Happy Hungry Hippos: Pediatric Feeding Clinic

Happy Hungry Hippos: Pediatric Feeding Clinic Happy Hungry Hippos: Pediatric Feeding Clinic bringing hope and healing to children who struggle to Pediatric Feeding Clinic
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06/19/2026

If your child eats fewer than 20 foods — pay attention. 💙

🚫 Myth: "That's enough foods."
It's easy to settle into a routine of the same 10 or 15 safe foods and think, well, at least they're eating something. And yes, that matters.

But a food list that small isn't just picky eating.

Fewer than 20 foods is a clinical marker. It can signal sensory processing challenges, oral motor delays, or anxiety around food that won't expand on its own — no matter how many times you offer broccoli.

✅ Truth: Severe food restriction is not a phase. It's a signal worth listening to.

Early support changes outcomes. If you've been watching that list stay the same — or shrink — trust your gut.

Save this and share it with someone who needs to hear it. 👇

🦛 See you at the table.

06/18/2026

Dads model bravery at the table.

Not with speeches. Not with rules. With hands in the dough. With "show me those sticky fingers." With letting their kids watch them try, get messy, and stay curious.

When a child sees the person they love lean into an unfamiliar moment, that's a sensory bridge being built. That's a brave eater in the making.

This Father's Day, we're celebrating the dads who show up at the table — fully there, flour and all.

🦛 See you at the table.

06/16/2026

How I introduce a new food (without the meltdown). 🦛

When we’re working on a new food, we never introduce it alone.

We pair it with something the child already eats and enjoys — bread, a favorite cheese, a familiar cracker. And we keep the new piece SMALL. A pretty thin amount of turkey. A pinch of something new alongside something already trusted.

Why? Because the brain doesn’t reject a familiar food. So when the new piece arrives next to the trusted one, it borrows that safety.

Pair small. Pair familiar. Pair often.

Try it tonight: one new food, one preferred food, on the same plate, touching just enough to count.

🦛 See you at the table.

If mealtimes feel like a daily battle in your house, you're not doing it wrong — you might just be falling into one of t...
06/11/2026

If mealtimes feel like a daily battle in your house, you're not doing it wrong — you might just be falling into one of the most common traps I see parents make.

After years as a pediatric feeding OT, I've watched the same patterns come up over and over. And the good news? They're incredibly easy to shift once you know what to look for.

I put together a free guide just for you: 5 Surprising Mistakes Parents Make with Picky Eaters — and What to Do Instead.

Simple, practical, and it takes 5 minutes to read. 🙌

Grab it free — link in my bio. ⬇️

This is what it looks like when Hugo goes to work. 🦛These are real kids. Real therapy sessions. Real progress.I wrote Hu...
06/10/2026

This is what it looks like when Hugo goes to work. 🦛

These are real kids. Real therapy sessions. Real progress.

I wrote Hugo's Brave Bite because I kept seeing the same thing in my clinic — kids who wanted to try new foods but just needed a little encouragement first. Hugo gets it. He's been there.

Watching my patients flip through these pages, point at the pictures, and then actually try something new at the table? That's the whole reason this book exists.

If you have a picky eater at home, Hugo might be just the friend they need. 🌿

Grab your copy on Amazon. 📚

06/05/2026

Sound familiar? A lot of parents think this — and it makes total sense on the surface.

But here's what 30 years as an OT has taught me: picky eating isn't about sugar. It's about predictability.

Chips, crackers, cookies — they taste exactly the same every time. Same texture. Same color. No surprises. For a child with feeding challenges, that consistency feels safe.

A strawberry? It can be sweet or sour, firm or mushy. That unpredictability is where the anxiety lives — not in the ingredient list.

So yes, your child can eat junk food and be a picky eater. Now we know why. 💙

Save this and follow along for more truths like this every week. 👇

06/02/2026

Before I ever say "try a bite" I do this.

Every child works through every one of their senses to eat — and if their sensory system isn't in a good place, no amount of "just one more bite" is going to fix the moment.

So we don't start at the table. We start with the body.

A few minutes of big movement — jumping, ball play, a slow roll — wakes the system up. Then we bring it back down. Down dog. Slow breathing. Belly on the ball.

Raise the arousal. Then bring it back down. Now we can sit. Now we can focus. Now we can try.

Try it tonight: 5 minutes of trampoline or ball play, then a calming roll, before you sit down. You may be surprised what it changes.
ARFIDkids

05/29/2026

Sibling modeling is actually one of the best tools we have — keep doing it!

Eating together, watching each other, making mealtimes a shared experience — all of it matters.

AND — every child's feeding journey is different. A picky eater may need extra support alongside that modeling to make real progress.

The key? Let siblings model and encourage naturally — without pressure. A relaxed table where everyone is just eating is worth more than any nudge or comment about what's on the plate. 💙

Tag a parent who needed to hear this today! 👇

05/27/2026

Meet Gregory. He's three. And he is doing the bravest thing a picky eater can do — he's exploring. 🦛

Before a child can taste a new food, they have to feel safe with it first.

That looks like this:

👐 Touch — what does it feel like in my hands?
👃 Smell — what does it smell like up close?
👅 Taste — okay, maybe just a little.

No pressure. No "just try it." Just curiosity, at his own pace.

This is how real feeding progress happens — one brave step at a time.

Save this if you have a little one who needs to start at the beginning. 💙

05/22/2026

Sticker charts don't fix feeding problems — but they're not the villain either.

Here's the distinction that matters: rewards tied to eating specific foods undermine a child's internal motivation. When the prize goes away, so does the progress.

But rewards tied to table participation and structure? That's a different story. Following mealtime rules, staying at the table, engaging with the process — those are worth celebrating. 🌟

The goal is building safety and curiosity around food — not earning a prize for touching or tasting a pea. 💙

Save this one for a parent who's tried everything. 👇

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20 Whitlock Place Ste 101
Roswell, GA
30064

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Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm

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