Review
“What I appreciate most about Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating is its respectful approach for both parents and children. It offers parents hope, understanding, and practical strategies that really work. Based on sound research and a true understanding of children, it gently but confidently guides families through the steps of building a healthy relationship with food.”
―Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, EdD, licensed teacher, parent educator, and author of Raising Your Spirited Child
“Finally, an antidote to the infuriating trend of books about tricking children into eating. Rowell and McGlothlin expertly illuminate the complex emotional world of children with extreme picky eating and the caregivers who struggle to feed them. Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating is a masterpiece of practical strategies, compassion, and reassurance that’s perfect for parents, pediatricians, and anyone who remembers hating ‘just one more bite.’”
―Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD, pediatric eating disorder specialist, cofounder of the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians, and author of The Eating Disorders Clinical Pocket Guide
“With the persistent challenge of classification and treatment of feeding problems, eating disorder professionals are increasingly charged with treating children with feeding difficulties, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) cases, and selective eating. This book is an invaluable resource for eating disorder (ED) professionals in need of a thorough introduction to the spectrum of selective eating issues that may be outside their primary area of expertise, from typical ‘picky’ eating to more pervasive food aversions. The authors’ expert handling of this topic will empower both professionals and parents to better understand and support their selective eaters.”
―Katherine Zavodni, MPH, RD, LDN, registered dietitian specializing in outpatient nutrition therapy for eating disorders, family nutrition and childhood feeding, and intuitive eating
“Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating is a practical, child-focused, and guilt-free guide to addressing a variety of eating challenges. This book respects and values the parent as an expert. The nonjudgmental approach and easy-to-follow techniques will empower parents to make family mealtime a positive experience. By providing a sound overview of feeding development, Rowell and McGlothlin changed my understanding of typical eating. The suggested scripts and keen insight into the child’s perspective takes the guesswork out of applying the STEPS+. I walked away with a deeper understanding of how children experience feeding and how my own ‘feeding temperament’ affects how I relate to my children around food. Short-order cooking is out the door and dessert is on the table with dinner now. We’re all enjoying a happier mealtime! My only wish is that I’d had this book when my children were babies. I would strongly recommend this book to any parent who is struggling with mealtime.”
―Erin Erickson, MPH, MN, RN, founder and cohost of Mom Enough®
“Katja Rowell and Jenny McGlothlin get the anxiety and many challenges both children and families feel when children are highly selective eaters! They offer sensitive, thoughtful, and practical suggestions to support families in their journey toward happier and healthier mealtimes.”
―Marsha Dunn Klein, MEd, OTR/L, FAOTA, pediatric therapist, educator, author, and co-owner of Mealtime Connections, a pediatric therapy clinic in Tucson, AZ
“Lots of books promise to help solve ‘picky eating’ problems, but this one actually does! Rowell and McGlothlin have put together a comprehensive masterpiece.”
―Skye Van Zetten, blogger at mealtimehostage.com
“Finally! Not just an acknowledgment, but an exploration and even a ‘how-to manual’ on dealing with the long-neglected missing piece of pediatric feeding therapy―the emotional dynamic for both the child and the parent! Let’s face it, eating is not just about nutrition. It’s also about enjoyment and family relationships. This gets lost amidst health and medical concerns when a child severely limits his eating. Katja Rowell and Jenny McGlothlin have given us a map for restoring and healing these components as well. Parents and therapists alike will be profoundly grateful.”
―Jennifer Meyer, MA, CCC-SLP, cocreator of care-to-collaborate.com, and popular international speaker in the areas of pediatric dysphagia and neonatal therapy
“Finally, there’s a solid resource for families who struggle with extreme picky eating! Rowell and McGlothlin leave no stone unturned as they help parents navigate all aspects of their child’s eating, from the ‘how’ of family dinners to decisions about feeding therapy. I will recommend this book again and again.”
―Maryann Jacobsen, MS, RD, author, blogger, speaker, and coauthor of Fearless Feeding
“Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating is wonderful! I currently work with a young male client who struggles with eating, and I can honestly say that this information is so crucial for even mental health therapists who are working to help families dealing with feeding issues. I wish all school counselors could have access to this material. The material in this book has assisted me in helping my client’s family in a way that I was struggling to before reading! Thank you for writing this tremendously helpful text!”
―Christine J. Schimmel, EdD, NCC, LPC, assistant professor of counseling at West Virginia University and author of numerous texts and articles on impact therapy, a multisensory, creative approach to counseling and group counseling
“A wonderful, parent-friendly resource that is easy to read and full of practical suggestions to help your child ‘come to the table!’”
―Catherine S. Shaker, MS/CCC-SLP, BCS-S, pediatric speech-language pathologist at the Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando, FL, and coauthor of “The Early Feeding Skills Assessment Tool for NICU Infants”
About the Author
Katja Rowell, MD, is a family doctor and childhood feeding specialist on a mission to support parents who worry about feeding and their child’s weight or growth. Known as “the Feeding Doctor,” she is a national expert on children, feeding, and the intersection of health and wellness. Rowell believes that helping children grow up to feel good about food and their bodies is the best preventive medicine there is. Described as “academic, but warm and down to earth,” she presents workshops to parents and professionals across the country. Rowell consults with a range of clients and writes on the importance of a healthy feeding relationship for online and print media. She has shared tips on how to bring peace back to meals through DVDs, TV, and radio, and is author of Love Me, Feed Me. Rowell makes her home in the Twin Cities, where she enjoys reading, camping, cooking (most of the time) for her family, and a husband who does the dishes.
Jenny McGlothlin, MS, CCC-SLP, is a certified speech-language pathologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of feeding disorders for children from birth through the teen years. McGlothlin developed the STEPS feeding program at the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at University of Texas at Dallas, where she works with families on a daily basis to foster feeding skills that will serve a child for a lifetime. Her passion is teaching children how to eat when they just can’t figure it out on their own, and McGlothlin has been inducted into the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Hall of Fame for her work in the field. McGlothlin has spent many years teaching graduate-level courses on feeding as well as early child development. She frequently provides feeding workshops for parents and continuing education seminars and webinars for therapists. As a mother of three young children, McGlothlin makes family meals a priority, and enjoys reading and spending time with her friends.
Foreword writer Suzanne Evans Morris, PhD, is an internationally recognized speaker and therapist for infants and children with feeding and mealtime challenges. With more than fifty years’ experience as a speech-language pathologist specializing in feeding development and disorders in children, she pioneered the development of feeding and mealtime programs in the United States. Morris is coauthor of three books: Pre-Feeding Skills, the Mealtime Participation Guide, and the Homemade Blended Formula Handbook.
