Melanie Potock

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.

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❤️Like this post if you want your kids to learn to...

🥳Celebrating 85,000 followers! Thank you for being such an incredible support to me, and this community!

🥰Melanie
🥦🥕🥬🥒🌽

Must be 18+ to enter. Open to US residence only. This giveaway is not associated with IG/Meta or any other account other than @mymunchbug_melaniepotock

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Preventing a toddler from throwing foods means...

Whenever you can, keep an empty section on baby’s plate. If you sense they are going to toss the food, point to the empty spot, smile and say “You can put it right here.”

If they oblige, praise, clap or just smile and keep eating together. If it gets pitched, just ignore it.

Toddlers will quickly learn to keep food on the plate if they aren’t eating it. See how this little guy moved the tater tot from the silicone mat onto the plate? Bravo!

Want more tips like this from my on-demand course, taught with pediatrician Dr. Yum?
Comment COURSE for your discount code and a link to my entire course library! Choose THE PICKY EATER COURSE for tips from toddlers to kindergarten!

Melanie

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #ashaigers #pickyeaters #responsivefeeding #originalidea

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Know that your kid’s picky eating is not your...

✨👉🏼✨That’s my #1 tip, because if I can help you put that guilt away once and for all, the better it will be for you, and your sweet kid, and the sooner we will be on our way to finding joy in food!

😊Hi, I’m Melanie, a pediatric feeding specialist with over 25 years of experience. I can confidently share with you that after treating thousands of kids for picky eating (and even the most extreme picky eating) I have never met a parent who didn’t think they were somehow to blame. Stop. You’re a wonderful parent!❤️

✨Here’s what one of those parents said to me, and I’ll never forget it.

😔For years, her son was consisting on potato chips, french fries and a prescribed pediatric formula, and he was 8 years old. After a few sessions together, she told me this:

✨”Mel, I get it. This is not my fault. But, the change in HIM begins with the change in ME.”

🥰Wow. Smart, smart mom. So here’s what she did:
🧘🏼‍♀️She put on her best Academy Award-Winning performance and modeled calm when he didn’t eat, when he threw a tantrum or when he refused to eat at all at school. Inside, she was anxious, worried, and certain that he would starve. But she still modeled calm, and in turn, he also became much calmer. Meanwhile, we started implementing strategies.
💕Together, we worked on helping him tolerate having new foods on his plate, siting the in the cafeteria without hiding under the table and introduced him to cooking with his parents. We started small. We built from there. And all that time, she made a conscious effort to stop looking so worried, even if she still felt it inside.
✨👉🏼✨Her body language shifted from “He’s not going to eat it” to “I trust that he can do this.” Her feelings of guilt shifted from “This is my fault” to “He trusts me to help him get better.”

❤️❓❤️Tell me, what’s the one thing you worry most about, when it comes to your hesitant eater?

🤍Melanie

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #ashaigers #pickyeaters #arfidawareness

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😳Are you scared that your child might choke while...

✨Know the facts & Save this post:

👉🏼Food is the most common cause of nonfatal choking in young kids.
👉🏼Kids under the age of 5 are at greatest risk
Young toddlers account for 37.8% of cases*
👉🏼For kids under age 4, (unless modified for safety) avoid serving:
•👉🏼Hot dogs (especially cut into a coin shape), meats, sausages, fish with bones
•👉🏼Popcorn, tortilla chips, pretzel nuggets
•👉🏼Candy (especially hard or sticky candy), cough drops, gum, lollipops, marshmallows, caramels, hard candies, and jelly beans
•👉🏼Whole or halved grapes & blueberries, raw vegetables, raw peas
•👉🏼Dried fruits, sunflower seeds, whole nuts
•👉🏼Peanut butter, especially when served as a spoonful or thickly smeared on soft breads
✨👉🏼✨ALWAYS feed kids in a highchair or supported seating that keeps them upright, sitting well-supported and buckled in!
✨👉🏼✨Pro Tip: Dips and drinks via a straw are always helpful to add moisture

📚This is not an all-inclusive list! To learn more, comment BOOKS and I’ll send you a link to look inside all 4 of my books on raising healthy, happy little eaters!

❓Questions on how to modify the foods above? Drop them in the comments. I’m here to help.

❤️Melanie

*Pediatrics (2013) 132 (2): 275–281.
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-0260

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #ashaigers #pickyeaters #responsivefeeding #startingsolids #chokinghazards

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Picky Eater won’t eat green beans? Make this...

👋🏼Hi, I’m Melanie, author of Adventures in Veggieland, here to help you raise healthy happy eaters. RECIPE is below, but 🗣️comment VEGGIES to look inside the book!

You’ll need:
✨1 pint sized canning jar with lid
✨4 oz green beans
✨3 sprigs of fresh dill
✨1 large garlic clove, sliced
✨½ t. mustard seeds
✨1 cup distilled white vinegar
✨1 cup purified or bottled water
✨3 t. sea salt
✨3 t. sugar

❤️Kids Can (with your help)
✨Wash and blanch green beans
✨Put dill, garlic and mustard seeds in jar
✨Snip ends of beans (discard ends) so beans will stand up in jar
🤍In large saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Bring this brine to boil for 2 minutes till salt and sugar dissolve.
👉🏼ADULTS put brine into jar, stopping just below rim. (Beans immersed completely.)
✨Place lid on jar, refrigerate 24 hours, then enjoy! (Last in fridge for up to 4 weeks)

🥰Such a fun, quick and inexpensive way to cook with your kids. Double the recipe to make a gift for a neighbor too!

🗣️Comment VEGGIES to look inside the book!
🤍Melanie
Hey, did you notice I forgot a few steps in this video? LOL! And I wrote the book!😂

📷Eric Harvey Brown
#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #ashaigers #pickyeaters #responsivefeeding #originalidea #arfidawareness #adventuresinveggieland

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Here are 4 things you MUST HAVE if you’re going to...

🗣️COMMENT DINE for my tested and true favorite products sent right to your inbox!

✨1.✨A @purellbrand wipe for wiping down surfaces/highchairs.
✨2.✨My favorite LARGE disposable mat that REALLY sticks
(I have a superb silicone option if you prefer!)
✨3.✨Supporting our hard-working waiters (and hard-working YOU!) – The best compostable floor mat. Let me tell you how to use this:

👉🏼a. Unfold, place under highchair.
👉🏼b. Toss any trash you accumulate UNDER the chair onto the mat.
👉🏼c. Pick up any crayons, toys that baby drops and USE AGAIN because they landed on this magical mat. (You’re welcome!)
👉🏼d. At end of meal, gather rest of trash, place on mat, fold it up and your waiter will burst into tears because they are so happy you came with your kids to eat at their restaurant. (But remember to tip too!)

✨4.✨Disposable bibs that are lifesavers if you forgot your own.

✨5.✨Bonus: Something to nibble while waiting for their meal, like @cheerios!

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #ashaigers #pickyeaters #responsivefeeding #startingsolids #kidsmeals

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💚Picky eaters will have fun trying greens if they...

💚Make this with your kids, and let them add a small handful of chocolate chips at the very end of blending. They are surprisingly low in sugar, and chop up in seconds to become POLKA-DOTS making this green dragon the cutest and friendliest in town! (and so yummy!)

👉🏼Here’s the recipe from my book, Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Child Learn to Love Vegetables with 100 Easy Activities and Recipes. 🗣️Comment VEGGIES for the link to look inside the book sent directly to your inbox!

✨1 cup fresh baby spinach, packed
✨¾ cup fresh or frozen pineapple
✨½ cup fresh or frozen green grapes
✨Small chunk frozen or fresh banana
✨½ peeled orange (I like to freeze peeled oranges too!)
✨Small wedge of lime, with rind, seeds removed
✨Tiny (pea sized) piece of ginger or a pinch of powdered ginger
(More ice if you’d like it extra cold and slushy!)
✨1/8 of a cup chocolate chips
✨👉🏼✨Blend everything except the chips in the blender until smooth, adding a splash of water if needed for smoother consistency.

🪄Here’s the MAGIC: Kids add chocolate chips and blend for just a few seconds, creating polka dots throughout!

Serves 2. NOTE: Omit chocolate chips for kids under age two.

🥰Your kids can: Peel the orange & banana! Add ingredients to blender with adult’s help. Toss in those magical chocolate chips!

✨🗣️More fun recipes like this in my latest paperback, with over 50 color photos too! Comment VEGGIES for link to look inside.
🤍Melanie

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #pickyeaters #ashaigers #originalidea #adventuresinveggieland

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😳It’s dangerous to have stuffed animals of any...

🐿️🦊🐻If your child is older and has not weaned from the pacifier, cut off the animal. The added weight hanging from their mouth may contribute to the intensity & duration of the sucking, which we know influences dental, facial & palate formation in conjunction with the frequency of sucking. They can still have the cute animal, just not hanging from the pacifier. Also, it’s time to wean anyway, so let go of the pacifier and hang on to the cute animal for comfort.

🤔Wondering how to wean a baby, toddler or older kiddo from the pacifier?
🎉COMMENT COURSE for a link sent straight to your DMs for ALL my video courses, including THE PACIFIER COURSE, plus a discount code!

💕You can do it… It just takes the right guidance to wean and I’m here to help!

🥰Melanie
But wait, there`s more! 🔥Recently, a pilot study concluded that “When toy plush animals are attached to a pacifier, the forces transmitted to the nipple of the pacifier can exceed the 0.4 N minimum force (100 g equals 0.98 N) required to cause orthodontic tooth movement.” Tesini DA et al., Forces Generated During Plush Animal Pacifier Use: A Pilot Study. Pediatr Dent. 2023 May 15;45(3):177-180. PMID: 37381124. Thanks to @functionfocusacadamy for sharing & @oral_motor_institute for sharing that study.

#melaniepotock
#pacifier #bestpacifier #speechtherapy #slp #feedingtherapy #feedingtherapist #myfirstbaby #babyregistry #toddler #mytoddler #toddlerlife #ashaigers #orofacial #orofacialmyology #toddlertrouble

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🍓Kids love fruit, and it’s a common concern for...

1.✨You decide how much is available, and when. So, if you’d like to save fruit for snack time paired with a little fat or protein, that’s one option.

2.✨Your job is to offer a variety of food, but you can also say “That’s not on the menu today” or “Blueberries aren’t available right now – but we will have some for breakfast.”

3.✨Personally, I like fruit to served with the rest of the meal, and I feel that way most of the time about dessert too. But the portion is small. And I rarely provide “seconds”. I’m more likely to provide a bigger portion of fruit if I suspect they will enjoy it AND they need it for a nutritional reason – like a little extra fiber or Vitamin C.

🤦🏼‍♀️Also – anybody else feel like the entire grocery budget goes to BERRIES? LOL!

🗣️Comment COURSE for a discount code to any course on my on-demand course library, including The Picky Eater Course, Bottle Weaning and My Pacifier Course too! (and so many more!)

🥰Melanie

#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #feedinglittles #ashaigers #pickyeaters #responsivefeeding #arfidawareness

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👶🏻Babies need iron, especially when starting...

😳Without enough iron, babies can develop iron deficiency anemia, which may affect their growth and learning. Want an easy way to ensure your baby is getting enough iron?

❤️First, shout-out to the registered dietitians that have taught me tips like these:

• You can choose Heme iron (easily absorbed): Found in animal products like red meat (beef, lamb), poultry (chicken, turkey), and seafood.
• And/or you can choose Non-heme iron (plant-based): Found in lentils, beans, tofu, spinach, quinoa, and fortified cereals. Pairing these with vitamin C-rich foods (like oranges or strawberries) can enhance iron absorption.

🗣️Hey did someone mention fortified baby cereals? YES PLEASE! ✨Sprinkle some into baby’s yogurt, purees or mix into pastas. ✨Add a few tablespoons to those banana-egg pancakes that we all love to make for kids – yep, bananas have Vit. C to help with the absorption. 🍌

✨❤️✨I keep a box of iron-fortified baby cereal ready to add to almost anything. It’s so easy and I can rest assured that I’m not forgetting the importance of including iron in baby’s diet.

🥳Today is National Registered Dietitian Day! Cheers to the RDs! We love you!

🥰Melanie

#melaniepotock #responsivefeeding #startingsolids #feedingtherapy #slpfeeding #ashaigers #feedinglittles

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❤️GROUP FEEDING THERAPY: I love everything about...

Kudos to his therapists from @bestparentingtoday and @pta_sfl
for the superb guidance as the entire Dr. Yum Food Adventure Feeding Group (most with autism, ARFID &/or PFD) discover the joy of food!

💕I co-created this food curriculum over ten years ago with pediatrician Dr. Yum. So, I genuinely get a little weepy over videos like this.🤍 This little guy touching and cutting bananas is everything to me. He’s a food explorer!

👉🏼If you’re a feeding professional and are interested in learning how you can get this feeding group curriculum just comment DYP.

🤍Melanie
(✨This is my volunteer work…I’m honored to be the feeding specialist for this nonprofit for over ten years.✨) Video of session shared with permission.❤️
#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #ashaigers #originalidea #feedinggrouptherapy

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🤦🏼‍♀️Toddlers eat often, and this fast ten...

🔪🍓🥕While it’s cooking I cut up fruits & veggies, or leftovers. Store those in the fridge in one container right next to the foods that you just popped out of the oven. You’re ready, set, prepped for the next 3 days!💥

✨When we can all sit down as a family and eat together, kids eat what I’ve made for the entire family. But this stash of easy-to-warm-up foods stored in one container in my fridge has been a game changer for times when I’m only feeding baby.🤍

✨❓✨Want more tips like these to help you raising a healthy happy eater? 🗣️Comment COURSE to see my course library (& get a nice discount!)

🥰Melanie
#melaniepotock #slpfeeding #feedingtherapy #pickyeaters #startingsolids #feedinglittles #responsivefeeding #ashaigers

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Click Here for Melanie's Favorite Feeding Products

Pediatric Feeding Expert and Author

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'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

Parenting a Picky Eater,

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

On-Demand Courses

Live In-Person Events

Live On-Line Courses

Babies

Toddlers & Preschoolers

School Age

More fun!

mymunchbug_melaniepotock

Click Here for Melanie's Favorite Feeding Products

Pediatric Feeding Expert and Author

Melanie's Advice Shared In...

Courses for Parents & Professionals

Parenting Advice

Keynote Speaking

Product Consulting

Blog

feeding advice for parents and professionals

50 Easy Ways to Get Your Kid to Eat New Foods

A Special Needs Guide for Learning to Eat with Your SEVEN Senses – Part One

3 Ways to Explain Baby-Led Feeding to Your Extended Family

Planting for Kids

Picky Eater Help

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

Babies

Toddlers & Preschoolers

School Age

More fun!

mymunchbug_melaniepotock

Pediatric Feeding Expert and Author

Melanie's Advice Shared In...

Courses for Parents & Professionals

Parenting Advice

Keynote Speaking

Product Consulting

Blog

feeding advice for parents and professionals

Expert Feeding Help
for Professionals and Parents