Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater: A Parent's Handbook; A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating

by Nimali Fernando, Melanie Potock, Roshini Raj (Foreword)

Expert advice from a feeding therapist and a “pediatrician in the kitchen” on teaching children healthy eating habits from the start—or after trouble starts

Pediatrician Nimali Fernando and feeding therapist Melanie Potock specialize in showing parents the way to joyful, nutritious mealtimes. Their proven strategies direct families past every roadblock, whether selective eating, different parenting styles, special needs, or medical issues such as sensory disorders.

In Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater, they offer clear guidance for every stage of a child’s development, from birth to elementary school:
Steps to encourage self-feeding, and the importance of letting little ones get messy
Tips on how to ditch unhealthy kids’ menus and kids’ meals
Recipes designed especially for young taste buds
Helpful insights on the sensory system, managing mealtime behaviors, healthy eating around the world—and much more.
The authors also highlight seven qualities of good parenting—being joyful, compassionate, brave, patient, consistent, proactive, and mindful—and show how valuable they are at mealtimes and beyond.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Health, Nutrition, Childrens, Cookbooks, Audiobook

275 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Hailey Hconroybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure who these little alien toddlers are who are enjoying homemade seaweed wraps, kale chips, and radish treats, but they are definitely not my kids, or even me for that matter. Some of the toddler recipes and suggestions just seemed very unrealistic. I also said in my head several times throughout this book, “ain’t nobody got time for that!”

I found the very beginning and the very end useful. The beginning discussed positioning baby in the chair and gave tips for starting out. The ending discussed stories of different individual eating struggles that I found relatable. However, I felt like the majority of the book presented different strategies and “tricks” that are supposed to turn your child into this amazing eater. As a parent of two extremely picky eaters with sensory issues, I personally didn’t find much of this useful or realistic. There are a few helpful tidbits scattered throughout, and I did enjoy the stories at the end. I really would have liked to see more advice tailored to the extremely picky sensory eaters other than “get feeding therapy.” I also would have liked to see more tips and tricks that were in touch with time restrictions and busy schedules. There are very few books like this on the market, so I’ll take any helpful morsel of advice I can get!

[Kateri · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a such a huge market for what this book promises to be - a guide for parents who want their children to eat more than the usual junk and sugar that kids love. I got some useful things from this book, like the fact that a child gets picky around 1 yr of age and that you should make sure they are comfortable in their high chair. But unfortunately the rest was vague and common sense, eat together as a family and serve your children what you eat. Duh. That doesn't mean she will eat those foods you put on her plate. More importantly it doesn't mean she won't develop preferences for mostly sweets and yet randomly like broccoli, red hot potato chips, and greek dressing (to be licked directly off the lettuce). I think that I might write a book on guiding your child to adventurous eating that says, feed them what you eat, but only after you ensure that they are pretty much starving and willing to eat whatever is in front of them. It will also say, don't feel like a bad parent if after everything your child still only eats goldfish.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers guidelines for helping children of all ages - from infants through elementary school - learn to eat a variety of healthful foods and to approach eating in a positive, adventurous manner.

This sounds great - but in reality the book covers such a broad variety of topics that it's hard to imagine who the target audience is. Some of the more interesting elements include:
- The gross and fine motor skill development that facilitates chewing and swallowing in infants and toddlers, and the importance of proper eating equipment and positioning.
- The problem pickiness in toddlers and older children, and ways to introduce new foods gently
- Childhood eating pitfalls such as holidays and school lunches
- Physiological and psychological issues related to eating, and how a feeding therapist can help.

Unfortunately, the organization of the book - by age rather than by topic - forced the authors to repeat a lot of material, and there was no room left over for detailed discussion of tactics. In addition, the chapters on babies and toddlers were focused on the physical developments during that time rather than how to begin developing positive habits.

Overall I found the book interesting, but I didn't walk away feeling like I'd learned what I needed to on the topic.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors offer some good ideas linked to a child's developmental stage, but I found its cheesy, childish tone offensive.

[Kassie Sicat]

I’m not rating it because I feel it’d be unfair too since I skipped a lot of chapters to get to my child’s 3+ age range.

But today, after using one of the tips from this book, my daughter willingly tried teriyaki edamame beans without having to use bribery or get into a power struggle and she loved it.

It’s gonna take a while to get her to be fully open to trying all the foods, but this is a very promising start.

Three main things I learned:
-you control the food that comes into the house, including snacks. If you aren’t happy with your child’s choices, then don’t buy them.
-like baking cookies and celebrating with cake, give healthy meals the same fanfare and excitement. Have them help cook and develop that positive relationship with food, even if it does mean taking longer to get meals ready.
-power struggles, yelling, bribery with unhealthy food choices, name calling(ie. picky eater)don’t engage in any of that. Teach them with encouragement, being the good foodie example, having fun with mealtime, and calling them “food explorers”.

Lots of other great tips.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean...we're still working on some things.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not finished this book yet because it has chapters based on your child's age and the children I am primarily reading it for are under two and the book covers up through school age. I didn't get much from this book, honestly. It talked about positioning of the child in the correct seat, the types of spoons that work the best, how to have fun playing with your food if they are resistant eaters, how letting them be messy encourages them to try new foods, how the author prefers straws over sippy cups for language development and how to teach them, how motor skills tie in with eating, etc. It was okay, but not really relevant to my situation over here. I will probably continue reading later when the ages are appropriate, but just because I am nosey, not because I think I will actually learn too much. Giving Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater a 2 out of 5, not because it wasn't relevant to me, but because I don't think many people will glean much info from this book.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a real useful book if you have kids and you are struggling to make them eat and not being too picky. From the beginning to the school time, the author offers easy suggestion and tips to help you and your kids to appreciate "good food" and variety. I would recommend it to every family.

Libro veramente molto utile se avete figli e state combattendo per farli mangiare il piú vario e sano possibile. Dalla nascita fino all'entrata nel mondo della scuola, l'autrice offre facili trucchi e suggerimenti per aiutarvi e ad aiutare i bambini ad apprezzare il cibo sano e non sempre lo stesso.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND HAY HOUSE FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Shannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good information about how kids eat, how they develop skills and tools to help your child expand their palate. A lot of the information is not very useful if you already have a preschooler, but I still think it's a useful book if you have a picky eater of any kind. I especially liked the tricks for getting kids more involved in food shopping and prep and for how to frame the issues without labeling kids as "picky", which can have negative connotations.

We've already used a few tools with moderate success, so I'm encouraged that this book will help our little "still learning to explore food" eater.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

a book more about motor skills, than about "eaters". and based on many people all exhibiting their academic titles. finally, this is a book about training a child like a circus dog. sure, the text is far more compassionate as the training books of half a century ago, but there is not much diference. the child is not trained to walk, but is trained to hold a cup so the parents will be so proud of their baby seal in front of all the audience.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m having a hard time reviewing this book. While it had some great information, there was something about the tone of the book that really annoyed me. I also don’t think I am their target audience ... though I’m not sure who that would be. Overall, I wished I had picked this one up at the library or not at all rather than buying. Disappointing first read of the year.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I have an extraordinarily picky 4 year old, but honestly not much of it stuck with me. It was a lot about what happens in the specialist's office when they help children there, and nothing new for me at home that I hadn't already read about.

Do yourself a favor and pick up Ellyn Satter's book instead.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Didn’t really add anything to my knowledge base and definitely made a lot of ridiculous statements. May be more valuable if your child has a swallowing or feeding issue. Of all the feeding books this wasn’t one of the best.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good advice, but more tailored towards "problem eaters" than I initially realized, so wasn't as relevant for me as I'd hoped.

[Kasey Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars- There is some good information sprinkled throughout the book but a lot of the conversation becomes repetitive with vague suggestions. I think it becomes repetitive as the chapter’s are structured by age groups instead of subject matter.
To me, some of the views came off as privileged rhetoric…for example the book really demonizes store bought baby food and any pre-prepared ingredients/food. They present opinions, that quite frankly would have barriers for many households (due to financial, time, or resource availability constraints) with no suggestions to help overcome these barriers to achieve these goals.
I skimmed the last half of the book.
I did like that the book included recipe’s, from other cultures and from nutritionists, on the topics being addressed to help with feeding. I also enjoyed reading about how the child sits and body placement affects digestion and food motivation for children. This topic was also a repeated subject in multiple chapters that could have been addressed only once.

[Abbie Lively · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful advice to help get your child have a healthy relationship with food, helping you in the kitchen, and navigate picky eating. Their approach will take time and not a quick easy solution. Provided great examples of building a lunch.

But as a registered dietitian, I’m so glad they focused on exposure and continuous exposure of food around your child. I don’t feel we need to make every holiday “healthy.” For example, let your child have a normal piece of candy, no need to be restrictive. But I agree with their approach on focusing the holidays attention around family and getting your kids to not be sedentary.

[Sarah G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some decent information jn this book, particularly around some of the science and developmental aspects of feeding in early years that should be taken into consideration, but I felt like there was some missed opportunity for specifics around the actual act of feeding. There was so much focus on how to parent and support your child, but a lot less on specific foods and intervals for introducing them or actual nutritional requirements and recommendations. I also felt like the tone was a little juvenile at times.

Still helpful with some neat tidbits, particularly if you’re a new parent with zero experience in this arena.

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son has reached "that phase" (there's a phase for everyone) in which he has rejected the multitude of fruits, vegetables, protein sources, etc he used to gobble and has a limited list of foods he will eat. (It's a bigger list by 1, if you count ketchup x_X)
Anyways. I was hoping this book would have some solid suggestions, and I do plan to try much of what the author recommends, but GOD is it going to be some tough going at first. Like, really, really, REALLY TOUGH. lol

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Some useful information, but not enough practical tips (e.g., I was hoping for realistic suggestions/recipes) and lots of advice that seems to be targeted at people who can make this stuff basically their full-time job. I appreciate the ideal the authors are talking about, but making things a bit more attainable would have been much preferred.

[Katie Martin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for current Mamas who are just beginning food with their littles or for those that have a picky eater at home. I love how the authors intertwine the physiological aspects with behavioral components. They offer set advice and tips for how to help your child at a developmentally appropriate level, explore food. I just ordered her veggies book and hope to pick up some more tips.

[Tekquiree Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! I believe every parent should read this book. We don’t fully understand the development process of eating and this book explains it all. If you want to raise an adventurous eater or are trying to help a picky eater or a child sensitive to food this book is for you. Every parent should read this book before their child is 6 months old! 5 stars!!!

[Brinton McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advise for first time moms

This is a great book to read before you start your food journey with your new baby. There is great advise as a parent and as they get older there are recipes to follow. As the book states, its easier to start earlier to make it a fun enjoyable experience for everyone than wait and try to unteach them what they have learn.

[Ashley Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My OT mentor highly recommended I use this book as a resource while working with kiddos experiencing feeding difficulties. This is my go to reference for working with kiddos on my caseload with tube feedings, transitioning from thickened liquids to table foods, behavior problems during meal time, sensory issues, picky eaters, ETC. I also recommend this book to parents as well, when appropriate.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a "drop-in" kind of book. I read the chapter on 4-6 year old and it wasn't all that informative. It seemed like the strategies were meant to build on earlier chapters, so maybe the book will be more helpful if you start it with a younger child.

[Cynthia Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This helped me understand my kids' eating habits & not feel as guilty about their particular tastes. It is packed with ideas- some i'll try, some a little off the wall in my opinion but hey why not give it a try!

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas. Easy read. Some good info and some I skimmed through, that made easy sense. I wanted to read this to get fresh ideas on how to get my kids, especially my 23 month old, to eat more varied and healthier foods, and it helped.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some valuable information. I have been able to make meals times better for our family and my kids are way better at trying more foods. Some of the things seem a little out of touch. My kids don't find reading nutritional labels fun and throwing out food is a problem for my strict budget.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly helpful guide in feeding children solid food through various developmental stages. It covers the physiological and psychological development and gives parents the information and confidence they need to raise kids who truly are happy, healthy eaters.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and empowering, as well as easy to absorb. I appreciated the perspectives as we’re preparing to start our baby on solids within the next month or two— it was helpful to see a long view (up through elementary school) for context.

[Dayanna Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Info

First chapters are filled with interesting facts and information, last chapters seem to be just thrown in there! Great read