Felt Safety at the Table: Why Your Child Needs to Feel Safe Before They Can Eat
If you’ve tried everything—from coaxing and reminding to rewarding with dessert—only to have your child still refuse food, it can feel baffling and incredibly frustrating. For many children with eating difficulties, eating isn’t just about hunger. It’s about feeling safe enough to eat. Kids must feel neurologically and sensory-safe before they can explore food. As a pediatric occupational therapist specializing in feeding therapy, I’ve seen that true progress doesn’t start with pressure or rewards—it starts with felt safety, sensory regulation, and connection.
Why won’t my kid eat?
Why won’t my kid eat?
Making sense of picky eating and finding solutions
More than 50% of parents of young children report that they are concerned about their child’s eating habits. While some picky eating habits are a normal developmental stage, others have deep roots. When we invest time in figuring out root causes, it’s easier to find strategies that will work best for your child.
Why Responsive Feeding Works... and Why It’s So Hard
In the simplest of terms, Responsive Feeding is a concept created by Ellyn Satter, a registered dietician and family therapist who is internationally recognized for her work on eating and feeding. Responsive Feeding can be described as “The Parent Provides and The Child Decides.” It emphasizes quality of life and meaningful occupations, both key components to the occupational therapy framework.