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Picky eating.

It’s a bane of many parents’ existence, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

I love how every expert brings their own perspective to the table when it comes to various root causes of picky eating, and Renae Fieck brings her experience as an occupational therapist to us today.

We’ll talk about:

  • How the feeeeeeel of food can impact how much and how well kids eat
  • How to avoid micromanaging in practical ways
  • Strategies to teach kids to know when they’re full, choose the right amount of food to eat, and listen to their bodies (many adults need these skills too!!!)
  • Super fascinating explanation of how feeding actually follows a particular progression, and why skipping a step can be disastrous
  • Why using the words “hungry” and “full” takes special attention

 

 

Can’t see the video? View raising healthy eaters on YouTube here.

No time to watch the whole video? Here are the notes!

Raising Healthy Eaters Video Time Stamps

  • 0:15: Today I’m chatting with Renae Fieck on the Healthy Parenting Connector about kids with sensory processing difficulties. Renae is the founder of the Rising Moms Club.
  • 1:38: Renae shares more of her background with us.

I don't want to just "get through" this season. I want to enjoy these moments with my kids while they're little. -Renae Fieck

  • 4:11: Occupational therapy has a wide range of therapies. Renae specializes in feeding therapy and works with children and babies.

Raising Healthy Eaters Using All Your Senses

  • 5:06: We talk about the senses. We know that texture and smell can be just as important or even more so than what a food looks or tastes like.

Eating is one of the most complex things that we do as human beings. It involves almost every sense we have. -Renae Fieck

  • 5:25: Eating involved most of our senses and has many strongly ingrained cultural norms and traditions associated with it.
  • 6:12: Renae goes through how the senses all play into the act of eating.

Often we overlook the sensory piece and just look at manners. “You can’t play with your food?” -Renae Fieck

Healthy Eaters Play With Their Food

  • 7:38: Playing with food is an important step towards eventually tasting a food. Kids like to eat with their fingers for a good reason.

Playing with food is often one of those things that families don’t want to do. -Renae Fieck

  • 8:14: There’s a hierarchy of how we engage with food with all our senses.
  • 9:17: Taking a bite and spitting it out can be a positive step. Forcing a child to keep a bite of food in their mouth can discourage them from trying anything new. Teach them how to handle it if they don’t like a certain food.

Giving a child permission to spit something out increases the amount their willing to put in their mouth. -Renae Fieck

  • 10:35: We talk about tips for avoiding mealtime battles and raising emotionally healthy eaters.
  • 14:15: There’s a balance and each child is different. If your child has sensory issues or autism forcing them to eat certain foods will make everything worse. If your child is neurotypical and you know they just don’t want a certain food, you can try to be playful about it without overdoing it and forcing it.

Take a step back and ask "how can I make this new food fun?" -Renae Fieck

  • 17:45: We talk about the benefits of having kids stay seated at a table until the meal is done.
  • 19:55: I don’t want to be the micromanager of my family and I doubt you do either! We talk about training kids to make good choices. It starts in infancy! I love how Renae gives some practical examples and ideas!

Teach your kids what a whole, balanced meal looks like and then empower them to make choices. -Renae Fieck

  • 23:19: Renae talks about the term “progression of feeding.” This relates to what the mouth is doing with food as they learn to eat. Babies start with liquids and move all the way up to adult food. If a child is avoiding similar types of foods (i.e. all meat, raw veggies, sticky foods) it could be that their oral motor skills are not developed enough to eat it.
  • 26:03: My youngest struggles with cooked meat unless it’s ground meat. Sounds like maybe he isn’t able to chew it well yet!
  • 26:27: We get into some practical application of helping your kids develop the oral motor skills needed to eat different foods. Listen in here for the best golden nugget of the interview!
  • 29:30: Building a repertoire of foods is more important than quantity. You can still balance getting your child to eat enough, but that doesn’t have to be the only focus. There are creative ways to expose your kids to foods aside from mealtime.
  • 30:53: We leave you with one super practical step you can take today for a quick win!

Kids don’t need plastic knives. They need real skills.

Teach safe technique, focus, and confidence in the all-time fav lesson from our kids cooking class! (ages 2-12)






Or find out more about the free knife class here.

Resources We Mention for Raising Healthy Eaters

Ranae FieckRenae is a mom of 3, occupational therapist, and advocate for moms who desire more grace, space, and rest within their lives. She has found strength beyond her own to navigate life’s struggles…multiple miscarriages, life with 3 kids, working mom life, stay at home mom life, and a husband with a brain tumor and seizures. She’s the founder of the Rising Moms Club, a community for moms who are ready to RISE ABOVE the chaos and overwhelm of life and busy days, trade exhaustion, and the never-ending to-do list for a life with more JOY! She is the host of the annual More than Mom Summit and the Rising Moms Podcast.

Tips for raising healthy eaters