Melanie Potock

✨Giveaway time!✨ When a copy of my most recent book, RESPONSIVE FEEDING!

I’ll announce the winner in the comments on Sunday. One comment per person, please. Giveaway ends as soon as 50 people comment. What could be easier?😉

✨We reached 50 comments and thank you so much for participating! 👉🏼If you’d like a copy but missed the giveaway, go to mymunchbug.com/books/ for all my books!🥰

✨This giveaway is not associated with Instagram/Facebook/Meta and it’s only open to individuals over the age of 18 in the USA. Good luck! ❤️

👍🏼Here’s what to do when baby starts to suck their thumb or fingers while awake…

✨Offer a favorite teether that has sensory bumps on it. Those little bumps are magical – they satisfy baby by stimulating nerve endings in the gums, lips and tongue that are alerting.

👉🏼There’s more to know…

👋🏼We want babies exploring their mouth with their little fingers, thumbs, fists and wrists! We want to see mouthing, gentle biting, etc. But it’s oh-so-easy for this exploration phase to turn into thumb or finger sucking for prolonged periods of time. Depending on the intensity, duration and frequency of the digit sucking, it may change the shape of baby’s plate and mouth structures.

❓Why is that important? 👉🏼Because unintended changes in facial growth due to thumb/finger sucking may be related to speech, feeding and airway issues as baby grows.

🤔Wait – so they SHOULD chew/mouth fingers, but not suck on them? YEP.

💜THUS, if baby sucks while awake, offer a teether with sensory bumps.

😴BUT, if baby begins to suck while falling asleep, it’s ok to let them suck for a few minutes to calm and regulate their body for sleep. But once they are drowsy, gently pop out that thumb whenever possible.

✨AND…discouraging it during the daytime will help tremendously, in my experience with babies and toddlers. They are less likely to make it a habit if we find other ways to address their need for oral stimulation with fun teethers, like this one from ezpzfun.com . Be sure to use my affiliate code MELANIE10 for 10% any purchase at ezpz – this teether is also an oral development tool from the set of 3 “Oral Development Tools” at ezpzfun.com. You can read all about the advantages of the 3 tools on their site – or just DM me for more info, and I’ll send you the direct link!

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #thumbsucking #babythumb #ashaigers #slpfeeding

💦🥑💦Storing avocados in water – have you tried that hack? WELL, I did too and here’s why I want you to STOP IT.

🛑The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) wants you to know that you’re family is at risk for FOOD POISONING using this avocado storage hack. 🦠That’s because Salmonella (EW!) and Listeria monocytogenes (double EW!) hang out on that dark outer skin of the avocado. When we store it in water in the fridge, YES, the avocado does last longer, but you know what else lives, thrives and MULTIPLIES? Listeria moncytogenes and they ooze into the yummy, fleshy parts you intend to eat.🤢

⚠️NOPE. You can’t wash it at that point…it’s now INSIDE your avocado.

👉🏼🥑👉🏼According to the Cleveland Clinic, who highlighted this info on their website, the best way to store avocados is to leave them on your kitchen counter and..

🥑Check them daily for changes in skin color and softening – both indicators that they are ready to eat.

🥑Also – do you know how to check the “stem cap” or that little brown button on the top of the fruit? It should pop off easily and wah-lah! Your avocado is ready to be washed, sliced and enjoyed!

✋🏼💦✋🏼That’s right, don’t wash it till your ready to eat it. Washing before that only softens the skin and allows bacteria to seep inside.

🥑They also recommend storing sliced avocado by adding a little lemon or lime juice, or try olive oil. Wrap it tightly! Then, keep it cold to “combat oxidation” – you can even freeze it!

❓Tell me, did you know this? Cause I didn’t…learning new things every day!
🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock
#avocadohack
#foodpoisoning
#babyledweaningideas

Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-store-avocados-safely

❓Wait - Babies can have raw celery and raw carrots even before starting solids? BE SURE TO KEEP READING so you know how to do this safely.

🥕Teethers for 5-month-old babies can include hard, resistive food such as a fat carrot stick, or a wide stalk of celery. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Always supervise baby with food teethers.
2. Make sure their back/trunk is well supported so that their little hands can easily bring the food teether to their mouth ( just like a non-food teether).
3. Wash food teethers thoroughly before offering to baby.
4. Safety Test: Can you snap it in half with your thumb and forefinger on the same hand? Yes – don’t offer it. No – offer with supervision!

🥰Benefits?
Even before baby is ready for solids (closer to 6 months of age) they can get small tastes as they mouth these resistive foods, just like you can taste carrot if you lick a carrot! Babies are open to trying new tastes and programmed to explore with their littles hands to mouth, so this is the perfect time to introduce veggies in this manner.
👉🏼Like any teether, the munching (up and down repeated chomps) will strengthen their jaw and facial muscles. It will also offer sensory input in terms of different textures, cooler temperatures and because it’s food – flavor!
👉🏼All teethers help babies learn to manage their gag reflex, but in my professional experience, I notice that babies like to suck on food teethers as well as try to chew them. 👉🏼Both are great experiences for the mouth, and both “work” areas of the tongue that play a part in developing tongue lateralization skills, tongue protrusion skills (for spitting out food) and learning to manage the sensation of a gentle gag with no other food in the mouth.

🪥Think of it this way – if you experience a gagging sensation, do you find it easier to manage if you accidently did that with you toothbrush or if you accidently start gagging while eating? The toothbrush of course! Neither is comfortable at first, but the toothbrush is quickly removed and we can swallow to relieve the sensation.

❓Questions? Drop them in the comments!
❤️Melanie
#melaniepotock #foodteethers #ashaigers #babyfood #feedingtherapy

👶🏼Although babies can begin to have teethers as they begin to bring their hands to their mouth, a 5-month-old needs specific features to help with oral development:

🤍Very young babies need “nubby projections” but at 5-month-old can typically manage a bit more of a protrusion, ideally made of soft silicone, to gnaw on. I still shy away from a very long protrusion till closer to 5 ½ months, when baby has good trunk stability for controlling hand movement near the face. Those longer protrusions are excellent for helping baby get ready for solid foods and learning to tolerate a bit of gentle gagging, but they need that fine motor control to make it the most comfortable exploration experience possible.

❤️Varied 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!

✨Sensory experiences like squeaking (soft, smooth silicone parts are the squeakiest on gums!) and light-up rattles are always fun too! It’s a also a great time to introduce teethers that gently vibrate just for another fun tactile experience.

🛍️You’ll find my best teethers with these qualities and more (and for various ages) on my Amazon Shop: Amazon.com/shop/mymunchbug with notes on which are best for each age.

❤️DM me if you have questions!
🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #5montholdbaby #babyteethers #slpfeeding #ashaigers

✨SLPs, OTs & Parents of children with ARFID… Join me for a 4-hour Masterclass on how to help kids with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder April 27th in Atlanta! Early Bird Discount ends tomorrow, 4/10, so hurry to grab your seat! 👉🏼Go to mymunchbug.com/melanie-potock-live-events/ or DM me if you would like a direct link.

🤍More than just picky eating…ARFID is truly a fear of interacting with foods.

👋🏼Hi, I’m Melanie, a pediatric speech pathologist who specializes in helping children with ARFID and extreme picky eating. I look forward to seeing you Saturday morning for this intensive 4-hour Masterclass on how anxiety controls a child’s willingness to try new foods.

✨The course is filled with practical strategies and it’s my most popular course, so I am excited to be teaching it in Atlanta for the first time!

🥰Melanie
#extremepickyeating #atlantaslp #atlantaot #ashaigers #southcarolinaslp #melaniepotock

🤦🏼‍♀️It’s not uncommon for picky eaters to also be constipated. I’ve been talking about the importance of regularity (yep, 💩!) a lot this past weekend. It’s important to talk to your GI Doc, pediatrician and/or an RDN about ways to help your child feel more comfortable going on a regular basis.

🚽Some options they may suggest include magnesium citrate gummies or powder, hemp or chia seeds (sometimes ground) or a fiber supplement that includes both soluble and insoluble fiber.

💕The take-away here is that each child is unique and it takes time to determine what will work best.

📌Save for future reference and please give this post a❤️ if you’ve been finding this series helpful! Thank you! 🥰 Melanie

#melaniepotock #constipationinkids #ashaigers #feedinglittles

👉🏼The content posted here is not medical advice. Please always consult with your medical professional. Should you have concerns about your child’s gut health.

😳Here are 5 signs your child is constipated that might just surprise you:

💩Large stools – like really large. Like WOAH. Large stools may indicate that the bowels are moving slower than they should, creating larger stools that aren’t easy to pass. Or if they are easy, it’s because the intestine has stretched around the stool and eventually pushes it out. Intestines that get stretched a lot STAY STRETCHED and that in turn, leads to constipation.

〰️Tracks on the undies: While you may consider diarrhea, usually diarrhea means lots of stool, not a track. That line of brown (sorry to be graphic!) may indicate that the poop is lodged in the intestine and the looser stool is leaking around it. It can also indicate muscle weakness around the anus secondary to chronic constipation.

😉Speaking of graphics and tracks… did you spot the Bristol Stool Chart graphic in this video? You can Google and pick your favorite to download. The first thing we do in feeding therapy is begin to track how often kids go #2 and what it looks like. Parents are often surprised to learn that it should be smooth and sausage-shaped.

🤢If your child has been diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) then constipation may be the culprit. The pressure in the gut (from being stopped up) pushes the stomach contents upward, creating a wash of stomach acid into the esophagus (the tube in your throat for eating).

🚽Irregular stool textures is another sign – see the Bristol Stool Chart for an example

😞Poor appetite – in yesterday’s reel, I talked about the influence of pooping on appetite. Check that one out too!

Bottom line? (Pardon the pun) …if you’re here to learn about raising an adventurous eater, honestly, it often starts with regular 💩.

🤔What questions do you have? Ask away, I’m here to try and help! 💕Melanie

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy

Keep in mind, this is not medical advice. This is general information that any professional in this profession shares, but your child’s gut is unique, so ALWAYS check with your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your child’s gut health.

💩When a parent tells me this about their picky eater: “She ate like a horse yesterday!” my next question is always “Did she have a big poop yesterday too?”

😳1 out of 3 toddlers is constipated on a regular basis.* Watch all this week for my series on why and what to do about it. Want to know why it’s a BIG issue for picky eaters?

👉🏼Because if you’re constipated or not pooping on a regular basis, it impacts your hunger drive. Eating isn’t a comfortable experience.

😞When you have a picky eater, constipation is common due to their very limited diet. And, typically
developing toddlers tend to be constipated more than any other age…unless it becomes chronic after the toddler years.

🚽Kids need to have regular, comfortable bowel movements, ideally every day for the reasons noted in the post.

🧻This week, we’re talking about poop. Everybody does it, but it’s not always easy for some kids.

🤍I hope you’ll find it helpful – tell me in the comments what you need to know about constipation & I’ll post all weekend for you! I hope it’s helpful!🥰Melanie

#melaniepotock
#pickyeaters #toddlertroubles #feedinglittles

*Source: National Institute for Health & Care Excellence Oct 2013
Royal College of Physicians (2010). National Audit of Continence Care, Combined Organizational and
Clinical Report