This article shares 12 ways to get your super picky eater regularly eating new foods. Use these tips when your child is tasting new foods or has eaten them a few times but isn’t yet eating them consistently.  It feels like you’ve done everything right with your super picky eater. You’re regularly serving new foods. You’re not pressuring or requiring tastes. Fun hands-on interactions with new foods is a part of your routine. Your child is making progress. Except they’re stuck doing everything BUT eating. One of my clients said it best: “We get stuck here no matter the food! Mostly with an ..read more

This article shares our favorites Valentine’s Day tools and food play activities for picky eaters.  Exposing extremely picky eaters to new foods is crucial when you’re working to end picky eating, but simply serving your child new foods at a meal is only one piece of the puzzle.  Extremely picky eaters also need to get to know new foods. “Getting to know” new foods can take many forms. One of my favorites and one of the most effective ways to bridge the gap between “new” and “familiar” is through hands-on experiences – basically exploring food using all of the senses.  Hands-on ..read more

This article shares how to prevent food loss in super picky eaters and also shares an organic way to add more safe foods to their diet.  Rigid and highly specific food preferences, little diet variety, and a tendency to eat foods on repeat leaves extremely picky eaters and kids with ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder) or other eating challenges at risk for food loss or food burn out. This means the number of foods they eat could get smaller and smaller and smaller – the exact opposite of what you want for them.  When I work with families, one of the first things we do ..read more

Here are my four best tips for handling illness-related appetite changes with a sick picky eater and guidance for how to get back on track with eating once sick kids are better.  Anyone else been living at the pediatrician’s office lately? Our family’s been passing around old illnesses and acquiring new ones for the past twelve or so weeks and judging from my DMs, session cancellations and client questions, you’re in the same boat.   Sick kids = major disruption. And not just for you; it throws everything off for your kids, their eating (especially) included.  Having sick ..read more

  I know, I know – “fix picky eating” isn’t what comes to mind when you think of holiday gifts for kids. But, these food-related toys and tools are things kids use for years and years and they have the added bonus of potentially helping your child become more comfortable and confident eating new foods.  Whether you looking for investment gift or simple stocking stuffer this list of holiday gifts has something your picky eater is bound to love. Ten Awesome and Engaging Holiday Gifts for Picky Eaters Match UP Memory Snack Tray This was one of my top sellers last year and it’s no surp ..read more

I grew up in the 90’s when Lunchables were all the rage. And while a lot of things in the school lunch department have changed since then (someone please tell me when brown paper bags stopped being a thing), one thing remains the same: kids loooooove Lunchables. There’s something about that DIY meal in a disposable bento box that is just so exciting and makes even the pickiest eaters more open to eating. So I started thinking…what’s the magic secret that makes Lunchables so irresistible to little eaters? It’s actually pretty simple. There are 5 big reasons Lunchables are a picky eater’s dream ..read more

Thanksgiving’s around the corner. It’s officially the Holiday Season. Cheer! Joy! Magic! And….  Stress.  Your child’s eating is a major stressor in an already incredibly magical chaotic time of year. You know because you live it every day: when you have a picky eater, what they’re going to eat is just one more thing you need to take care of.  I’ve shared tips for navigating the holidays before, but on a recent group coaching call, one Thanksgiving strategy in particular stood out. Ready for it? It’s feeding your child before the big event (even especially if the big event is a ..read more

Here’s why I stopped buying packaged snacks for my kids:  Just kidding! I’m in my packaged snacks era. Seriously, bring ‘em!  After a summer of painful car rides with one impatient toddler, I stocked up on all sorts of packaged goodies and have never looked back. Why? Nothing entertains my child quite like an edible item that comes in a crinkly package.  So, as a mother, I am on board with packaged snacks. They can be a godsend.  But, as a dietitian who works with kids who struggle to eat and essentially live off of packaged snacks, I also believe they could be making your ..read more

In this article you’ll find 13 nut-free bars and snacks that are nutritious and safe for school.   Limitations with eating are hard, no matter the reason. So, whether your kid loves PB&J…and only PB&J, or they’re one of the many peanut/tree nut allergic kids, it’s a big deal when there’s a major restriction on lunch box options for school.  When my son was first diagnosed with his allergies I couldn’t imagine a life without nuts. Peanut butter is one thing…. But all those snacks and bars?! Finding safe options felt daunting to say the least.  So if your kiddo needs nut ..read more

In this article you’ll find 13 nut-free bars and snacks that are nutritious and safe for school.   Limitations with eating are hard, no matter the reason. So, whether your kid loves PB&J…and only PB&J, or they’re one of the many peanut/tree nut allergic kids, it’s a big deal when there’s a major restriction on lunch box options for school.  When my son was first diagnosed with his allergies I couldn’t imagine a life without nuts. Peanut butter is one thing…. But all those snacks and bars?! Finding safe options felt daunting to say the least.  So if your kiddo needs nut ..read more