Child Feeding Support & Consultancy

23/11/2023

It’s been a crazy year, and quite a while since I’ve posted anything here! But I’m excited to share some news with you all. Along with Lucy, The Early Years Dietitian, I’ve been working on Sprout - a fussy eating app - https://eatwithsprout.com/

👉Try our free Picky Eating Quiz: https://eatwithsprout.com/picky-eater-test
Explore the degree of your child’s fussy eating and the impact on your family

👉Build your child’s Picky Profile - for free! https://eatwithsprout.com/product/picky-profile
We know there’s a lot of confusion and guilt around why fussy eating happens. We also know that there is no one-size-fits all approach. With our Picky Profile you can explore 7 reasons for fussy eating, build your child’s unique profile, and get some initial steps forward, tailored to your child’s individual needs.

👉Check out our expert-led team programme: https://eatwithsprout.com/product/sprout-team
Join a small group of parents going through the same thing, and be guided through a 10-week programme together. Tackle the shame and stigma so many parents experience around their child’s eating!

Hope to meet some of you soon through our Sprout team programme 🙂

28/10/2022

Any dietitian's, OTs, SLTs, psychologists out there working with kids who "over-eat" are "obsessed with food" "don't know when to stop"? This webinar from Responsive Feeding Pro's amazing Katja Rowell may just change the way you think about food pre-occupation and how you work in this area!

“Help! My preschooler is obsessed with food!” Supporting the Food-Preoccupied Child (and Family) With a Responsive Approach to Feeding She is completely obsessed with food, all the time. But everyone told me, she’d get used to ‘normal’ portions. Daisy’s never been happier and I think red...

14/09/2022

How often do children get to experience eating EVERYTHING that everyone else is eating, without fear or worry?

Many children with a very limited range of foods go for years eating entirely different foods from the rest of the family.

If no-one ever joins them in eating “their foods” - are they likely to feel confident joining others?

Before jumping to "How can I get them to eat the foods we eat?" flip this question on it's head, and meet them where they are at first. Ask yourself "How would it feel to sit down and eat the foods they eat?"

Sharing the foods that your child can eat is so powerful. Read the full blog post to find out more:
https://childfeedingsupport.com/blogs/news/the-power-of-sharing-the-foods-that-your-child-eats

18/05/2022

Super excited to launch the Bicycle Model of Child Feeding!

What's this about?
The Bicycle Model is a framework I have been developing, drawing upon my PhD research findings, psychology theory, and clinical practice which aims to:

🍊Bridge the gap between feeding psychology research & practice
🍊Help health professionals & families understand, and address, parent-child interactions around food

For all info, updates, webinars and resources
👉https://childfeedingsupport.com/pages/the-bicycle-model

Also check out this webinar on the Bicycle Model, hosted by RFPro:
👉https://responsivefeedingpro.com/getting-the-wheels-turning/

03/05/2022

WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT

23rd May 1-2.30pm EST ***18:00 IRISH TIME!***
Early bird rate available until May 10th
Register at https://responsivefeedingpro.com/getting-the-wheels-turning/

Delighted to join the RFPro Team and contribute to the rapidly growing library of Responsive Feeding Therapy training resources.

Are you a dietitian, OT, SLP or other health professional struggling to make sense of feeding psychology?

You’ll come away with an accessible framework for understanding the experiences and perspectives of the clients you work with, parent-child interactions, and how to support them on their journey to greater connection, harmony, and competence with eating.

Using the “Bicycle Model” of feeding, this webinar draws upon my PhD research findings and clinical examples so that you can confidently understand and address the underlying beliefs, emotions, goals, and knowledge that drive parent-child interactions around food.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Responsive Feeding Pro

17/02/2022

Hello again,

I posted this survey back in September - but we are still looking for more participants!

If you:

🍓 have not yet completed this survey,
🥨are a parent of a child aged 2-12 years
🍭and are interesting in supporting research into child feeding...

please follow the link below!

To say thank you - we have provided a Guide to Snacks written by two feeding specialists that you can download at the end of the survey.

Please share! Thank you for your support - this study will really help us to understand, and support parents with feeding concerns.💜

Here is the link: https://bit.ly/3jSjbMq

Please support this research project:

Do you have a child aged between two and twelve years? We are a team of researchers working on a project to help families of children with eating challenges. Whether your child is a ‘picky’ eater or not, we’d like to invite you to take part by completing our survey. This will take approximately 45 minutes. You’ll receive our Snacking Guide (written by two child-feeding specialists) as a ‘thank-you’.

Follow this link to participate: https://bit.ly/3jSjbMq

You can also help us get to our target of 1000 survey responses by sharing this post.

17/02/2022

It is always a joy to hear about the positive progress that families are making - thank you for sharing your experience!

"We approached Hazel for support with our lovely affectionate, witty, and active 4 year old boy. Due to autism related eating challenges, mealtimes were a big challenge for us. Worrying about his eating and nutrition was all-consuming. After 6 sessions with Hazel over an eight month period, we have made a lot of progress. The biggest change is that he is happily joining the family table every day. He is able to order bread or chips in restaurants now that he could not eat anything in before. He has branched out to quite a few new foods including hot dogs, baked beans, breakfast cereals, new flavours of crisps and new types of bread and cake. Mealtimes are so much calmer for the whole family. We are much less worried about his nutrition now and feel confident that he is getting what he needs."

08/02/2022

So true!

🙁If seeing your child skipping a meal makes your heart sink, you are not alone. ⁣🙁
⁣
You see, we are biologically primed, as parents, to take the best care of our offspring. ⁣
⁣
And until very recently (in evolutionary terms) this meant feeding kids as much and as often as possible 🍗🧀🥚🍅 because:⁣
⁣
🍖it was unclear where the next meal would come from⁣
🍖child mortality from infectious disease was high⁣
🍖access to palatable foods was rare, and amounts were limited ⁣
🍖starvation was a real risk ⁣
⁣
And guess what?⁣
⁣
❗️Despite the recent dramatic changes in our food environment, our parenting instincts remained pretty much the same.❗️⁣
⁣
And this means - when kids choose to skip a meal or choose to eat less, we worry. ⁣
⁣
✔️We worry even though we understand that they will get another chance to eat very soon.⁣
✔️We worry even if they are not at the risk of being malnourished.⁣
✔️We worry even though we realize that being good parents is about a lot more than getting toddlers to eat.⁣
⁣
And this is entirely fair since only until 2-3 generations ago, parents relied on those instincts to ensure the survival of their children. ⁣
And that’s why the belief that small children are difficult to feed is still so common. ⁣
⁣
And that’s why, although researchers and clinicians have been talking about the importance of self-regulation for years, it is just so hard to trust our kids with food. ⁣
⁣
Do you agree? Do you also feel this little annoying twist inside when a meal gets uneaten?

20/10/2021

In my last post, I wrote about how anxiety can impact eating (lower appetite, less curiosity, more sensory sensitivity). This time round, some ideas for managing anxiety at mealtimes and keeping meals positive. Any other ideas? I'd love to hear them!

👉 For the full blog post on managing mealtime anxiety:
https://childfeedingsupport.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-when-anxiety-creeps-into-mealtimes

👉 And if you're looking for the previous blog about what happens when we worry: https://childfeedingsupport.com/blogs/news/what-happens-when-we-worry

10/09/2021

Hi there! Are you a parent of a child aged 2-12 years? I am working on this research project with some colleagues at Bishop Grosseteste University and we would love your help!

The study aims to develop a deeper understanding of parent worries and concerns about feeding, so that families with feeding challenges can be better supported.

We are looking for 1000 parents to fill in our online survey. You can find out more and access the survey here: https://bit.ly/3jSjbMq
Whether or not you are experiencing feeding challenges, we would love you to participate.

The survey takes about 45 minutes. As a thank you for your time, you will be able to access a comprehensive guide on 'How to Manage Snacks' at the end of the survey.

Please share with other parents who may be interested!

Please support this research project:

Do you have a child aged between two and twelve years? We are a team of researchers working on a project to help families of children with eating challenges. Whether your child is a ‘picky’ eater or not, we’d like to invite you to take part by completing our survey. This will take approximately 45 minutes. You’ll receive our Snacking Guide (written by two child-feeding specialists) as a ‘thank-you’.

Follow this link to participate: https://bit.ly/3jSjbMq

You can also help us get to our target of 1000 survey responses by sharing this post.

19/08/2021

Great point as schools reopen in a few weeks, time to re-think school food policies!

17/08/2021

To any dietitians, OTs, SLTs, psychologists & coaches out there, delighted to share this new website that some colleagues have just launched, providing high quality responsive feeding training for health professionals - sign up to their newsletter for updates! 🙂

Hello, we are the TEAM behind RFPro (Responsive Feeding Professionals). We are an international group of experts in childhood feeding and eating disorders; we are authors and clinicians, researchers, advocates and teachers.

Brought together by a mutual commitment to a responsive approach to feeding work, we love to collaborate with other professionals with a similar ethos. High-quality training opportunities are critical to meaningful professional development. RFPro offers training and resources that stay true to the values and principles of Responsive Feeding Therapy.

The RFPro team:

✅Jo Cormack, MA, MBACP Positive Parenting for Picky Eaters is a feeding dynamics specialist working with parents of avoidant eaters, as well as a feeding researcher.

✅Natalia Stasenko MS, RD Feeding Bytes is a registered dietitian specializing in pediatric feeding challenges, credentialed both in the US and UK.

✅Katja Rowell M.D. The Feeding Doctor is a family doctor, author and responsive childhood feeding specialist.

✅Heidi Moreland MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CLC is a speech therapist and feeding specialist at Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics with 30 years of experience working with children.

✅Jennifer Berry MS, OT/L is an occupational therapist and feeding specialist at Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics with more than 2 decades of experience helping children overcome challenges they face when it comes to eating.

Heidi and Jennifer run a successful tube-weaning program and also carry out research.

✅Grace Wong MSc, RD, CEDRD-S Grace Wong RD MSc a registered dietitian specializing in feeding and eating disorders and an approved supervisor recognized by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals

✅Naureen Hunani, RD RDs for Neurodiversity is a pediatric dietitian with over 15 years of experience providing trauma-informed and neurodiversity affirming care. She specializes in picky eating and feeding disorders.

Where are you from and what's your specialty? We’re excited to learn more about (and from) you!

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates about our upcoming webinars---> https://rfpro.activehosted.com/f/1

🧡The RFPro Team

21/06/2021

Thank you for sharing such positive feedback - makes my day!

03/06/2021

There is so much to worry about when it comes to feeding kids!
Are they getting the right nutrition? Are they eating enough? Am I doing a good job? Will my child be able to manage socially? Will they ever grow out of this “phase”? The list of potential worries is endless.

Of course, when faced with a feeding challenge, it is natural to worry! But what happens when we worry too much?

When kids are worried about eating, we may see:
📌lower appetite
📌less curiosity
📌more sensory sensitivity

BUT when kids are relaxed and less anxious about eating, it is easier for them to tune into feelings of hunger, to be more curious, and to tolerate difficult tastes, textures and smells.

Research shows that when parents are worried, they are more likely to push their kids to eat more. When kids feel under pressure they actually eat less! This is illustrated so well by The Feeding Doctor's "Worry Cycle".
👉http://thefeedingdoctor.com/the-worry-cycle-of-feeding-part-i-for-adoption-month/

This is why addressing worry and anxiety is such an important part of supporting families with eating challenges!

For the full blog post about what happens when we worry:
👉https://childfeedingsupport.com/blogs/news/what-happens-when-we-worry

04/03/2021

Strange time of year to be writing a 'Back to School' post - I know! But people have been asking - What do I put in my child's lunch box? Do I need to adjust my meal and snack routine? What do I do if my child doesn't eat at school?

Read more here on how to support your child's eating as they head back to school:
https://childfeedingsupport.com/blogs/news/supporting-your-child-s-eating-as-they-go-back-to-school

09/02/2021

Monday thoughts!

Your child's feeding development is a journey- a life skill that is not acquired overnight. Like we say in our book, "There will be triumphs and setbacks, and progress may look like steps forward and back rather than predictable, steady improvement." (pg. 14)

You've got this!

01/02/2021

Does it sometimes feel like mealtimes are a battle? And the only alternative is to give up?

Here I have written about how Responsive Feeding offers another option: https://childfeedingsupport.com/blogs/news/how-to-stop-fighting-without-giving-up

12/01/2021

Delighted to have the first article in a series on Overcoming Fussy Eating Challenges published in the latest Cuidiú Newsletter 😀. In this first of a series I write about how we can rethink the question "how do I get my child to eat?"

Fantastic newsletter with some entertaining baby brain stories, and lovely articles on breast feeding, positive birth experiences & lots more.

Stay tuned for more articles in the next few editions of the Cuidiú newsletter. Get in touch if there is anything you would like to see addressed in this series on overcoming feeding challenges 😍