Healthy Feeding and Nutrition

Reviewed:

This topical guide will introduce you to important books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse and other sources. Contact us via online form or by phone (1-877-275-3227) to request a resource listed below (or ask your local public librarian). Note that some videos may be viewed online, and journal titles will take you to the publisher’s homepage.

dad and child at table

Books

All about families
Felicity Brooks and Mar Ferrero
EDC Publishing, 2019
Families come in all shapes and sizes and from all sorts of backgrounds. They speak various languages, eat different sorts of food, live in different kinds of homes and celebrate special occasions in a variety of ways. This book lets children explore questions such as “What is a family?’, ‘What different sorts of families are there?’ and more.
Call#: PZ 7.1 .B7912 2019

ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) : a guide for parents and carers
Rachel Bryant-Waugh
Routledge, 2020
This book is an accessible summary of a relatively recent diagnostic term and covers common questions encountered by parents or carers whose child has been given a diagnosis of ARFID or who have concerns about their child. It also includes a wealth of practical tips and suggested strategies to equip parents and carers with the means to take positive steps towards dealing with the problems ARFID presents.
Call#: WS 130 .B9159 2020

Baby food = Comiendo con bebé
Stefanie Paige Wieder; translated by María Perez
Barefoot Books, 2019
This book’s rhyming text, in parallel text in English and Spanish, offers plenty of prompts for caregiver-child interaction to strengthen secure attachment, from snack time to mealtime and every time in between.
Call#: SPANISH BB 73 .W644 2019

Baby-led weaning : the essential guide : how to introduce solid foods and help your baby to grow up a happy and confident eater
Gill Rapley
The Experiment, 2019
Baby-led weaning is the healthy, natural way to start your baby on solid foods–no stress, no fuss, no mush! This updated edition explains its benefits, the latest research on allergy prevention and feeding baby safely, a guide to using baby-led weaning in child care, and much more.
Call#: WS 120 .R218 2019

Baby, let’s eat!
Stephan Lomp
Workman Publishing, 2018
Explore a rainbow of delicious foods in this book. What green vegetable looks like a tree? Broccoli! Can you find a fruit that’s small and yellow? Lemon! Can you pick out two berries so red and sweet? Raspberry and strawberry!
Call#: PZ 7.1 .L839 2018

The big book of organic baby food : baby purees, finger foods, and toddler meals for every stage
Stephanie Middleberg
Sonoma Press, 2016
This book shares expert nutritional advice, parental insights, and more than 230 easy recipes for babies, toddlers, and families.
Call#: WS 130 .M5844 2016

The Cleaner Plate Club
Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin
Storey, 2010
This humorous book, written by two working moms, offers parents suggestions and tips to get kids to eat healthier food, includes cooking instructions and more than 100 kid-tested recipes.
Call#: WB 405 .B1416 2010

Feed Your Baby & Toddler Right : Early Eating and Drinking Skills Encourage the Best Development
Diane Bahr
Future Horizons, 2018
This book reveals secrets for better breast and bottle feeding, and feeding development for babies from birth to the toddler years.
Call#: WS 130 .B148 2018

The Disconnected Kids Nutrition Plan
Robert Melillo & Zac Brown
Penguin Publishing Group, 2016
This book discusses the nutritional side of the Brain Balance program, a scientifically developed program for feeding kids with special needs, featuring guidelines, tips, and kid-friendly recipes all designed to help busy parents feed picky kids in a beneficial way.
Call#: WS 115 .M848 2016
Also available as an eBook

Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Child’s Diet
Cheri Fraker, et al.
Marlowe, 2007
This book provides a system for treating feeding problems through focusing on the sensory aspects of food such as taste, texture, and temperature. The book also includes sections on food allergies and options for children with specific special needs.
Call#: WS 130 .F812 2007

The fruit salad friend : recipe for a true friend
Maria Dismondy
Cardinal Rule Press, 2018
hloe loves going to school, but lately something is different. Chloe has all the ingredients of a great friend – kindness, empathy, compassion, and more. Chloe wonders, “What do you do when friends don’t treat you with kindness?” Find out how this brave girl navigates the trials and tribulations that pop up on her way to discovering the recipe for lasting friendship.
Call#: PZ 7 .D6319 2018

Helping your child with extreme picky eating : a step-by-step guide for overcoming selective eating, food aversion, and feeding disorders
Katja Rowell
New Harbinger Publications, 2015
If your child has a feeding or selective eating disorder, you need powerful solutions you can use right now. This book will prove an invaluable guide to help restore peace to your dinner table
Call#: WS 130 .R795 2015

I can’t eat this stuff
Liz Fletcher
Louie’s Little Lessons, 2017
This adorable rhythmic book will turn your fussy eaters into veggie-loving superheroes! Because haven’t you heard?…Vegetables are superhero fuel!
Call#: PZ 7.1 .F632 2017

The kid-friendly ADHD & autism cookbook : the ultimate guide to the most effective diets
Pamela J. Compart and Dana Laake
Fair Winds, 2020
The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook provides a current review of the commonly used diets for the treatment of ADHD and autism, and recipes appropriate to specific diets. It also provides suggestions for feeding picky eaters, including those with texture issues.
Call#: WS 120 .C7835 2020

Natural Baby Food : Over 150 Wholesome, Nutritious Recipes For Your Baby And Toddler
Sonali Ruder
Hatherleigh Press, 2016
The perfect resource for new and experienced parents alike, Natural Baby Food is filled with over 150 delicious, nutritious recipes to please even the pickiest palate. Divided into concise, clear recipe sections for different stages of your baby’s growth, Natural Baby Food is the quick, reliable resource to help any parent keep their baby or toddler happy and healthy throughout their development.
Call#: WS 130 .R833 2016

Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know
William Dietz and Loraine Stern (Eds.)
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012
This book provides parents with information and strategies to meet the dietary needs of their children and includes charts to help parents determine if their child is overweight, too thin, or too small.
Call#: WS 115.D5681 2012  

The pediatrician’s guide to feeding babies & toddlers : practical answers to your questions on nutrition, starting solids, allergies, picky eating, and more
Anthony Porto
Ten Speed Press, 2016
Every new parent struggles when deciding what to feed their child during the first years of life. This book will help parents give their children the optimum nutrition they need to thrive.
Call#: WS 120 .P66 2016
Also available as an eBook

The prince’s breakfast
Joanne Oppenheim
Barefoot Books, 2019
When the fussy young prince turns his nose up at his royal breakfast, the king and queen decide to hit the road. The whole royal family embarks on a madcap global adventure to Mexico, India and beyond in search of something the prince will eat.
Call#: PZ 7.1 .O621bre 2019

Raising a healthy, happy eater : a parent’s handbook– a stage-by-stage guide to setting your child on the path to adventurous eating
Nimali Fernando
The Experiment, LLC, 2015
This book explains how to expand your family’s food horizons, avoid the picky eater trap, identify special feeding needs, and put joy back into mealtimes.
Call#: WS 130 .F47 2015

Responsive Feeding : the baby-first guide to stress-free weaning, healthy eating, and mealtime bonding
Melanie Potock
The Experiment, 2022
This is an authoritative guide to feeding babies and toddlers “responsively” – the no-fuss method that follows your child’s cues and sets stage for healthy eating
Call#: WS 130 .P864 2022
Also available as an eBook

Smart Foods for ADHD and Brain Health
Rachel Gow, Rory Bremmer, Robert Lustig
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021
This book includes accessible tips throughout and a chapter of recipes to promote brain health. It is an essential guide to understanding the interplay of brain health and nutrition, and supporting families to build a diet that optimizes brain function and health.
Only available as an eBook

Videos

A Place of Our Own. Early Childhood Solutions: Health and Nutrition
119 min; DVD
PBS Home Video, 2008
This video provides parents, caregivers and child care providers with information to help young children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills. Topics include exercise, healthy eating, preventing obesity, sleep, diabetes, asthma, and more.
Call#: WS 113 .Ea761 2008  

Adapting pediatric feeding therapy for the clinic, home, school, and online – not just the kitchen table
91 min; DVD
PESI, 2020
This video presents pediatric feeding strategies that will allow you to manage medical issues related to respiration, airway, and aspiration in non-medical environments, expand food repertoire wherever your client eat, design effective individual and group feeding environments in school settings, and conduct tele-visits that really work.
Call#: WS 130 .A2216 2020

Evaluation of Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing
133 min; DVD
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2008
This guide and DVD is a self-study publication to be used for continuing professional development. It includes video examples of evaluation, worksheets, and parent handouts.
Call#: WS 130 .E92 2008

I’m Not a Baby Anymore: Tips for Feeding Toddlers
12 min; DVD
Lemon-Aid Films, 2004
This video provides the parents of typically developing infants with basic information on feeding and nutrition for toddlers.
Call#:  WS 130 .I31 2004

Nourishing Healthy Preschoolers : a Guide to MyPlate Nutrition
27 min; DVD
Learning Seed, 2012
Using MyPlate and the USDA’s dietary guidelines, this video shows how meals can include a variety of nutritious foods, how to determine appropriate portion sizes, how to make snacks healthy, and how to encourage physical activity. Also discusses common concerns about sugar, fat, and picky eaters. Shows how busy families can eat healthy.
Call#: WS 130 .N853 2012

Nutrition and mental health in kids & teens
90 min; DVD
PESI, 2020
This video presents basics of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) as it relates to mental health, how poor nutrition can mimic mental health symptoms, the impact of sugar, inflammation, and “fake” nutrition on brain function, and recommendations and resources you can make for kids and families.
Call#: WS 130 .N9763 2020

Tube Feedings Are Mealtimes, Too!
17 min; DVD
Mealtime Notions, 2003
This video uses demonstrations to introduce the parents of infants and young children to the process of tube feedings.
Call#: WB 410 .K64tu 2003

Everyday Learning Opportunities: Mealtime
28 min; online
Early CHOICES
Every day, we share meals with our family. When we have young children, mealtimes can be fun or stressful. This video talks about what is happening developmentally for young children and what we can do to make mealtimes go more smoothly. Also available in Spanish.

Organizations

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

MyPlate.gov

Articles

Clinical Pediatrics, 48(3), 247–251
An Overview of Pediatric Dysphagia
Jane Prasse and George Kikano. (2009)
This article provides a review of symptoms, causes, and available resources to aid in the identification and treatment of swallowing difficulties in young children.

Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 21(3), 153–166
Feeding Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review
Jennifer Ledford and David Gast. (2006)
This review gathers current research on the types of feeding problems and interventions used with children with ASD.

Journal of Birth and Parent Education, 1(4), 31-36
Fussy Eating in Toddlers – Thinking Beyond the Plate
Carol Williams. (2014)
This article provides guidance for parents on how to respond to ‘fussy eating’ in toddlers and offers a range of useful tips and strategies.

Young Exceptional Children, 13(2), 71–85
Picky Eating Habits or Sensory Processing Issues? Exploring Feeding Difficulties in Infants and Toddlers
Stacy Thompson, et al. (2010)
This article discusses how sensory processing issues can affect the feeding behavior of infants and toddlers. The article provides strategies for assessment and treatment as well as additional resources.

Web Resources

Children’s nutrition: 10 tips for picky eaters
Children’s nutrition doesn’t have to be frustrating. Consider these strategies to avoid power struggles and help the picky eater in your family eat a balanced diet.

Eating Right = Healthy Children
Good nutrition is basic for supporting preschoolers’ healthy growth while avoiding obesity. Parents can offer the foods that children need and help them develop good eating habits. Also in Spanish, Polish, and Arabic.

Facing Food Challenges One Plate at a Time (EIC)
A parent-friendly tip sheet created by the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse. Also available in Spanish.

Ellyn Satter Institute
Author of several books on feeding and mealtimes, this Web site contains information for parents of typically developing infants and young children.

Fruit Juice and Your Child’s Diet
Children can easily drink a lot of juice because juice tastes good. However, too much juice in your child’s diet can contribute to other problems, like poor nutrition, obesity, and tooth decay. Also in Spanish.

How to Handle Picky Eaters
“Picky” eating is when a child (or adult) refuses foods often or eats the same foods over and over. Here’s what to do and what not to do with your picky eater.

Get Permission Approach
This Web site contains tips, parent stories, articles, and other resources for parents and professionals who feed infants and young children with special feeding challenges.

Say Yes to Healthy Snacks!
Snacks are an important part of children’s daily nutrition in child care as well as at home. Be aware that a young child may eat little one day and a lot the next. In planning healthy snacks, consider food safety and known allergies as well as “snack appeal”! Also in Spanish and Polish.

Developmental Stages in Infant and Toddler Feeding
Feeding infants and toddlers can be an intense and emotional (positive and negative) experience for both parent and child. This factsheet describes skills related to feeding and eating, specific feeding skills, taste, texture & food preferences, and appetite regulation for infants and toddlers.