From Picky Eating to Food Explorer -

Struggling with mealtime rigidity and seeking strategies to make your child more adventurous with food? Let me share with you insights from my enlightening conversation with Brenda, a seasoned occupational therapist. We navigate the complexities of children’s picky eating habits, from texture preferences to oral motor skills, and discuss techniques to promote a more flexible approach to mealtime.

To start off, Brenda shares wisdom about children’s development and how it impacts their eating habits and may appear like picky eating. She guides us through the intricacies of texture aversions and the importance of equipping children with crucial oral motor skills like proper chewing and gag reflex control. Brenda also devotes some time, creating a positive mealtime atmosphere. We delve into the importance of building trust and fun into your child’s mealtime, from trusting their hunger signals to encouraging their participation in food preparation.

But it’s not all talk. For those of you eager to put our advice into practice, Brenda has generously offered resources to the first 20 listeners who reach out to her. So, let’s start this journey together, equipping our children with healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. Tune in and join us in this shared mission of raising healthy humans.

0:03 Mealtime Strategies for Busy Moms
19:03 Texture Preferences and Oral Motor Skills
33:36 Improving Mealtime for Children
44:48 Trust and Fun in Child’s Mealtime

Learn more about Brenda:

Brenda Chilstrom, founder of That Makes Sense OT, is a pediatric occupational therapist. She has over 25 years of experience working with children and families experiencing difficulties with feeding issues. It is her goal to help families create a safe space that allows their children’s natural curiosity to emerge. She helps to transform the rigidity and power struggles around the eating process into joy-filled, adventurous exploration of foods. She envisions a world where all children are flourishing and becoming the curious, adventurous little beings they were born to be.

For a free tip sheet to decrease stress during mealtimes, sign up at www.thatmakessenseot.com

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TABLE TIME with That Makes Sense OT offer:
A safe, encrypted video sharing opportunity where parents who feel stuck can video their current challenges and receive tailored educational advice to help jumpstart them toward more peaceful and productive mealtimes. Disclaimer: for educational purposes– not meant to be a substitute for direct therapeutic intervention. This offer is valued at over $300 and is offered at an introductory price of $49 for listeners of this podcast only. This offer is limited to the first 20 respondents. Full offer details can be found at

TABLE TIME