86 - Fussy toddlers and navigating toddler mealtimes with paediatric Occupational Therapist Rachael Smith

Do you have a fussy eater at home? Are mealtimes turning into a battleground? You’re not alone! In fact, information about taming the toddler at mealtimes has been so highly requested, we even wrote a book about it (more on that in the episode!).

For those who don’t know Rach, she is a mum to her daughter Olive and son Teddy, a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, and the owner of Therapy Time, a private practice based in Brisbane.

Even before having her own family, she has always been passionate about taking a big picture approach to child development. Rach strongly believes that what we eat has a huge impact on everything and sees this everyday in her clinical practice (and at home).

Meal times are a big deal for our little ones, and they require a lot of sensory, fine motor, oral motor, and behavioural skills. With her gentle, kind and empowering approach Rach equips parents with a toolkit full of responsive, evidence-based and family-centered strategies.

In this podcast we discuss:

• what is a fussy eater and when we may expect out child to show signs of fussiness
• when fussy eating has gone beyond what is considered normal and is in the realm of problem feeding
• whether we can avoid having a fussy eating and Rach's tips and strategies to minimise the chances
• top tips for having enjoyable family mealtimes if our little one is saying no to everything we offer
• ... and so much more

And if you want more in depth information on all things toddlers and family meals, you can preorder our new book Toddler to Table HERE

Today’s episode was brought to you by Mingle. We all need to take short cuts sometimes (or often!) as mums, and Mingle has created the perfect shortcut for meal times with their 30 minute meal blends. Unlike a lot of the old- school pantry brands, Mingle’s blends have no nasties at all – no added sugar, no added flour, vegetable oils, or high amounts of sodium – making them not only delicious, but perfect for the whole family. Luka has been loving their butter chicken, and Kate is too indecisive to pick just one favourite, but has been a long time fan of the brand! If you’re like Kate and can’t pick a fave, then why not try their Dinner Hero 30 Minute Meal Pack, which contains 20 sachets + the tuscan chicken spice blend.

Head to www.mingleseasoning.com and use the code BOOBTOFOOD for 15% off your order!

Follow us on instagram @boobtofood to stay up to date with all the podcast news, recipes and other content that we bring to help make meal times and family life easier.

Visit www.boobtofood.com for blogs and resources, to book an appointment with one of our amazing practitioners and more.

Presented by Luka McCabe and Kate Holm

To get in touch please email podcast@boobtofood.com