When eating feels more complicated than picky eating
You’ve tried so many things and meals still feel hard.
Break the search–try–start-over cycle and support what your child actually needs.
Relationship-based feeding support for families navigating selective eating, sensory differences, food rigidity, anxiety around food, and neurodivergence.
Get a simple guide to help you know what to focus on next and make the next hard meal feel more manageable.
This is not another list of foods, tricks, or ways to convince your child to eat.
Created by Brenda Chilstrom, OTR/L, pediatric OT and feeding specialist with 30+ years of experience in early childhood development, sensory processing, and feeding.
As featured in
You Have the Power to Help Your Family Flourish — Here’s How
Your child has strengths! Let’s use what’s already working to support the areas that feel harder.
Children learn through play. Let’s build confidence and new skills through joyful, low-pressure experiences.
Compassion comes first. Your family’s challenges deserve understanding, not judgment — and support that fits your child.
Relationship-centered feeding support helps create the safety, trust, and connection children need to make progress around food.
Recognized for Care That Puts Relationships First
Four-Time Winner, Community Choice Award
Advanced Training & Clinical Foundations
My work is shaped by decades of early intervention experience, along with ongoing advanced training across the many areas that influence feeding, regulation, development, and participation.
My background includes advanced study and clinical experience in:
early intervention and child development
sensory integration and sensory processing
nervous system regulation, breathwork, and body-based approaches
DIR/Floortime and developmental relationship-based approaches
reflex integration
play-based learning and parent coaching
pediatric feeding and responsive feeding approaches
oral motor development and feeding skills
preschool consultation, teacher education, and whole-child classroom support
Feeding rarely fits neatly into one category. Looking at all of these pieces together helps me understand what may be getting in the way and what kind of support makes sense for your child and family.
Curiosity grows when you know what to focus on.
Instead of chasing one idea after another, you can start making choices that actually fit your child.
Download the Stop Starting Over guide for a simple way to get clearer on what may be getting in the way and what to do next.
Find the Support You Need Right Now
Families come to That Makes Sense OT at different points in their journey.
Whether you’re looking for direct therapy support or guidance you can begin using right away, there are a few ways to get started.
In-Person Support
Work directly with Brenda
For families who want individualized, hands-on support
Relationship-based occupational therapy for children with feeding challenges, sensory differences, and daily routines — with parent guidance built in so progress can carry over at home.
Available in Southwest Florida.
FES-UA families welcome.
The Eating with EASE Academy
For parents who want a deeper understanding of complex feeding challenges
A self-paced parent program with short lessons and LIVE support to help you understand what may be making eating hard and choose practical next steps that fit your child.
Especially helpful for selective eating, sensory differences, food rigidity, anxiety around food, and neurodivergence.
Available for direct payment through Step Up For Students as an FES-UA Direct Provider.
Online Support
Raising Curious Eaters
For parents who want ongoing guidance and community support
A parent community with practical teaching, conversations, and simple next steps to help you get unstuck and better understand what your child may need.
Start with the Get Unstuck Challenge, then continue with ongoing support and resources.
Your Child Can Build Skills & Confidence…One Bite at a Time
Trying new foods can be tricky, but look what happens when kids get the support they need! With every little bite, they’re discovering, practicing, and figuring things out—on their own terms. Every small win adds up to something big—confidence, independence, and joyful mealtimes.
Are you ready for your child to be this confident around food?
I believe that your child can have this confidence too!
Real families. Real changes.
What Families Often Share
“Mealtime used to be a struggle with our son’s restrictive food choices, but now he’s eating a wider variety and is more open to trying new foods. Watching his diet expand has not only made dinner time easier but has also brought more enjoyment to our family meals.”
Hope B.
Why I do what I do…
The truth is, feeding is never just about food.