all going to be OK, you got this❤️
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
I’d marry you with pepper rings 🫑❤️
Picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler behavior
🫑💍Melanie
Thanks for following me!❤️
picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler behavior / mealtime struggles /
baby led weaning / feeding development / pediatric feeding disorder /
sensory feeding / responsive feeding
Juice feels healthy… but for babies? It’s not the win we think it is. 💛
Feeding tips / baby led weaning / feeding development
I get why so many parents offer juice.
It sounds healthy. It comes from fruit. It feels like a good choice.
But here’s what I want you to know 👇
👉 Most juice offers no real nutritional benefit for babies
It’s mostly water & sugar… without the fiber that whole fruit provides
👉 It can crowd out real nutrition
Tiny tummies fill up fast, and juice can replace the foods babies actually need to grow
👉 It’s linked to cavities, diarrhea & nutritional imbalances
Not exactly what we’re going for at this stage
👉 And yes… even store-bought juice can contain concerning levels of arsenic & lead
✨ So what should you do instead?
✔️Stick with breastmilk or formula as the primary drink before age one
✔️Offer water in small amounts once solids are established
✔️Serve whole fruits for natural sweetness, fiber & skill-building
👉 After age one, juice can be offered sparingly, not as a daily habit
And of course, there are a few ⭐️medical exceptions⭐️
For example, your pediatrician may recommend small amounts of prune, apple, or pear juice for constipation💩
But for everyday feeding?
❌Skip the juice.
💬 Tell me… were you ever told juice was “healthy” for babies?
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler nutrition / baby led weaning / feeding development / toddler health / responsive feeding / starting solids / pediatric feeding disorder / first foods
🤔Seeing siblings together in feeding therapy… sounds efficient, right?
Picky eating / feeding therapy / sibling dynamics / pediatric feeding therapy
❤️I totally get why parents ask for this!
It saves time. It feels easier. And if both kids are struggling, it seems like a natural solution.
👉 Here’s what’s going on:
✔️Feeding therapy is highly individualized
✔️Kids regulate differently, even within the same family
✔️Siblings can trigger comparison, pressure, or distraction
✔️One child’s progress can unintentionally impact the other
✔️One child’s behavior often influences the other’s behavior
👉 The missing piece:
Feeding therapy works best when we can fully tune into one child at a time.
That’s where we see the biggest gains in confidence, regulation, and skill-building.
👉 But here’s the reframe:
If you’re hoping to combine sessions for convenience, ADD IN MORE KIDS - a structured group can be a better fit.
👉 What do we do?
✔️Include one-on-one sessions when possible
✔️Build feeding groups by adding 2–4 children of similar age and goals
⭐️This shifts the dynamic away from sibling comparison and influential behaviors
⭐️Supports modeling in a more neutral, social environment
✨ Ready to run the best group therapy in your setting? 💬Comment DYP and I’ll send you links to learn about the Dr. Yum Food Adventure. It’s an evidence-based program I co-created with a team of experts, now used by more than 113,000 children to support feeding groups.
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / feeding therapy / pediatric feeding therapy / sibling feeding challenges / feeding therapy groups / ARFID support / pediatric feeding disorder / feeding therapy strategies / responsive feeding / selective eating
Extreme picky eating (ARFID) isn’t just about food… and I get why this is so confusing.🫤
Picky eating / ARFID / feeding therapy
Have you heard this before???
👉🏼 “They’ll eat if they’re hungry”
👉🏼 “Just have them take a bite”
👉🏼 “It’s behavioral”
That might makes sense at first.
But here’s what I see after 25+ years of feeding therapy 👇
✨ It’s a STACK:
👉🏼 Physiology
Like sensory processing, medical history, appetite and so much more
👉🏼Environment
Experiences, routines, family dynamics
👉🏼Motor skills
It takes an experienced feeding specialist to detect subtle challenges in oral motor movement.
👉🏼 Anxiety
A major driver for many kids, especially with ARFID - anxiety is often the culprit but even those actors that are slightly contributing to overall fear of food are crucial to consider.
And here’s the part most people miss 👇
If you focus on just ONE…
you miss what’s actually driving your child’s eating.
✨ That’s why quick fixes don’t work
✨ That’s why heavy pressure backfires
We have to look at the whole child.
Comment ARFID and I’ll send you info to learn more 🙂
❤️Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / ARFID / feeding therapy / toddler behavior / mealtime struggles / feeding development / pediatric feeding disorder / sensory feeding / responsive feeding / child anxiety
That deep sigh? Yeah… this is why. 😅
Picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler safety
And honestly? I get why parents feel proud of this.❤️
It seems like a big milestone when your toddler can handle a whole grape.🍇
But here’s the part most people don’t realize 👇
👉 Grapes are one of the most common choking hazards for young children
👉 Their size, shape & slippery texture make them easy to inhale whole
👉 And once lodged, they’re very difficult to dislodge
✨ So here’s what I recommend:
👉🏼 ALWAYS quarter grapes lengthwise until age 4
(Not halves… not “they chew well”… always quartered)
👉🏼 Around age 3, you can start teaching how to bite into a grape
…but only with close supervision
👉🏼 Why wait until closer to 4?
Because it’s not just about chewing…
It’s about:
✔️ Attention span
✔️ Sitting & staying with the meal
✔️ Not getting distracted mid-bite
And let’s be honest… toddlers are busy!
✨ This is one of those times where safety matters more than skill.
Even if they can do it…
doesn’t mean it’s worth the risk.
Save this & share it with anyone who loves your toddler ❤️
🙂Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler safety / choking hazards / baby led weaning / feeding development / pediatric feeding disorder / toddler behavior / safe eating / responsive feeding
These 4 feeding tools may change EVERYTHING at mealtime… and I don’t say that lightly.❤️
Picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler behavior
🤦🏼♀️You’re offering the food… you’re sitting together… and still getting pushback.
🤔Sometimes it’s not the food. We just need a bit of novelty!
Here are 4 novelty tools I use all the time to shift that experience – great for cooking together too!
🥂 And yes… if you’ve seen the cocktail glass with goldfish inside… I’ve got a kid-friendly version for you too 😉
👉🏼 Crinkle cutter
✔️Turns slippery foods into easy-to-grip bites
✔️Adds texture + makes foods instantly more fun
⭐️Bonus: a great starter “knife” for preschoolers
👉🏼 Child-safe knife
The BEST first knife for toddlers
✔️Gives kids independence without the worry
(And yes… older kids love it too)
👉🏼 Corn cob holders (no sharp metal!)
✔️Game changer for apples & pears 🍎
✔️Easy to hold = more success biting & chewing
🥰Plus… it just feels fun
👉🏼 Tiny tasting spoons
✔️Perfect for hesitant eaters
✔️A “just right” bite size that feels safe
✔️Reduces overwhelm with new foods
✨ Little tools can create BIG shifts… because they give kids control, success & a sense of play.
👉🏼 COMMENT CRINKLE & I’ll send you my full list straight to your DMs! #affiliatelinkssupportsmallbusiness❤️
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents & therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler behavior / mealtime struggles / baby led weaning / feeding development / pediatric feeding disorder / sensory feeding / responsive feeding / toddler feeding tips
🤔You’ve probably heard the term “safe foods”…
And there’s a reason we use it.
Picky eating / ARFID / feeding therapy
As professionals, it gives us a shared language.
🛟And kids truly DO feel safe with these foods…because they’re familiar.
That feeling is real 💜
But when a child hears “safe food,”
they may also interpret that other foods are NOT safe.😳And for kids with ARFID or significant anxiety around new foods – well…anxiety can spread in any space you give it. 😬
Instead, I use words like:
👉 preferred foods
👉 familiar foods
👉 comfortable foods
And I also talk about:
👉 foods they’re “still learning to make friends with” - Those are the foods they might tolerate, touch, or explore…
even if they’re not ready to taste them YET.
Because feeding therapy isn’t about sitting stuck in what feels safe…
it’s about becoming comfortable with less familiar foods, one step at a time ✨
What do YOU call foods your child is still learning?
❤️Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / ARFID / feeding therapy / toddler behavior / mealtime struggles / feeding development / pediatric feeding disorder / sensory feeding / responsive feeding / child anxiety
When your child stuffs their cheeks like a chipmunk… 🐿️ it’s NOT as cute as it looks. ❤️
Picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler behavior
⚠️A lot of kids are eager, hungry, or just trying to get through the meal quickly… so they take too much at once. Sometimes they just don’t have a lot of awareness of food in their mouth too!
Problem is…stuffing food isn’t just messy… it can be unsafe. 💜
Here’s what I teach parents in my courses ✨
👉🏼 Use my “pull it away” method (DON’T MISS THE copyrighted BONUS TIP at the mid-way point of the video!)
This helps them tear off a “just right” piece to chew and swallow safely
👉🏼 Exaggerate the pull AT FIRST – really extend that arm!
👉🏼 Why my method works
It slows them down
It prevents overstuffing
And it helps them learn how a “just right” bite should feel
👉🏼Model it yourself
Take a bite, pause, chew, swallow… kids learn so much just by watching you ✨
This is one of those small shifts that makes a BIG difference in safety and skill-building. 💜
“FRINGING” with ✂️ - Try my fringing method with pancakes, chicken nuggets and other handheld foods that are way too easy to stuff in one bite.😳
👇 Comment COURSE and I’ll send you a discount code for my 8 on-demand courses with original tips like these for parents and professionals 💜
Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years of feeding therapy, helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eating / feeding therapy / toddler behavior / mealtime struggles / baby led weaning / feeding development / pediatric feeding disorder / sensory feeding / responsive feeding
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.
Blog
feeding advice for parents and professionals
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