Virtual Pediatric Nutritionist for Picky Eaters
If your child’s list of safe foods keeps shrinking and every meal feels like a battle, you are not doing anything wrong. Calm, expert support can help your child eat more foods, gently and at their own pace.
Nadler Nutrition is a virtual practice where a pediatric nutritionist for picky eaters works one-on-one with your family. Therese Nadler MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian, helps toddlers and children widen their plate without pressure, bribes, or hidden vegetables, while making sure their nutrition is covered along the way. Sessions happen by video, so you get expert help from home.
Picky Eating in Children Is Hard on the Whole Family
You cook one dinner for the family and a second one for your child. You worry about vitamins, growth, and whether this is just a phase. Meals that should feel easy leave everyone tense.
Toddler picky eating is very common, and many kids ease out of it with time. For some children, though, the list of accepted foods gets shorter instead of longer. That is when outside support can make a real difference.
None of this means you have failed as a parent. Picky eating usually has understandable reasons behind it, and it responds well to calm, consistent support.
This may sound familiar if…
When to Worry About Picky Eating
Most picky eating is a normal stage that eases as children grow. It is worth getting help when you notice signs of an extremely picky eater:
Feeding professionals call this pattern problem feeding, and it rarely resolves on its own. A very restricted diet with fear or weight concerns can also point to ARFID. Learn more on our ARFID nutrition support page or in our guide to picky eating vs ARFID in kids.
When to call your pediatrician first
Please contact your child’s pediatrician promptly if your child is losing weight or falling off their growth curve, chokes or struggles to swallow, has ongoing vomiting or pain with eating, seems unusually tired, or is refusing fluids. These signs need a medical evaluation, and nutrition support works best alongside it.
How a Dietitian for Picky Eaters Helps Your Child
Picky eating is rarely “just behavior.” As a picky eating dietitian, Therese looks at the whole child to understand what is driving the selectivity, then builds a realistic plan around what she finds.
Finding what’s behind the picky eating
Every child’s reasons are different, from appetite and routine to past experiences like choking or reflux. We find your child’s specific drivers, so the plan fits them. For background, see our article on common causes of picky eating in kids. Selective eating can also show up alongside autism or ADHD. If that fits your child, our autism nutrition and feeding support page covers that side of care.
Protecting nutrition while the plate grows
A short food list can leave gaps in key nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber. We review what your child actually eats and, when it makes sense, talk with your child’s doctor about labs. That way gaps are covered now, instead of waiting for variety to catch up.
Working with sensory food aversion
Some children react strongly to texture, smell, temperature, or the way food looks. A sensory food aversion is not stubbornness. We work with your child’s sensory preferences, starting from what feels safe and making small, predictable changes.
Looking at gut comfort
Constipation, reflux, or tummy pain can make eating feel unpleasant, so children limit what they eat. When digestion is part of the picture, we address it too. See our kids’ gut health nutrition page.
What Working With a Pediatric Nutritionist for Picky Eaters Looks Like
Working with a nutritionist for picky eaters should feel supportive, not like one more thing to get right. Everything happens by video, from home.
Free consultation call
A 10 to 15 minute call to hear what’s going on, answer your questions, and see if we are the right fit. There is no pressure to commit.
In-depth assessment
We review your child’s health history, growth, current food list, sensory preferences, mealtime routines, and relevant information from their healthcare providers.
Your personalized plan
You leave with clear first steps: which foods to work on, how to serve them, how to cover nutrition gaps, and what to say at the table.
Ongoing virtual support
Regular follow-ups give us dedicated time to adjust the plan as your child progresses, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate small wins. Most families follow up every 2 to 4 weeks, depending on their child’s needs. Brief questions or updates can be shared between visits through the patient portal; questions that require individualized guidance or a change to the plan are addressed during a follow-up appointment.
If your child already sees an occupational therapist, speech therapist, or another feeding specialist, we are glad to coordinate so everyone is working toward the same goals.
What’s included
Fees and insurance
Nadler Nutrition does not accept insurance. A superbill can be provided for you to submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement.
Picky eating support is one part of our wider pediatric nutrition services for kids and teens.
Gentle, No-Pressure Picky Eater Therapy
If you have searched how to help a picky eater and tried every trick, you know pressure, bribes, and “one more bite” rules tend to backfire. Our nutrition therapy is built on a simpler idea: children try more foods when they feel safe.
One tool we use often is food chaining, which links foods your child already likes to new foods that are similar in taste, texture, or look. You can see the full method, with real examples, on our food chaining page.
This is nutrition therapy from a registered dietitian. It is different from occupational or speech feeding therapy, which focus on skills like chewing and swallowing. Some children benefit from both, and we will tell you honestly if we think your child needs that kind of evaluation.
How the approach works
Ready for calmer mealtimes?
Find out if we are the right fit in a free consultation call.
Meet Your Dietitian: Therese Nadler MS, RDN, LDN
Therese Nadler, MS, RDN, LDN, is a registered dietitian with 15+ years of experience who takes a functional and integrative approach to nutrition. As a pediatric nutritionist specializing in picky eating and feeding challenges, she combines evidence-based feeding strategies with a whole-child perspective, looking beyond what a child eats to understand the nutritional, sensory, behavioral, and health factors that may be shaping a child’s relationship with food.
Therese works with toddlers, children, preteens, teens, and young adults, helping families expand food variety, improve nutritional adequacy, and make mealtimes feel more manageable.
Meet Therese →Related Resources for Parents of Picky Eaters
Picky Eating Questions, Answered
When should I worry about my child’s picky eating?
Worry when the list of foods your child accepts keeps shrinking, whole food groups disappear, meals cause real distress, or you have concerns about growth or energy. Occasional food refusal is normal. If your child is losing weight, choking, or vomiting, see your pediatrician first.
Can a dietitian help a picky eater?
Yes. A registered dietitian can check whether your child’s diet meets their needs, cover nutrient gaps, and give you a step-by-step, low-pressure plan to help your child accept more foods. A dietitian for picky eaters also coaches you, so progress continues between sessions.
What does a feeding specialist do, and does my child need one?
“Feeding specialist” can describe several professionals. Occupational and speech therapists work on skills like chewing, swallowing, and sensory tolerance, while a pediatric dietitian focuses on nutrition, growth, and expanding the diet. Many children need only nutrition support, and some do best with both.
Will my child grow out of picky eating?
Many children do, especially when mealtimes stay calm and foods are offered again and again without pressure. Picky eating that is severe, getting worse, or affecting nutrition is less likely to resolve on its own, and early support usually makes change easier.
What is sensory food aversion in children?
Sensory food aversion is a strong negative reaction to how a food feels, smells, tastes, or looks, such as gagging at mixed textures or refusing anything wet. It is not defiance. Gradual, predictable exposure that respects your child’s comfort level tends to help most.
How do you deal with a picky eater who refuses almost everything?
Start by removing pressure completely. Serve one safe food at every meal, keep new foods in tiny amounts, set regular meal and snack times, and let your child decide how much to eat. If your child is an extremely picky eater and this isn’t enough, a picky eating dietitian can build a personalized plan.
Is picky eating linked to autism or ADHD?
Picky eating is more common in autistic children and can also show up with ADHD, often because of sensory differences, a preference for routine, or appetite changes. It also happens in children with neither diagnosis. A dietitian can help in any of these situations.
A Wider Plate Is Possible, Gently
You don’t have to figure out picky eating on your own. Working with a pediatric nutritionist for picky eaters gives your child a calm, step-by-step path toward new foods and gives you a plan you can trust. Start with a free consultation call, and we will talk through what is happening at your table.
Book a Free Consultation →This page shares general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please talk with your child’s pediatrician about any medical concerns.