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.
You made soup for the family… and you already know your picky eater probably won’t touch it. 🍲
Before you give up, try these three feeding therapy tricks:
1️⃣ Always add fun tools.
A short straw and a tiny spoon instantly make soup more playful and approachable for kids.
2️⃣ Keep the serving underwhelming.
Serve just a little bit of soup in a small cup or tiny bowl.
✨Deconstruct a little too. Pull out AND pat (almost) dry a few noodles, veggies, or pieces of meat so your child can explore the ingredients separately.
⭐️Bonus tip: a tiny espresso cup of broth for sipping is often a big hit.
3️⃣ Freeze the leftovers.
Defrost and offer it again next week.
Because if a child is going to make friends with a new food, that food must keep showing up for play dates. 😊
❤️Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
picky eater / picky eating / feeding therapy / pediatric feeding therapist / feeding therapist / picky eater tips / toddler eating / kids and food / kids refusing dinner / kids nutrition / raising adventurous eaters / family meals / parenting tips / mom life / dad life / feeding kids / toddler picky eating / kids refusing food / mealtime struggles / feeding therapy strategies
One of the hardest questions parents ask during feeding therapy is this:
“My child isn’t making progress… should we switch therapists?”
❤️Before making that decision, it can help to start with a conversation. Ask your therapist what progress they are seeing, what the current goals are, and what progress might look like over the next few weeks. Sometimes important foundational work in feeding therapy is happening that may not be obvious yet.
And sometimes, it really is about fit.
Feeding therapy is relational work. A child may respond differently to another therapist’s style, pacing, or approach.
Many parents hesitate to change therapists because they worry:😕
“What if the next therapist is worse?”
“What if we lose the progress we’ve made?”
“What if we end up going back to the first therapist?”
Those concerns are completely understandable.
🤝But therapy should feel like a partnership. Honest conversations with your therapist can often clarify the path forward, whether that means continuing together or exploring another option that might be a better match for your child.
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me @mymunchbug_melaniepotock for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
feeding therapy progress
pediatric feeding therapy
picky eater help
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I grew up surrounded by four big brothers. Strong, supportive, protective… yet…
What I didn’t know then was how much my life and career would be shaped by extraordinary women.
💕Women who collaborated with me.
💕Women who mentored me.
💕Women who invited me to speak, learn, and grow.
💕Women who showed up in conference rooms, classrooms, clinics, and kitchens to help families and children thrive.
✨From co-writing Raising a Healthy Happy Eater and co-creating the Dr. Yum Food Adventure with Dr. Yum and an extraordinary team of women…
to learning alongside thousands of brilliant therapists, dietitians, and educators around the world… to being represented by an agency that focuses on influencers that are doing good❤️ and show up on social media with purpose, thus allowing me to align with brands that operate with integrity and truly care about kids…
I’m constantly reminded how powerful it is when women support other women.
And today, I get to watch my two daughters become strong, compassionate women in their own right. That might be the greatest gift of all.🫶🏼
✨Happy International Women’s Day✨ to the women who collaborate, mentor, teach, support, and lift others along the way.
Here’s to women who lift other women…you know who you are, and I’m so grateful for you.💕
🥰Melanie
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
International women’s day / SLP feeding / picky eaters / raising a healthy, happy eater / responsive feeding
5 foods toddlers (and kids) can choke on… unless you prepare them safely.
🤔But there is at least one I want you to skip till age four.
I always tell parents and professionals:
Choking is usually silent.🤐😳
You often won’t hear coughing or gagging. You’ll see distress, but there may be no sound at all.
That’s why preparation matters.
✨Prep these foods up till age 4…yep, age 4. (Some 3 year olds can bite into smaller pieces, but they have the attention span of a , well, a three-year-old, so…)
1. 🥜Whole nuts
Chop very finely. Not chunky pieces like you saw me doing in this video. Tiny pieces are safest.
2. 🍅Round fruits and vegetables
Foods like grapes, cherry tomatoes, and blueberries should be smashed or quartered so they’re no longer round.
3. 🌭Hot dogs
One of the #1 choking hazards for kids.
Cut into long skinny strips first, then finely chop for younger toddlers.
Around age three, thin strips may be appropriate depending on the child.
4. 🌽Corn chips
They break into sharp pieces that are difficult for toddlers to manage.
You could crush them into crumbs… but honestly, it’s easier to skip them until about age four. Oh and corn kernels! Check out my highlights on “corn” for safe prep for 🌽.
5. 🍿Popcorn
Save popcorn for age four and older.
And the first time? Not in a dark movie theater.
😳Remember: choking is silent.
You need to see your child when they are eating.
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
❤️Melanie
Melanie Potock picky eater help, toddler choking hazards, baby led feeding safety, toddler food safety tips, feeding therapy tips, safe foods for toddlers, pediatric feeding therapist, toddler mealtime safety
“A treat for myself… you don’t have to earn it.”🎶 That lyric stopped me in my tracks.
Because when it comes to kids and food, I’m a tiny bit rebellious too.
I’m rebelling against the idea that dessert has to be earned.
When dessert is always the reward at the end of the meal, it becomes the most powerful food on the plate. Kids focus on getting to it, negotiating for it, or refusing dinner so they can hold out for sweets later.
Instead, sometimes I normalize dessert right alongside the meal.🍪
Not every day.
🥦Just like I don’t serve broccoli every day. But occasionally placing a small sweet on the plate helps take dessert off the pedestal and teaches kids that all foods can fit.
A few examples from this video:
• 2 mini shortbread cookies (about 1 gram sugar total)
• 2 low-sugar animal cookies (less than 1 gram sugar each) @lovechildorganics are a fave!
• 1 miniature peanut butter cup (about 5 grams sugar)
✔️Small portions.
✔️No drama.
❤️Just food.
When sweets lose their “special status,” many kids become less obsessed with them and more willing to eat the rest of the meal too.
That’s not rebellion.
That’s feeding kids with balance.
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
🥰Melanie
Melanie Potock / picky eater help, normalize dessert, feeding therapy tips, responsive feeding, toddler mealtime strategies, healthy relationship with food, pediatric feeding therapist, raising adventurous eaters
Kid’s nutrition boost…but make it fun. 🌈These colorful “sprinkles” are just hemp seeds shaken with a tiny drop of food coloring in a small bag. Once they dry, kids can sprinkle them on almost anything.
🤔Why hemp seeds? They are tiny, mild in flavor, and packed with nutrients like protein, healthy fats, and minerals. That makes them a simple way to add a little nutrition boost to foods kids already enjoy.
Try sprinkling them on:
• yogurt
• toast with nut butter
• oatmeal
• smoothies
• pancakes or waffles
• even veggies!🥦
❤️Sometimes a small change in presentation turns nutrition into play. And when kids get to sprinkle their own “magic dust,” they are more likely to explore new foods.
PRO TIP: Kids who are allergic to sesame probably should not have hemp seeds due to cross reactions. Rare, but check with your allergist first.
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
🥰Melanie
Melanie Potock picky eater help, food exploration for kids, feeding therapy tips, toddler nutrition ideas, healthy toppings for kids, pediatric feeding therapist, sensory food play, raising adventurous eaters
Picky eater? This tiny bottle might change your lunch game!
☺️Squeeze bottles aren’t just cute - they give your kid control (and less mess) when they’re just starting to try dips. Think ranch, or a high-protein option like hummus, or gosh - even applesauce! Start small and keep it fun - Remember, let them take the lead with a little squeeze!
💬Comment BOX for a link to over 30 creative lunchbox items, like these little bottles made just for dips! #amazonaffiliate
💕because sometimes , it’s not the dip - it’s the delivery.🙌🏼
Feel free to repost using the ✨repost icon!✨
🥰Melanie
Melanie Potock / lunchboxes for kids / feeding therapy / anxious eaters / SLP feeding
😳Only 10 seats left in Oregon.
🤔If you have ever thought,
“I need more tools for my feeding clients.”
or
“I want to feel more confident helping my own child.”
This is your sign.
On April 10th in Oregon, I’m teaching my 7-hour foundational course:
Your Feeding Tool Kit
❌This is not your standard feeding course…it’s different. YOU WILL GET 55+ PRACTICAL STRATEGIES to help kids find joy in food.
❤️It is a whole-child approach grounded in feeding development, behavioral strategies, sensory foundations, and family dynamics.
We will cover:
• How feeding skills actually develop
• Behavioral and sensory components of feeding therapy
• Parent coaching strategies that reduce stress at the table
• Practical tools you can use the very next day
• How to build your own Feeding Tool Kit with confidence
Whether you are an experienced therapist ready to refine your toolbox, a new grad building your foundation, or a parent who wants to better understand your child, this course meets you where you are.
These are the final 10 seats.
Comment OREGON below and I’ll send you all the details.
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
Cooking with kids does NOT have to be complicated.🧑🏻🍳❤️
…AND research shows that when kids help prepare food, they are more likely to:
😋Taste new foods
🥦Eat more vegetables
⭐️Show less picky eating
👌🏼Build fine motor skills
👋🏼Strengthen sensory tolerance to smells and textures
🤓Develop language and sequencing skills
🧮Practice early math through measuring and counting
💪🏼Grow confidence and independence
❤️Build a healthier long-term relationship with food
❓Want simple ways to help your picky eater at home, or if you’re a feeding therapist, in your therapy sessions?
💬Comment #help below — and don’t forget the # — and I’ll send you free resources and more to get started.
Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
🥰Melanie
picky eater help, how to get my child to eat vegetables, toddler cooking ideas, kids in the kitchen, simple family meals, food play at home, pediatric feeding therapy, feeding intervention strategies, food chaining techniques, sensory based feeding, pediatric feeding disorder, ARFID support
School lunch policies that use dessert as a reward can unintentionally increase pressure at mealtimes.
😳We often hear, “If they eat dessert first, they won’t eat their lunch.”
But a small cookie does not override a child’s internal hunger cues. Pressure does.
When dessert must be earned, it becomes more powerful, not less. It can increase anxiety and elevate sweets to “special” status.
💔For children in feeding therapy, children who eat smaller volumes, or those with ARFID or pediatric feeding disorder, this policy can make lunchtime feel heavier than it needs to be.
👉🏼This isn’t about cookies. It’s about neutrality.
🥰We can offer sweets occasionally without turning them into something that must be earned. When we remove contingencies, we protect trust and reduce stress around food.
✨ Thank you for following me for weekly feeding guidance grounded in 25+years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food.
❤️Melanie
Melanie Potock
school lunch policy
dessert as a reward
food hierarchy
pressure at mealtimes
feeding therapy in schools
pediatric feeding disorder
ARFID support
childhood food anxiety
I’ve seen influencers suggest adding some truly alarming things to baby bottles.😳
Please don’t.
👉🏼Here are three that need to stop:
🍯Honey
This is not just an “old school” tip. Honey can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a rare but potentially life threatening illness in babies under 12 months. Their digestive systems are not mature enough to handle it. Honey and babies under one do not mix.
🥣Rice cereal
Adding cereal to a bottle to “help them sleep” or “keep them full” is another outdated myth. It can increase choking risk, disrupt hunger and fullness cues, contribute to overfeeding, and does not reliably improve sleep. It also bypasses important oral motor skill development that happens when babies learn to eat from a spoon - and tends to be higher in arsenic than other baby cereals.
🥚Crushed eggshells
Yes, I recently saw this recommendation. Please, please do not do this. There is no proven benefit. It is a choking hazard. It can introduce harmful bacteria such as salmonella. It can cause injury to your baby’s mouth and digestive tract. This is not a safe calcium supplement.
A baby’s bottle is for breastmilk or formula unless medically directed otherwise by your pediatrician or RDN.
🙄Feeding advice on social media is not always evidence based. Your baby’s safety and development deserve better.
❤️If you want guidance rooted in pediatric feeding therapy, child development, and real clinical experience, please follow me @mymunchbug_melaniepotock
❤️I’m here to help you build a confident, healthy eater from the very beginning.
🥰Melanie
📚Author of Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater, and 5 other books to help guide you
🤔Why do I start every feeding therapy session with 10 minutes of movement, outdoor play, or exercise?
Because it changes everything.
✨Movement helps stimulate appetite. ✨Active bodies are more likely to feel true hunger cues.
✨It gets the gut moving. Physical activity supports digestion and bowel regularity, which matters for kids with picky eating, ARFID, and pediatric feeding disorder.
✨It regulates the sensory system. When a child feels organized, calm, and confident in their body, they can pay attention and try new foods with less anxiety.
Food is not just about what happens at the table. It is about the whole child.
❤️If you are a parent navigating picky eating, ARFID, or feeding challenges, or a professional supporting children in feeding therapy, follow me for practical, evidence based strategies you can use right away…with guidance grounded in 25+ years helping parents and therapists help kids find joy in food. 🥰
💛Melanie
Melanie Potock
Feeding Therapy
Picky Eaters
ARFID
PFD
Feeding Toddlers
Starting Solids
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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A Special Needs Guide for Learning to Eat with Your SEVEN Senses – Part One
Most of us think of five senses and the human body: Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. But, when it comes...Read More
3 Ways to Explain Baby-Led Feeding to Your Extended Family
By Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP Whether it’s a holiday dinner, a virtual family brunch or an outdoor family picnic, well-meaning relatives may...Read More
Planting for Kids
By The Lettuce Grow Team Melanie Potock has a knack for taking eaters of all ages from picky to passionate. Here are a...Read More
