Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating by Katja & Rowell & McGlothlin & Jenny Summary

Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating provides evidence-based strategies to address selective eating, food aversion, and feeding disorders in children. Co-authored by family physician Katja Rowell and speech pathologist Jenny McGlothlin, it focuses on reducing mealtime anxiety, fostering positive food relationships, and ensuring healthy growth through the STEPS+ framework—a method emphasizing trust, structured schedules, and low-pressure meals.

Parents, caregivers, and professionals supporting children with severe picky eating, sensory sensitivities, or feeding disorders will benefit most. It’s ideal for those tired of food battles, worried about nutritional gaps, or seeking alternatives to traditional “clean-plate” approaches. The book also addresses scenarios like autism-related feeding issues and medically complex cases.

The STEPS+ method (Supportive Treatment of Eating in PartnershipS) prioritizes collaboration over coercion. Key steps include:

• Establishing structured meal/snack times.
• Offering "safe" foods alongside new options.
• Reducing pressure tactics like bribes or ultimatums.
• Addressing underlying causes (e.g., sensory challenges, anxiety).

Unlike generic advice, this book combines medical and therapeutic expertise for extreme cases, including tube-fed children or those with oral motor delays. It rejects force-feeding and instead focuses on rebuilding trust, making it a compassionate alternative to rigid "eat-what’s-served" approaches.

Yes. The authors provide tailored strategies for sensory challenges, such as gradual exposure to textures and temperatures, modifying food presentations, and creating low-stress environments. Success stories highlight children trying new foods after adopting these methods.

Key tips include:

• Serving meals family-style to encourage autonomy.
• Including at least one "safe" food per meal.
• Using neutral language like "You don’t have to eat it" instead of pressure.
• Avoiding short-order cooking to reduce parental burnout.

Progress varies, but many parents report reduced mealtime stress within weeks. One reviewer noted improved attitudes and new food trials within days, while others emphasize gradual growth over months. Consistency and patience are central to the approach.

Yes. The book equips parents with scripts to handle unsolicited advice (e.g., "We’re working with a specialist on this") and reframes picky eating as a solvable challenge—not a parenting failure. This helps families set boundaries with well-meaning but misinformed relatives.

The authors clarify when picky eating signals deeper issues (e.g., GERD, allergies) and how to collaborate with healthcare providers. They also guide parents on monitoring growth without obsession and balancing nutritional needs with emotional well-being.

Yes. Parents share breakthroughs like children trying new fruits, joining family meals, or attending camps without food anxiety. One review calls it a "lifesaver" for ending guilt and restoring joy in feeding.

The book normalizes setbacks as part of the process and offers troubleshooting tips, such as revisiting structured routines, adjusting food choices, and validating a child’s feelings without reinforcing avoidance.

Yes. The STEPS+ approach integrates findings from feeding therapy, psychology, and nutrition science. Experts praise its alignment with responsive feeding practices and trauma-informed care, contrasting it with outdated coercion-based therapies.