That Time I Got Fussy Eater Advice From The Internet

I have always been very open with the eating issues my son struggles with. I have written about our battles here and here.

OK, incorrect terminology. My son would happily keep eating chicken nuggets from two meals a day, 365 days of the year with no issue. It me who has the issue with it and the ultimate health problems that will arise.

This post is in conjunction with Play With Food.

I’m constantly on the hunt for ideas on how to bring more food conversation and interest into the house plus anything that turns down the stress dial a few notches. Hitting up Google is often a turn to, perhaps a few Pinterest clicks but I have never though about letting one of these regularly visited websites actually SEE what was happening at our house until Simone contacted me and asked if I wanted to Skype!

Like Ari’s eating issues, I have also been very open with my love for Simone’s Play with Food philosophy. I discovered Simone’s work when I did her Happy Mealtimes eCourse earlier in the year (I wrote about it here). So when she called and offered to work with us again face-to-face over Skype I jumped at the opportunity…

And then I freaked out that someone outside of my close-knit family and friends was actually going to see our problems first hand!!

Thankfully, Simone has two young children of her own and has worked with many others so nothing appeared to be super abnormal to her, as in we were not some rare species of family dealing with some freaky-deek issues.

I prepared all the food that Simone and I had discussed prior. Some foods we like, some foods that we are ok with and some foods we don’t really know much about yet (code for won’t go near with a 10 metre fork). Leni is a fan of all the foods. I actually had to run off and get more cheese slices because the Miss devoured all of them before we had even got to that part yet!

It was really a cyber playdate as Simone’s daughters joined us from their home in Sydney and us in Brisbane. My two were very interested in their new internet friends and really got into playing along. Following a chosen theme we worked through the food, making faces and sounds and stories as we went.

The Skype session allowed Simone is actually see what was happening with all the activity she was guiding. It was the first time I wasn’t flying blind and thinking to myself “Nope! This is never going to work!” as I had done many times before. Setting myself up for failing.

In our follow-up Simone gave me a run down on what she thought some of his issues were and ways to work around it, like providing him with his own washer for each mealtime as he happily put things in his mouth but then spat them out. Giving him an out with the washer, gives him a safer opportunity to try new foods and now we have adopted this simple thing Ari is more open to putting food closer to him, even if it is not yet in his mouth, it is on his plate! Steps in the right direction.

Without even knowing that these sessions were going to be hand in hand with the Happy Mealtimes eCourse I was thinking that they go really well together. I understood the table setup and where I had to give ownership to the kids with what they were putting on their plate from working through the course.

Here is a little of how it played out…

Perhaps I shouldn’t have just started chowing down on all the food while on camera…

A warning for parents: The session triggered a Stringers craving that just won’t quit!

If you’re looking for some help or reassurance about mealtimes and eating habits the internet is not a bad place to turn. Just as long as it is as personable as Simone’s Play with Food Skype sessions!

Have you ever had a personal specialist session over the internet? If you have any questions about the session just drop me a comment below.

**I was given the Skype session as compensation for this blog post. I was a safe bet for Simone because I have rabbited on about her products for no reason besides love before. All opinions are my own and the peace of mind working with Play with Food has given me is all mine too!