Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Child's Diet [Paperback]

So I've decided that I should also put my two cents worth in regarding the book and other comments here. This is Alicia, and yes, my son Ewan is mentioned in the book under the Special Needs section.

First off, is this book for everyone? Maybe not, no book, no theory, no treatment plan out there is for absolutely everybody. But give it a shot if you've got a child that is a picky eater or problem eater, it's 12 bucks that could change your life. Secondly, keep your mind open. If your mind is already closed to new ideas and new ways of doing things it's hard to help anyone, including your child.

Third, the whole 'encourages a child to eat junk food' notion is off base. The problem stems from the fact that these children have ALREADY self limited their foods to the, let's say, not the healthiest foods on the market. That's why many of the chains focus on moving from McNuggets and 'junk' food that someone else mentioned. My son was one of these children that the only 'meat' he would accept was a chicken McNugget--hence our chain started from there and grew. He now eats a variety of meats but in all honesty, he's not a real big meat lover, he eats some but not all meats...it's just not his 'thing'.

As for the moving from junk food to broccoli and healthy foods idea--you bet your behind my son did that. He is living proof that food chaining took him from pop-tarts, McNuggets, popcorn, and chips to eating foods like raw spinach leaves, broccoli, salsa, green peppers, cabbage, lettuce, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, apples, oranges, pineapple...well you get the point, a very healthy diet. I'd match my son's diet now up against the healthiest of stone age diets out there!

How in the name of all that is holy did that happen? Well, first this team actually looked at my son with open eyes and found an underlying medical problem called Eosinophilic Esophagitis that had been making eating a painful experience for him. So please don't scoff when you say, oh this is only for kids that are obviously really sick...some underlying problems are very hidden and can be a factor in why child is limiting their food intake. My son was one of those children that looked healthy and no one would have guessed that was going on.

Now let me also say that when you order this book you do not also get a complimentary magic wand in the mail. There is NO magic wand that transforms your child from a picky or problem eater into this kid like "Mikey" from the commercials that will eat anything. A good thing to keep in mind is that we ALL have foods we DON'T like! Food chaining, or any treatment plan for tackling these type of eating / feeding issues, takes time. It takes time, patience, understanding, and knowledge of how we eat and how we discover new foods and new tastes. Food chaining can be fun and exciting if you let it, if you open your mind to food, tastes, eating, and new experiences.

So I encourage those of you struggling with feeding and eating issues to give this book a good chance and read it. It's very user friendly with lots of terms and descriptions spelled out and is a very systematic way of looking at the problem!

Alicia

I think the idea of food chaining has potential, but the book wasn't detailed enough to help me put it into practice. The reviews that involve people who dealt with the authors in person rather than trying to get help from reading the book alone miss the point, because the book doesn't provide enough information to implement a food chaining approach, at least in my experience. It didn't give details about the order in which to introduce foods and when to switch to new foods. It didn't talk about what to do when the child refuses to try the new foods that are offered. Plus, the focus on bringing together a team of five professionals to assess your child was misguided because people that want to go that route probably aren't getting a self-help book. So, I tried a few new foods with my daughter, she refused to even consider trying them, so I gave up and went back to what I had been doing. I found Ellyn Satter's books to be more helpful, although they don't focus enough on what to do about picky eating.

I must first say that I am the mother of a little boy that has struggled with eating since the age of 1 (he's now 3 1/2). I must also say that the feeding team that wrote this book helped us when no one else would or could. We owe them so much...thank you!

If your child struggles with mealtime...this is the only book you need! It's fabulous! It's easy to read and written for parents to understand.
I love the short stories in the book because they help the parent realize that they are not the only ones struggling with this issue. There are also great "Did You Know" sections every couple of pages that give great advice and tips. Also, the authors have provided a glossary in the book to outline the terms/conditions that you may not be familiar with.

Lastly, they have given so many example diagrams of food chaining, a process developed by author Cheri Fraker, that tells the parent exactly where to start and where to go next with the foods that your child will eat.

Dealing with eating difficulties is challenging and it's easy to get off track...I'm so glad that I purchased this book because it's a great guide to have on hand and to keep you focused on what to do and what not to do, whether you are just starting out with food chaining or whether you're an "ol' pro!"

Kudos to you all! Fantastic book!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 18 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars