Some food selectivity is common, particularly during the toddler and preschool years. Additional support may be helpful when your child’s eating is affecting their nutrition, growth, confidence or ability to participate comfortably in everyday life.

Signs that your child may benefit from picky eating support include:

• they have been selective or restrictive for a long time, or have struggled since starting solids
• their accepted food list is very limited, shrinking or not expanding
• previously accepted foods are regularly disappearing
• they are missing an entire category of food, such as vegetables or protein-rich foods
• they become anxious, upset or fearful around unfamiliar foods
• they struggle with certain textures, smells, flavours or appearances
• meals involve frequent bargaining, bribing, pressure or conflict
• they struggle to eat at school, restaurants, parties or while travelling
• you are concerned about their growth or nutritional intake
• eating has become a significant source of stress for your child or family

You can also take the Picky Eating Quiz to better understand where your child may fall on the picky eating spectrum.

TAKE THE “IS MY CHILD A PICKY EATER?” QUIZ

Or book a complimentary call to talk through what you are seeing, and get next steps to support your child.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY MEALTIME STRATEGY CALL

Some children become less selective as they get older, particularly when their picky eating is mild and connected to a normal developmental stage. Other children continue to struggle, especially when food selectivity is more persistent or connected to anxiety, sensory differences, developmental needs, appetite, nutritional concerns or difficult eating experiences.

It can be difficult to predict which children will naturally improve. A shrinking food list, strong fear or distress, nutritional concerns, significant sensory challenges, or picky eating that has continued for months or years are signs that waiting may not be the best strategy.

Early support can prevent avoidance patterns and rigid preferences from becoming more firmly established while giving parents a clear and consistent way to respond.

I support families with toddlers, school-aged children and teens who may show several of these signs:

• eat a limited or shrinking variety of foods
• rely heavily on snacks, carbohydrates, packaged foods or a few preferred meals
• do not accept or try unfamiliar foods willingly without pressure or negotiation
• become upset, anxious or overwhelmed around unfamiliar foods
• appear controlling or inflexible around food, including changes in brands, presentation or preparation
• have difficulty eating at school, restaurants, parties or while travelling
• may not be getting enough protein, fibre, variety or key nutrients
• have ADHD, anxiety, sensory sensitivities or rigid eating patterns
• are underweight, have a small appetite or struggle to eat enough
• have parents who feel they have tried everything, including separate meals, rewards, negotiations and backing off

This support is also for parents who feel unsure about what to serve, worried about nutrition or exhausted from trying to manage their child’s eating alone.

Rather than applying the same “expose your child to more foods” strategy to every child, I look at the full picture.

I assess both your child’s eating competence and skills, along with the external conditions needed to support better eating. This includes their appetite, nutrition, sensory preferences, confidence, anxiety, food-exploration skills and previous eating experiences, as well as meal structure, parental responses, sibling dynamics and the overall mealtime environment.

When one or more of these pieces is missing, children can remain stuck even when parents consistently offer new foods.

I then build a realistic and practical plan that fits your family’s culture, food preferences, dietary requirements, schedule and lifestyle.

Depending on the program, your support may include:

• private consultations
• a detailed nutrition assessment and nutrition-optimization plan
• a personalized food-expansion plan
• strategies to improve appetite and eating routines
• scripts for responding to food refusals and common mealtime challenges
• step-by-step implementation strategies
• printable tools, games, checklists and family resources
• ongoing guidance and accountability between appointments

Because you feed your child several times each day, questions and unexpected challenges naturally arise between consultations. Ongoing support means you have a trusted mealtime partner to help you adjust the plan, remain consistent and know what to do next.

Both, depending on the child’s age and needs, although I work primarily with parents.

Parents shape the foods offered, meal structure and conditions surrounding eating. They are also the ones handling refusals, deciding whether to provide an alternative and trying to balance nutrition with the demands of family life.

Parents of picky eaters are often frustrated, worried and mentally exhausted from preparing multiple foods, negotiating for bites and wondering whether their child is eating enough. When parents feel tense or dysregulated, children can sense it, and the emotional tone surrounding meals can affect how safe and willing they feel around food.

Most parents are doing the best they can with the knowledge and resources available to them. Many have also tried so many conflicting strategies that they no longer know which approach to follow.

I give parents a clear and consistent plan for what to serve, what to say and how to respond. This builds their confidence and peace of mind while creating the conditions their child needs to develop greater curiosity, capability and trust around food.

With older children, usually around age 10 and up, I may also provide direct coaching. This gives the child a neutral and supportive perspective while allowing them to participate in building a realistic food plan they feel part of.

Each program is personalized around the areas most likely to help your child make progress.

Your plan may focus on:

• creating calmer and more enjoyable meals
• simplifying meal planning and deciding what to serve
• supporting appetite and expanding food variety
• helping anxious children feel safer around unfamiliar foods
• developing your child’s food-exploration and tasting skills in a playful, pressure-free way
• improving nutritional balance and reducing reliance on sugar, snacks and packaged foods
• building the confidence needed to eat more independently
• making family meals, school lunches, restaurants and travel easier

You will leave each consultation knowing what to implement next, why it matters and how to put the strategies into practice at home.

Feeding therapy is commonly provided by an occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist with specialized feeding training. Depending on the practitioner and the child’s needs, it may address chewing, swallowing, oral-motor skills, sensory processing, positioning or feeding development.

Many feeding therapy models focus primarily on developing the child’s skills during therapy sessions. My approach supports both the child and the parents who must implement the strategies during everyday meals.

I examine the interconnected factors that influence whether a child can eat comfortably and willingly, including:

• nutritional adequacy and growth
• appetite and meal structure
• the home mealtime environment
• parental responses and feeding strategies
• sibling and family dynamics
• anxiety, confidence and food avoidance
• sensory preferences
• food flexibility and variety
• practical implementation during real family meals

Parents need more than a list of foods to expose their child to. They need to understand what may be driving the resistance, how to respond when a food is refused and how to create consistent conditions for progress.

These services can complement feeding therapy. When appropriate, I work alongside occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, dietitians, mental health professionals, physicians and other members of a child’s healthcare team.

When a child shows signs of swallowing difficulty, significant oral-motor challenges, medical complications or an eating disorder, I recommend assessment by the appropriate regulated healthcare professional.

Every child progresses differently, and no responsible practitioner can guarantee a certain number of foods or a fixed timeline.

The goal is to create meaningful shifts that make eating easier for both your child and your family. Families commonly move:

• from parental stress, frustration and worry to calmer meals where everyone can experience joy again
• from power struggles to more relaxed meals where parents can enjoy their own food
• from foods being rejected at first glance to greater willingness to interact with, explore and taste them
• from a shrinking food list to one that becomes more stable and begins to expand
• from nutritional gaps and concerns to greater food variety and a more balanced intake
• from a heavy reliance on sugar, snacks and carbohydrates to more nutrient-dense options parents feel good about serving
• from children becoming hungry or dysregulated because they do not eat at school or away from home to greater confidence in different eating environments
• from preparing separate meals to serving one adaptable meal the family can share
• from cycling through bribing, negotiating, rewards and other disconnected strategies to following a consistent plan that requires less work from parents

Progress is not measured only by the number of foods a child eats. For an anxious or selective child, allowing an unfamiliar food near them, interacting with it comfortably or tasting it without distress can be an important step toward acceptance.

The long-term goal is to help your child develop the curiosity, confidence and skills required for lasting progress, rather than simply getting them to eat a few new foods today.

Both.  Most consultations are completed virtually by video or phone, allowing me to support families across Canada, the United States and internationally.  

Virtual support is convenient for busy families and makes it easier for both parents or caregivers to participate. It also allows us to build strategies around your child’s real home routines rather than relying only on how they eat in an unfamiliar clinical setting. Consultations may be recorded and transcribed, with your permission, so you can easily review the recommendations afterward.

In-person consultations may be available for families in the Greater Toronto Area when appropriate. A travel fee applies.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY MEALTIME STRATEGY CALL

The right level of support depends on your child’s age, how long the eating challenges have been present, the size and stability of their food list, nutritional or growth concerns, the presence of anxiety or rigidity, and how much guidance your family requires.

Book a complimentary Mealtime Strategy Call to discuss what is happening and determine which option is likely to be the best fit for your family.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY MEALTIME STRATEGY CALL — https://www.calendly.com/daniellebinns/20min

Danielle brings both professional expertise and personal experience to picky eating support.

As a Certified Nutritionist, picky eating expert and mother of three, she has helped more than 1,000 families reduce mealtime stress, improve nutrition and raise more confident, curious eaters.

Her approach combines pediatric nutrition, parent coaching, practical food-expansion strategies and playful tools that help children build confidence, curiosity and food acceptance without pressure.

Danielle also understands this challenge firsthand. Her own daughter was underweight, had a very small appetite and ate only a limited number of foods. Today, she accepts more than 100 foods, including mixed dishes such as soups, stews, smoothies and sushi.

Danielle has appeared as a nutrition expert in national media and has been invited to educate feeding and healthcare teams at SickKids, families and professionals through The MAGIC Foundation, private-school communities and other nutrition professionals.

She is also the founder of Curious Cookie, a collection of mealtime tools and games designed to make food exploration easier and more enjoyable.

 The first step is to book a complimentary consult with Danielle:  Mealtime Strategy Consult.

We will discuss your family’s current mealtime challenges (as well as where your child is having a hard time with food), what you have already tried, and what you would like to change. I will recommend what to prioritize and which form of support is the best fit — or point you toward another professional if that would serve your child better.

There is no pressure to work together. You will leave with a clearer understanding of what may be making eating difficult and what to do next.

BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY MEALTIME STRATEGY CONSULTATION