Success story – peas, corn, beans and mince!
I just had a lovely e-mail from a mum. I ran a parent workshop with her and her husband right before “home retreat” started.
*Hunter’s diet included the picky eating favourites of toast, crackers, rice, tinned spaghetti but excluded any fruit or vegetables.
At preschool he had, on occasion, eaten one or two of the cooked lunches, which included things like spaghetti bolognaise. At home he was not going anywhere near anything not beige, and at school often not either.
Mum and dad were feeling desperate as the eating didn’t seem to be getting better and it was making mealtimes a real challenge.
I asked whether I could share their story and Mum was happy to. Primarily because she had felt maybe there was hope for them, based on the experiences of other parents she had read about, and in seeing their children able to eat family foods.
What happened?
How did all this “magical” success happen so quickly?
1. We changed the atmosphere and the approach around food and feeding
2. Mum and dad started to believe that Hunter could eat things and acted accordingly
3. The family implemented some simple strategies, so Hunter was supported around new foods
4. Hunter was given multiple opportunities to eat family foods, fruit and vegetables
5. Everything was set up to maximise success
The family were starting with some advantages. For example, Hunter had eaten integrated dishes before at Preschool.
Eating mince was a smaller step for him than for other children where there was not that prior experience. He was OK with tinned spaghetti so again it was a smaller step than from a “plain pasta kid”.
Although Hunter’s family started with some advantages, they were also working from a foundation that did not include any fresh fruit or vegetables.
To see Hunter happily – and of his own choice – eating them at the family dinner table would be a sight I would pay big money to see 😊
Mum told me she didn’t dare to look at him or even breathe in case he stopped the first time he voluntarily began to eat the new foods.
Could this be you?
Working with over 100 families per year gives me the confidence to promise you, that you are able to make a difference for your child and their eating. However, challenged you believe their situation is, there is always a solution.
For most families, the changes we will make will be far easier than you anticipate and much of what we do is positive and well-received by children.
In the last month I have had two other families, who have participated in workshops during “home retreat” report that their children have added fruit to their diets (where previously there was none) and both are having relaxed and pleasant mealtimes.
What’s on offer?
I recommend the parent workshop.
The parent workshop
This is primarily personalised and gives you the full wraparound delivery, service and creates the desired outcomes.
Build a plan of action for your family that is specifically targeted to your child’s needs and focuses on how to enable them to move forward in simple, gentle steps.
Learn how to set up food and feeding for best results and build a long-term positive approach to eating, even for the most challenged of children.
Gain unlimited support while you implement your plan. Have access to personal coaching so you’re sure you can maximise success.
Whether you have a child that is stuck on beige offerings or one who finds new foods really frightening, I can support you to help them.
For $ 350.00 this could be the best money you’ve ever spent, especially, if like Hunter’s parent’s, your child adds in all those nutritious family foods.
Starter modules
If the parent workshop is too much of a commitment right now, I offer parts of the program in starter sections. It’s a great way to dip the toes in and see how our philosophy and methodology would work for you and your family.
Introduction to picky eating – feeding theory. What it is, why it’s important and why it works. This is where we look at the approach to food and feeding and give you the foundation that enables strategies to be effective.
This may not seem important but without this grounding even the best strategies often fail. I have had parents, even those with children with extreme eating challenge, make progress after completing only this module.
It’s priced at $ 79.00 so is affordable for most families and is hosted live so you get to ask questions too!
Trying foods – how to get foods tried and eaten. I know it’s tempting to pick this one, as it is almost every parent of a picky eater’s worst pain point.
But, I will say again and again, if you don’t have the approach in place, this will not be as effective as it would be if completed after the Introduction to picky eating.
In this module I will show you a step-by-step way to encourage your child to try new foods willingly and give you simple, practical ways to work through these steps.
It will give you an understanding of how eating works and how best to approach foods to enable a child to be comfortable enough to put the foods in the mouth, with a view to liking it (not a “touch, nah, don’t like it” try!!)
Priced at $ 79.00 it’s a really valuable resource for moving forwards with your child’s eating.
Adding foods – meal-by-meal plans. This module takes you through meal by meal and teaches you strategies that enable your child to eat more widely and more joyfully.
Learn how to maximise your success using proven methodology and easy to implement strategies that slot into existing routines.
This module shows you how to serve only one meal and have your child participate.
Priced at $ 79.00 it gives you the ability to change what’s happening in your household.
Modules
All of the modules are presented live, with me available to answer questions and guide you.
Each one stands alone and gives you critical solutions to parts of the eating puzzle. You will gain invaluable knowledge and it will support you to help your child move forwards.
The parent workshop combines all the information from the modules, is personalised to your family and your child, comes with unlimited support and is truly a fabulous way to know that you are doing everything to support your child’s eating to the best of your ability.
Personal discussion
Join in for a no-cost, no-obligation initial call. In this we will be reviewing what is currently happening and why, and then we can look at how to achieve your goals.
Just talking to someone who understands the stress and the worry can be very cathartic!
Please use the link https://calendly.com/judith-23/bookatimewithjudith?month=2020-04 if you’d like to make a booking. Or, feel free to contact me directly judith@theconfidenteater.com
(* story told with permission, name changed for privacy)
Judith is an AOTA accredited picky eating advisor and internationally certified nutritional therapist. She works with 100+ families every year resolving fussy eating and returning pleasure and joy to the meal table.
Judith is also mum to two boys and is the author of Creating Confident Eaters and Winner Winner I Eat Dinner.
Learn more about Judith here:
https://theconfidenteater.com/about/