Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating: A Step-by-Step Guide for Overcoming Selective Eating, Food Aversion, and Feeding Disorders

by Katja Rowell, Jenny McGlothlin, Suzanne Evans Morris (Foreword)

In Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating , a family doctor specializing in childhood feeding joins forces with a speech pathologist to help you support your child’s nutrition, healthy growth, and end meal-time anxiety (for your child and you) once and for all.
 
Are you parenting a child with ‘extreme’ picky eating? Do you worry your child isn’t getting the nutrition he or she needs? Are you tired of fighting over food, suspect that what you’ve tried may be making things worse, but don’t know how to help?  Having a child with ‘extreme’ picky eating is frustrating and sometimes scary. Children with feeding disorders, food aversions, or selective eating often experience anxiety around food, and the power struggles can negatively impact your relationship with your child. Children with extreme picky eating can also miss out on parties or camp because they can’t find “safe” foods. But you don’t have to choose between fighting over every bite and only serving a handful of safe foods for years on end.
 
Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating offers hope, even if your child has “failed” feeding therapies before. After gaining a foundation of understanding of your child’s challenges and the dynamics at play, you’ll be ready for the 5 steps (built around the clinically proven STEPS+ approach―Supportive Treatment of Eating in PartnershipS) that transform feeding and meals so your child can learn to enjoy a variety of foods in the right amounts for healthy growth. You’ll discover specific strategies for dealing with anxiety, low appetite, sensory challenges, autism spectrum-related feeding issues, oral motor delay, and medically-based feeding problems. Tips and exercises reinforce what you’ve learned, and dozens of “scripts” help you respond to your child in the heat of the moment, as well as to others in your child’s life (grandparents or your child’s teacher) as you help them support your family on this journey. This book will prove an invaluable guide to restore peace to your dinner table and help you raise a healthy eater.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health, Nutrition, Food, Self Help, Audiobook

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Katja Rowell M.D is a family doctor and childhood feeding expert. Her mission is to bring peace and joy back to the family table. Rowell has a special interest in helping adoptive and foster families who struggle with weight and feeding worries. Rowell also supports parents of children with feeding differences and challenges from a brain-body focus.

Reviews

[Monica Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why didn't this book exist 8 years ago? As I read this book I seriously wished that I had a time machine and could just go back and do everything over. I would save my son and myself countless tears. I wouldn't have to see my son vomit or gag as I tried to force him to just lick a food. I wouldn't have to spend hundreds of dollars on toys if he would just try one bite of a food. There would be no more screaming or yelling because I was scared that he would die because I couldn't get him to eat.

There was nothing out there about eating issues like this 8 years ago. Trust me I looked everywhere. My son's eating issues started when he was an infant. Doctors were clueless. I worked with a nutritionist, two different OTs, psychologist, social worker and even a speech pathologist. I encountered tons of bad advice such as let him starve for three days and he will eat. Force him to drink it, he is winning the battle. The list goes on and on. As I was reading this book I just kept saying this is my son. My son suffered from sensory issues and anxiety. We have also done everything they mentioned on the don't do list in this book. The other thing I loved about this book is they back up what they are saying with research. Most of which was published after 2006 which is when my son was born. My family has suffered for the past 8 years trying to get my son to eat. I can't thank the authors enough for finally giving some excellent advice. My son only eats 10 foods. He won't eat any food from a restaurant. He eats no meat or vegetables. He has also had the same thing for dinner for the past 7 years. This book opened my eyes to some much needed new strategies. It is not going to be easy but I have given up over the past couple of years because I just couldn't fight with him any more. I am excited to try these new techniques. I also appreciate the advice they gave when dealing with other people who need to comment. I don't know if the authors will ever read this review but THANK YOU for writing this book!

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took one of my children to MONTHS of occupational therapy for feeding issues. I wish I had read this book first. The therapy was okay... but I think a lot of the parent education there was glossed over which (as this book explains) is counter-productive and I picked up all kinds of tricks that I think were intended to be exposure therapy but which just seemed to add stress to the battle for control. This book (so, so gently) explains the stress behind picky eating and the things parents might inadvertently be doing that perpetuate and exacerbate issues. This book is 100% compatible with the research and philosophy of Ellyn Satter, if you're familiar with her.

All to say this is the perfect place to start out if you have a child with extreme picky eating—it's authored by a family doctor/childhood feeding specialist (Rowell) and a speech-language pathologist / specialist in pediatric feeding disorders (McGlothlin). I am going to keep it in my home library in case some of these issues re-surface (or to loan out), and while I haven't finished the book it's only because after following some of the principles mentioned in the first few chapters things have drastically improved and I feel SO MUCH LESS STRESS at meal times. Of course, some of this may be due to the maturing of my child (which I expect is true) but this book gave me a lot more confidence and peace with waiting for that maturation process. I really appreciate books that foster confidence in parents rather than fostering fear (so rare!).

[Suzie Barston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parenting books, especially those regarding specific issues and ESPECIALLY those regarding nutrition, are typically preachy and condescending. This book is the polar opposite. The advice is solid, the writing is direct yet warm, and the author offers continuous reminders that YOU are the expert on your own child. If your child has any sort of eating issues, this book should be the first (and perhaps only) guide book you order. You'll feel empowered by the end of the first chapter, and it only gets better from there.

[Diana Stormblessed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hoping to learn how to get my kids to eat variety but I'm basically already doing most of these suggestions. The book focuses on being happy with the baby steps but I'm starting to think my kids will eat like picky toddlers for their entire lives.

[Jenny Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book as part of a work requirement, but was pleasantly surprised. It really focuses on division of roles with feeding and how parents can support their child who has an anxiety surrounding feeding. It definitely has made me rethink my practice and I feel that a lot of other therapists could benefit from reading this.

[Tera · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://yumstheraplay.com/2016/03/help...

Parents of children with feeding difficulties need to take advantage of this book, Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating by Katja Rowell, MD (family doctor and feeding specialist) and Jenny McGlothlin, MS, SLP (speech language pathologist specializing in pediatric feeding disorders). I’m a reader and reading is a preferred learning method for me personally. Repetition in learning feeding therapy strategies is always beneficial for parents. I’ve not seen a book so appropriately written, specifically for parents, to address feeding difficulties for children before. This book would be a great addition to participating in feeding therapy with your child. Really, I feel like this is a great summary of what I teach parents during a 3-4 month period of weekly feeding therapy.

Often, I remind parents of recommendations I’ve given in the past and they have forgotten. This book would be great to read before, during or after a child has received feeding therapy. It would really solidify the information given and parents could refer back to it easily.

If your child hasn’t started feeding therapy, I suggest reading this book one chapter at a time. Remember that I said it’s a good summary of what I teach parents over 3-4 months at a time? It is a large amount of information and could possibly be overwhelming all at once. Read a chapter, then take a week or two to really think and start applying the suggestions at home. Then go on through chapter by chapter like this until you’ve finished the book.

The philosophy of feeding therapy presented in this book addresses the importance of decreasing anxiety around food first, then to encourage and facilitate building skills in a trusting and safe mealtime environment. It mirrors my own feeding therapy philosophy. Towards the end of the book, the authors also discuss finding a feeding therapist and program that is a good fit for your child and family.

The book is written with a compassionate and realistic understanding of what children and parents go through when a child isn’t eating well. The authors structure the book around Jenny McGlothin’s STEPS+ feeding therapy approach.

STEP 1: Decrease Anxiety, Stress and Power Struggles.

STEP 2: Establish a Structured Routine

STEP 3: Have Family Meals

STEP 4: Know What to Serve and How to Serve It

STEP 5: Build Skills

Buy this book! Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating even has digital downloads to help implement book suggestions through the publisher, New Harbinger Publications.

I provide feeding therapy services in children’s homes in Davis, Morgan and Weber counties in Utah. If I am not in your area, Feeding Matters has compiled an extensive list of international feeding professionals. I’d love to help your family!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have an extremely picky eater and the only advice you get is from friends, family and strangers who only make you feel anxious and guilty instead of confident and hopeful, get this book. The authors are experts, and they know what they're talking about. They've seen the worst-case-scenario kids who are fed by tubes and have been through traumatic "therapies" (force-feeding, deliberate starvation, threats, etc.), so anything going on in your house isn't going to shock them.

The suggestions in the book are honest and practical. Most importantly, the path that the authors advise is thoroughly compassionate, focusing on restoring and maintaining a postitive relationship between you and your child, and between your child and food. There are clear steps to follow, answers to your nutritional fears, and words to help you deal with the people in your life who think that your child is bratty and spoiled ("Why don't you just make her sit there until she eats her vegetables?! That's what I'd do.") Highly recommend.

[Elana Sadeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a 2.5 star rating. I was looking for a step by step guide, which they clearly claim this book is on the subtitle. This was not a guide, more of a series of ideas and suggestions. The entire first 3/4 of the book are about understanding food related problems and anxiety around it. Finally the actual advice is generally the same you see everywhere: family meals, exposure with no pressure, be patient and they’ll eventually try things. This book was written for little kids and did not include any advice for parents who have done the “right things” all along but still struggle with picky eating and fear of trying new foods (my 11 and 9 year olds). Nor was there advice for kids with no interest in food, eating, mealtime, and have little to no appetite (my 4 year old). So, while I liked this book in general, it did very little to nothing in terms of helping me with my kids eating issues.

[Jen (bookscoffeedogs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for where we are right now. Concise, clear suggestions for promoting healthy eating in kiddos with extreme picky eating. Or heck, eating at all. I feel like I have a decent tool box to start this process at home. Already my anxiety is greatly reduced as I look over DAYS of eating, not individual MEALS. Great book if you have a picky eater, sensory eater, or otherwise not as adventurous an eater as others might be. I love the lack of pressure for both kids and parents this book presents. Even at the end they remind us that even if they don't eat everything, chances are they will grow up just fine. Yup. No parent NEEDS more pressure, neither do most of our kids. I really recommend it if your child has been diagnosed with an eating issue or in general is quite picky.

[Tricia Tirio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally take the time to write reviews, but I had to share how practical and helpful this book is for all the very frustrated parents of picky eaters. My son is a EPE and he grazes all day. This book offered tips to get him on a meal/snack schedule that I was able to implement immediately. After only a couple of days, the power struggles and the constant begging for “safe foods” have gone down considerably. Once our routine is firmly established, I look forward to trying “food chaining” and other strategies from this book, to get encourage him to eat a greater variety of foods.

[Hannah Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many practical strategies for parents experiencing fussy/picky eating with their children; being able to simplify eating yet breaking down and providing parents with specific tips and strategies.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After just one meal of implementing this program, can already see how over time it will change our lives for the better.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for advice on how to help a picky eater experiencing weight loss, pain, physical eating difficulties, or gagging/vomiting, this book might be for you. Unfortunately, my picky eater doesn’t fit this mold.

I have a 5 year old picky eater who eats maybe 15-20 foods— maybe more or less. He will chew meat for hours. He will refuse foods that I know he loves that appear different (example— he likes eggs but won’t try quiche). The only vegetable he will eat is a carrot.

Anyway, I used to try to force the one bite method and it was just a battle I wasn’t willing to fight so for the last year, I’ve basically done what this book suggests— to let him make the choice to eat what he wants. I’ve been doing this for a year. I’ve offered new foods but taken the requirement of eating out. He has actually gotten pickier. It just doesn’t seem to be the right advice fit for my picky eater.

The basics of the book is to eliminate the anxiety of eating by stopping the requirement of taking a bite or trying things and somehow (where do you bridge the learning?) they will like new stuff. Maybe it works for some... but it just didn’t work for us.

Another thing I disliked was the passive aggressive sample responses they provided for you to try. It felt so strange... and I would never say some of those things.

A few things I am taking away from this book that I liked was to change the shape or presentation of the food— cut lunch meat or cheese into shapes. I’m also going to try to get my kiddo more involved in the shopping and preparing of the foods. That might help him get excited about something new.... who knows?

[Harshal Patil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a huge impact on me—5 out of 5—because I could immediately use what I learned with my 5-year-old at home. It gave me confidence and practical tools, especially around nutrition and mealtimes. I wrote everything I learned from this book and related content in this blog: What I Learned About Picky Eating From 4 Expert Sources- https://www.harshal-patil.com/post/pi...

If you're worried about your child's nutrition, the book suggests starting by tracking everything they eat for 7 days. Then you can show it to a dietitian for help. This kind of criteria was helpful.

Protein Needs: Overestimated
Most parents think kids need more protein than they actually do. But children usually get enough. For example, a 17 kg (39 lb) preschooler only needs about 20–25g of protein per day. That can come from:

1 cup of milk + 2 slices of bread with peanut butter

OR 150g Greek yogurt + 4 chicken nuggets

Supplements and Nutrients
While building vegetable habits, giving your child a multivitamin is okay.

Calcium is usually not an issue if your child drinks cow's or soy milk. But if they don’t, keep an eye on calcium intake.

Picky eaters might be low in iron. Ask your doctor if they need a blood test.

You don’t need to limit salt unless there's a medical reason.

Sugar and Behavior
Avoid making a big deal out of sugar. If you highlight sugar as a problem, children may show more behavior issues. Instead:

Pair sugary foods with protein or fat, like milk with cookies.

Serve treats casually.

The authors say even high fructose corn syrup can be part of a child’s diet—sugar is one acceptable way to provide calories.

Avoiding Pressure Around Food
The book lists 7 common ways parents pressure kids about food:

Emotional manipulation – “I made this just for you!”

Praise – “Good job eating all your peas!”

Rewards – “You get a sticker for eating.”

Deals – “Two bites = dessert.”

Forced interaction – “Just kiss the broccoli.”

Health talk – “It’s good for you.”

Programs – like “Try 10 new foods in 10 days”

These often backfire. The better approach is to build a calm, predictable routine.

Meal Routines and Independence
Create a schedule: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Stick to rough time windows so your child knows what to expect.

Don’t praise how much they eat. Instead, praise independence:

Washing hands

Cleaning toys

Bringing food to the table

Putting on their apron

Getting kids involved in cooking helps too, but it won’t guarantee they’ll eat everything.

School and Mealtime Environments
Make sure schools aren’t pressuring kids to eat “one more bite,” finish food before dessert, or follow strict portion rules.

Before dinner, keep kids active with light play or tickles to keep energy up.

Call everything “mealtime” instead of “lunch” or “snack.” If they’re hungry just before dinner, avoid large snacks—maybe offer a tiny snack or move dinner earlier.

Let them sit at the kitchen table while you cook. It keeps them involved without spoiling dinner.

Feeding Tubes and Picky Eating
If your child needs a feeding tube, that’s okay. It can reduce stress about nutrition and give you space to work on eating slowly and gently.

If your child skips dinner often, it’s okay to offer a bedtime snack. It’s a low-pressure chance to eat again. As long as dinner includes one “safe food,” that’s enough.

If they ask for something else at dinner—like crackers—you don’t need to give in. Explain the new routine gently:

“We used to offer crackers when you asked. Now you can choose from what’s on the table.”

Eating Setup
Remove the tray from the high chair and pull it up to the table.

Make sure your child’s feet are supported with a footrest.

Serve food family-style in the center of the table.

Don’t pre-plate food. Let them choose what and how much to eat.

Dessert Rules
The authors suggest serving dessert with dinner and limiting how much. But I prefer giving dessert separately and letting kids decide how much they want.

Teaching Preferences and Respect
Help kids learn that everyone has different tastes:

“Your yucky is my yummy.”

If someone pressures your child to eat, teach them to say,

“No thank you.”

If your child prefers fast food and you like steamed veggies, know that the gap won’t close overnight. Take small steps.

Food Chaining
Food chaining means small, gentle progressions. But some suggestions didn’t appeal to me—like moving from water to juice or from plain to flavored yogurt. I don’t want to push sugary foods just for the sake of chaining. That’s not a goal I share.

Focus on Taste, Not Just Nutrition
Kids eat what tastes good. Instead of pushing nutrition facts, focus on making healthy food taste good.

Condiments are fine—just like adults use hot sauce. If your kid likes chicken with ketchup, you can use that as a bridge to trying new proteins.

In new settings, offer familiar foods first. Add “learning” foods slowly, one step at a time.

Think About the Environment
Consider the eating setup at school or daycare:

Are kids rushing to get to play?

Are teachers watching over them while eating?

Are they wearing bulky clothes?

Can they open their containers?

Practical Tools and Fun Ideas
Freeze yogurt sticks for the lunchbox—they’ll thaw by lunch.

Use fun tools like fruit picks or chopsticks. Let kids use crackers as spoons if they like.

Don’t stress about manners at first. Focus on making meals fun.

Try a weekly “fancy dinner night” with funny accents or silly rules.

Go to farmers’ markets when your child is a little hungry—free samples are a great way to try new things.

Notice your child’s preferences. If they hate messy hands, keep a washcloth nearby. If they don’t care, let the mess be. Don’t interrupt their eating to clean up.

I didn’t read the therapy sections closely because my child doesn’t need that level of support. But the rest of the book gave me clarity and peace of mind. It helped me create a more relaxed, respectful, and confident approach to feeding my child.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is fantastic. It helps identify possible causes of extreme picky eating without shaming parents. Some of the things I’ve done definitely contributed to my son’s issues, but this book discusses ways to move forward without making me feel horrible or hopeless. It’s also not a one-size-fits-all model, that assumes our kids are robots who can be whipped into shape. It respects the kids while also making the steps reasonable for parents (who often have other kids to worry about). Highly highly recommended.

[Atlantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to absorb this book and I left it on the bookshelf paritlally read for awhile before finishing it up. The part that was really reassuring to me was the part about anxiety, not only for my picky eater, but for myself as a parent. You want your child to have healthy eating habits but that cannot be forced. Keeping everything positive and reassuring was much more life changing than trying to make a reward system for eating/trying certain foods. I’m going to add this book to my LFL.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anything, this book has made me feel a lot less anxious about how "badly" my daughter eats. It's not actually that bad when I look at it through a different filter. I think me being less anxiety ridden and letting things go is going to vastly improve our dinner time experience. Here's hoping, anyways.

[Jeff Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy to understand techniques to help "extreme picky eaters". focused more on younger kids, especially those with motor or sensory issues, less helpful for anxiety based food issues of tweens/teenagers, but still a few tips to try.

[Stacey Beach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good advice. It helped me consider things about my kid's eating behavior that I had not before. As with most books of this type, I wish an editor had cut it down by about 60%.

[Beth Given · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I wish this book had existed a decade ago!

I learned a lot of what is suggested in this book (such as low pressure at dinnertime and routine, consistent family meals) by a long and arduous road of trial and error. My oldest is an extremely picky eater - he has been since he started solids as an infant - and I remember many stressful meals full of tears (both his and mine!) over food. Not every meal was that way but I cringe thinking about the ones that were.

Unfortunately, this book probably isn’t the miracle cure to my son’s picky eating. Most advice is for parents of toddlers and preschoolers and maybe grade schoolers; my son is almost fourteen and he hasn’t outgrown his eating habits. Sure, I will continue to try the methods outlined in this book, but I am skeptical it will turn my kid into an adventurous eater.

But I do feel like this book changed my perspective, and thus it was really valuable to me. The authors’ tone and advice was so supportive and validating to me as a parent, which has strengthened my confidence in how I approach mealtimes and nutrition in my home. I think my own confidence will be invaluable as I advocate and support my teen. It’s taken me a LONG time to set aside my own fears and shame surrounding his eating (and honestly, I’m still not free of that shame, but at least I’m now conscious of it so I can work on it). But letting go of shame really is crucial in helping these kids feel loved for who they are rather than being defined by what they eat. A person is so much more than his body, and a parent’s relationship with a child should come before the child’s relationship with food — I appreciate the authors reminding us parents of that!

This book really was kind, helpful, and realistic - all things any mother needs in a parenting book. I do wish the authors had addressed more of my own son’s stage of life (adolescence). And I wish the cover hadn’t been purple-y pink with a photo of a curly-haired toddler girl on it! But at least this book introduced me to the authors; they have a follow-up workbook for teens and adults (I will probably order it, though I’m not sure my teen is ready for it yet) and they have been guests on podcast episodes that I’ve found helpful.

I hope that in another decade we will have some more solid research on effective therapies for selective eating and ARFID - I do think we’ll get there!

I’ll be back later with quotes I’ve underlined from this book!

[Tranylle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book soon after my son (who at the time was just barely 5) completed his intensive feeding therapy program. Our therapist said it would help me help him branch out on foods, and to hopefully keep him (and myself!) from regressing. I just recently remembered I never finished it (I only read the parts relevant to me at that time) so I thought I should finish it up.

I got some great ideas on how to help my son branch out more in his food choices. We've definitely been in a rut, with him willing to try one bite of something new (if I ask him to, which the book says is a no no), but even if he sort of liked it, he wouldn't eat it again.

The book said that at dinner time, I should have the food in the center of the table, buffet style. Let the kids put whatever food they want on their plate. Don't coerce them into picking anything, but have foods they might not be comfortable with as one of the options. Also, serve dessert at the same time as dinner, and allow them to eat it at any point during the meal. 😮 Do not give them suggestions on what and how much to choose, and they don't need to finish everything in their plate.

So, a few days ago, I did it. I made rice-a-roni with shredded chicken, since both kids love it, and green beans. I put a cookie on a napkin by each kid. They were extremely excited to serve themselves. And my son, who is now 7, ate way more green beans than he is usually willing to when I scoop portions on his plate. Amazing! The next day, I served raw carrots (something he doesn't like) and ranch with our dinner. He immediately grabbed a carrot, dipped it in ranch, and took a big bite. He said it was really crunchy, tasted ok, and swallowed. He didn't take any more bites, but it was a big step for him.

So it was seriously such great advice, and I'm glad I finally finished the book. It can be helpful for picky eaters that don't have a medical reason for it as well, since it is mostly helping the parent present food in a safer way.

[Ame · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a super helpful resource for caretakers pertaining to the sources of why children are exhibiting extreme picky eating methods - is it sensory? are they developmentally not ready for a certain food? do they have anxiety from a negative experience?

The methods for helping children feel relaxed during meal time are also very reasonable, such as serving family style dinners and having kids pick the foods they want, or not commenting/praising a kid for eating/trying new foods, etc. I think this book really helped ease my anxieties pertaining to foods, and helped me to realize that my kids are actually doing great with food developmentally and most of the "problem" lies with me worrying (the book doesn't blame the caretaker, but does encourage self-reflection especially if you yourself have previously had a strenuous relationship with food).

I took my time with this text because it examines eating from a lot of different angles along with therapies (what's a good therapy? what methods are more harmful than helpful?), so it's a lot to pore over!

[Luisa Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son is not an extremely picky eater but i noticed that meal times were starting to be very stressful, that I was getting anxious and that comments from my parents (and in laws) were making me second guess myself + feel like a terrible mother. All this was having a negative impact on my son's willingness to try new foods. this booked helped me take a step back, remove the stress around meal times and realise that my son is not as picky as i thought he was (he eats everything when at day care or with my parents but only fruit, bread and pasta when at his other grandparents, and at home somewhere in between)

i would have liked to go a bit more into details on how to introduce new foods (beyond simply presenting them to my son - e.g. should you try multiple nights in a row or give it a few days? how many news foods can i introduce in one week? etc). Also a recap at the end of the book with the main take aways would have been good.

[IRIFF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended in a parenting group on social media. I sought advice on dealing with mealtime power struggles with my 3 year old.

There is a lot of focus on eating (or not eating) as a disorder or because of sensory-motor issues, and how to seek and work with therapy. This was not applicable to my family; my son can chew and swallow, he just chooses not to. Implementing the main steps, starting with the division of responsibility approach, made a huge difference for my picky eater. The challenge now is getting others on board with unconventional methods like serving dessert with the meal.

If you are looking for guidance on how to get your child to eat, whether s/he's just being stubborn, is in full blown failure to thrive status, or anywhere in between, this book has good recommendations and resources. Good luck!

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book hoping to help both of my kids (age 10 and 8) who regularly refuse food or have fits at the dinner table. This method proposes serving meals, including snacks, family-style (dishes on the table) with at least one safe food the kid will eat. It recommends feeding on a schedule and not pressuring the kids to eat a certain way. I started this method a few days ago and have noticed a lot more happiness around eating. There are still a few complaints here or there, but so far, it has been manageable. My son even tried a new fruit already! Plus, I'm not getting up every five minutes to serve a snack. For me, that's a major win.

[Allison McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, some HOPE for this mom of an extremely picky eater! I was emotional reading this book because I finally felt like someone understands what we are dealing with. We haven't implemented all of the practices yet but it was such a RELIEF to know that I was not alone in this terrible picky eating battle and to have some practical steps to move forward. And thank goodness it's not someone else saying, "it's just a phase," "he'll grow out of it," or "he'll eat when he's hungry". Highly recommend this book!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very helpful in developing a feeding therapy plan for my son with ARFID. I have spoken with the Feeding Doctor on Facebook and clarified some things as well as other well known feeding therapists. We developed a no-pressure, DOR approach that focuses on volume tolerance and exposure over time. We also use the DOR approach with my 4 year old who has a G-tube and Autism. It is my most recommended book for those struggling with atypical picky eating.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this thoughtful, backed by science method of not just helping your child overcome eating challenges, but helping you reconnect with your parenting and for both your child and yourself to heal from the unnecessary pressures we end up under when it comes to food. Love this approach and look forward to implementing these steps into our days.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this before I had kids! The amount of relief I felt with every chapter can’t be overstated. The solutions for families with different schedules and lifestyles are awesome. This book also redefined what counts as a “family meal” for me and most importantly, the strategies work. Everyone is less anxious and it feels like we all have freedom again.

[Candida · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of information and advice to deal with a variety of extremes. The advice is meant to be forgiving and possible to implement in gatherings, eating out and in families with various eating needs.