How to Deal With Picky Eating in Babies and Toddlers, with Melanie Potock

How do I know if my child is really a picky eater?On this episode of the Learn With Less® podcast, Ayelet sat down with speech-language pathologist Melanie Potock, who describes herself as “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 three books, including co-authoring the award-winning Raising a Healthy Happy Eater.  We discuss:* Melanie’s personal and professional background, and how she came to do the work she’s doing today* Typical stages of eating development with oral eaters* How to tell whether you’re dealing with a “picky eater” or just a typical toddler* Melanie’s top 3 tips for true “picky eaters” and top 3 tips for more typical toddler food preferences* Melanie’s favorite resources to share with families who are dealing with eating challengesResources Mentioned in This Episode:Melanie’s playlist on YouTube for Pediatrician AdviceRaising a Healthy, Happy Eater, by Melanie Potock and Nimali FernandoAdventures in Veggieland, by Melanie PotockYou are not an Otter: The Story of How to Become an Adventurous Eater, by Melanie PotockKid Food ExplorersConnect With Us:Melanie: Website / Instagram / Facebook Ayelet: Facebook / Instagram / PinterestText Transcript of the EpisodeAyelet: Today I am speaking with Melanie Potock, an international speaker on the topic of feeding babies, toddlers, and school-aged kids. She is the co-author of the award winning Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater, a stage by stage guide to setting your child on the path to adventurous eating, and Baby Self Feeding: solutions for introducing purees and solids to create lifelong healthy eating habits. The tips in her cookbook for parents and kids, Adventures in Veggieland, help your kids learn to love vegetables with 100 easy activities and recipes, are based on the latest research and Melanie’s 20 years of success as a pediatric feeding therapist. Melanie’s children’s book, You Are Not An Otter, takes preschoolers on a food adventure exploring all the ways that various animals eat. Melanie’s advice has been shared in a variety of television and print media, including the New York Times The Wall Street Journal cnn.com, and parents magazine. Melanie, thank you so much for being here with us today. Welcome to Learn With Less.Melanie: Well, this is so fun to get to know you! And I’m just so glad we’re doing this today. Thank you for having me on.Ayelet: My pleasure. So Melanie, today I’ve asked you to come on speak to us about how to deal with picky ...