NW Pediatric & Family Nutrition

03/11/2026

Happy National Registered Dietitian Day!

Today I’m celebrating this incredible team at NW Pediatric & Family Nutrition.

Ten passionate, thoughtful, and incredibly skilled dietitians who show up every day to support families, empower kids, and bring compassion to conversations around food.

Each one brings their own unique expertise — and together they make this practice what it is.

I’m so grateful to work alongside these badass dietitians. 💚

Families are lucky to have you — and I am lucky to have you on my Team!

03/11/2026

✨ Welcome to the Team, Shelby! ✨

We’re excited to introduce the newest member of our team at NW Pediatric & Family Nutrition — Shelby Bledsoe, RD, IBCLC.

Shelby brings 4 years of experience in pediatric nutrition from Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, along with specialized training as a certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). Over the past year she has been supporting families in a lactation clinic, helping parents navigate feeding in the early months with confidence and care.

Shelby will be supporting families through the perinatal journey — from conception through postpartum —including:
🤍 Prenatal nutrition
🤍 Breastfeeding and lactation support
🤍 Infant feeding
🤍 Toddler nutrition

Her approach is compassionate, collaborative, and focused on helping families feel supported during this important stage of life.

📍 Shelby will be seeing clients in our Portland office and virtually across Oregon.

We’re so grateful to have her join our team and look forward to the many families she will support.

✨ Welcome, Shelby!

PediatricDietitian NWPediatricNutrition BreastfeedingSupport

02/24/2026

When picky eating is extreme, it’s rarely just about the food 🍽️

I was honored to have the chance recently to speak with Jill Castle, on the Nourished Child Podcast. We dive into:
✨ How anxiety and sensory challenges impact eating
✨ Why pressure at the table often backfires
✨ What actually helps beyond nutrition
✨ Our “food science” approach—using curiosity and the senses to support progress

If you’re supporting a child who feels stuck with food, this conversation will feel validating, hopeful, and practical. 🎧
👉 Listen now (link in bio). Thanks Jill .nourished.child

12/29/2025

The start of a new year often comes with a lot of pressure to “do better,” and for many people that quickly turns into a goal to lose weight. Diet plans, cleanses, and promises of a “new you” are everywhere in January. While it can feel motivating at first, focusing on weight loss as a New Year’s goal often leads to frustration, guilt, and burnout rather than lasting health.

This year, we’re encouraging a different approach, one that supports both physical and mental well-being, and is far more sustainable for individuals and families.
Click on the link to read more.

The start of a new year often comes with a lot of pressure to “do better,” and for many people that quickly turns into a goal to lose weight. Diet plans, cleanses, and promises of a “new you” are everywhere in January

12/24/2025

Wishing you and a your family a Merry Christmas!

11/28/2025

Looking for a meaningful gift for the curious child in your life? 🎁✨
Maeve the Junior Food Scientist: From Yuck to Yum! is the perfect way to encourage kids to explore new foods with confidence, curiosity, and zero pressure.

From now until December 15th, enjoy FREE shipping when you order directly from me by clicking link in the comments (use promo code BLACKFRIDAY25) or pick up a copy locally in Bend at Learning Express or Roundabout Books. 🎄📚

Wrap up a gift that inspires joyful eating and a positive relationship with food this holiday season. Each book includes a QR code to down their own Junior Food Scientist worksheet in order to support their own adventurous eating. 💛

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours! Wishing you non-diet culture, food satisfaction and body positive day! 🦃🥂🎉

11/21/2025

Now that we are hitting off the Holiday season next week with Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some tips in order to help you be best prepared.
Navigating holiday meals can feel tricky—especially when well-meaning relatives bring diet talk or pressure to the table. ❤️

These simple scripts and strategies can help you protect your child’s relationship with food and keep the focus on connection, not consumption.

Swipe through for gentle ways to handle comments, support picky eaters, and model food neutrality this season. 🦃✨

You’re doing an amazing job. 💛

10/30/2025

Halloween is tomorrow, and for many parents, the thought of all that candy can be a bit spooky! 😱 But here’s the thing: Your child’s relationship with candy doesn’t have to be a scary one. 👻⁠
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I discourage families from putting tight restrictions on dessert and Halloween candy and treating it as forbidden. Research shows that the more attention we give to dessert, the more fixated a child will become. ⁠⠀⁠
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Children are naturally drawn to sweet food, and the key is to neutralize its power by using these four tips in your household to help your child have a healthy relationship with dessert and learn to self-regulate.⠀⁠⠀⁠
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1) Dessert/treats should not come with conditions (clean your plate or eat your vegetables).⠀⁠⠀⁠
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2) Dessert should not be treated as a reward or a bribe.⠀⁠⠀⁠
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3) Incorporate sweets into the meals as a snack or part of the meal. This helps to teach children that desserts can fit into a balanced diet and shouldn’t be treated as a forbidden food.⠀⁠⠀⁠
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4) Avoid “good food and bad food” comparison. I like to refer to food as “growing food” or “lasting energy fuel” and sugary foods as “fun food” or, better yet, call it what it is, “cookie, candy bar.”⠀⁠⠀⁠
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I will be letting my children enjoy their candy on Halloween 🎃 night. I’m always surprised one of my kids will wait until they get home to dig in, and the other will eat a few along the way, and they will happily share with me. When they get home, they love to spread it out and sort it in piles and trade between them. They always have a stash they want to enjoy and set aside others they don’t like and will donate(skittles), and some are contributed to a shared bowl that the whole family will bring out for dessert throughout the week or include some with afternoon snacks. After a week, it seems to lose its novelty and magically disappears (ok, I can’t resist the peanut butter cups), and we’re done with it. ⁠
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Remember, Halloween is about fun, costumes, and making magical memories. Candy can be part of the fun without being a source of fear. 🦇⁠
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10/29/2025

Returning today from a wonderful trip to Disneyland to celebrate my daughter’s turning 17 and 12. It’s true the days are long, but the years are short. Disneyland does truly feel like the happiest place on earth, I’m grateful for this experience and memory. 🎃🎃🥳🎉

09/30/2025

☀️ Flash back to Summer vibes in Bend’s Mill District! Big thanks to for capturing our team out and about.

Both Sara and Lori are currently accepting new clients (virtually + in our Bend office).
✨ Sara: neurodivergent kids, sports nutrition, eating disorder recovery
✨ Lori: pediatric nutrition, ARFID, diabetes support

We love being part of the Bend community! 💙

09/19/2025

✨ Big news! ✨
If you’re in Bend, you can now grab a copy of Maeve the Junior Food Scientist: From Yuck to Yum! locally at Learning Express Toys 🎉 No shipping, just stop by and shop!

This book is perfect for the 5–8 year old in your life who you’d love to see become more adventurous with food. 🥦🍓 It helps kids explore new foods in a fun, pressure-free way while building curiosity and confidence at the table.

And for this month only, in honor of NW Pediatric & Family Nutrition’s 10-year celebration, I’m offering FREE shipping when you order online. 🎂🥳
👉 Just use promo code 10YEARS at checkout (link in profile).

I’m excited to be adding more local spots soon so families can pick up a copy without paying shipping fees. Thank you for all the support in spreading curiosity and joy around food! 💛🌱