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A mom of three, including twin toddlers, Jenny is a baby-led weaning expert and food and farming enthusiast on a mission to make it easier for parents to introduce real food to their babies.
Prior to launching Solid Starts, Jenny led global communications at One Acre Fund and Slow Food USA and served many years in the NYC government. Before that she was a professional ballerina with the New York City Ballet.
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Picky eating can make mealtimes feel like a battleground. Whether you're a parent of a toddler who refuses anything green or a pediatric therapist supporting a child’s feeding journey, you’ve likely asked: How can we prevent picky eating before it becomes a problem?
At Harkla, we believe that understanding your child's sensory system is the first step toward building positive, stress-free eating habits. In this guide, we'll explore how to prevent picky eating in toddlers through a sensory lens—offering research-backed strategies that parents and professionals can apply right away.
Picky eating isn’t always about being “difficult.” In many cases, it’s the result of:
Sensory sensitivities to textures, smells, and sounds.
Control issues—especially when adults dictate what and how to eat.
Delayed oral motor skills (like chewing or tongue control).
Early feeding experiences that lacked exposure to diverse textures or autonomy.
Understanding these root causes is essential for prevention. As Jenny Best from Solid Starts shared, early feeding choices matter, and for her, switching from traditional spoon-fed purees to baby-led self-feeding made all the difference.
Children with sensory processing challenges—like those with autism, ADHD, or Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)—often experience eating difficulties, especially if:
Textures feel overwhelming (e.g., mushy foods trigger gagging).
Messy meals cause distress (tactile defensiveness).
Noisy environmentsmake it hard to focus.
They struggle with oral awareness or jaw coordination.
Even children without a formal diagnosis can have sensory preferences that impact eating. The earlier you support these sensory needs, the better chance you have of preventing long-term picky eating behaviors.
Self-feeding helps toddlers build sensory tolerance and oral motor skills:
Serve safe, soft whole foods (e.g., ripe avocado, steamed carrots, banana halves).
Let your child explore—even if that means squishing or throwing food.
Avoid over-cleaning; mess is part of the learning!
Sensory Benefit: Tactile input from food exploration builds brain-body connections essential for healthy eating.
Children thrive when they feel in control:
Offer two or three choices (e.g., “Would you like strawberries or blueberries?”).
Avoid saying “just one more bite” or using dessert as a reward.
Let your child decide what and how much to eat..
OT Tip: Following Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility in Feeding can reduce power struggles and promote trust.
A “safe food” is one that your child reliably eats and finds comforting. Always include one on the plate—but don’t rely on it entirely:
Offer new foods alongside the safe food without pressure.
Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad”.
Overusing safe foods can backfire and reinforce limited eating. Use this approach primarily with established picky eaters, not as a starting point for toddlers.
Engaging your child in non-food sensory activities can reduce food-related anxiety:
Usesensory bins (e.g., dry rice, beans, or water play).
Encouragemessy art like finger painting or shaving cream play.
Play with toy food or use pretend cooking sets to practice meal routines.
OT Tip:Sensory regulation throughout the day improves tolerance at mealtimes.
Make meals predictable and peaceful:
Use dim lighting and limit background noise.
Sit together at the table (modeling is powerful!).
Offer meals at the same time each day to build structure.
Calm environments reduce sensory overload and improve your child’s ability to focus on eating.
In a recentAll Things Sensory podcast episode, guest Jenny Best shared her powerful story:Her first child, Charlie, was introduced to traditional baby food via spoon-fed purees.
Over time, he developed extreme food aversions and became a severe picky eater. But when her twins were born, Jenny introduced real, whole foods using baby-led weaning.
Today, her twins enjoy over 400 different foods—while Charlie is slowly expanding his limited repertoire through therapy and support.“Feeding doesn’t have to be a fight. It can be a joyful, empowering experience—for you and your child.” – Jenny Best, Solid Starts
Preventing picky eating is possible when we understand the sensory system and create a supportive environment. Whether you’re starting solids or troubleshooting toddler mealtimes, the key is empowerment—letting your child explore, engage, and enjoy the process of eating.
With the right tools, a bit of patience, and a sensory-informed approach, you can lay the foundation for a lifetime healthy relationship with food.
BORING, BUT NECESSARY LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
While we make every effort to share correct information, we are still learning. We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art. One doctor / therapist may have a different way of doing things from another. We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidenced based as possible. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your children. Consult your child’s pediatrician/ therapist for any medical issues that he or she may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Rachel Harrington, Harkla, Jessica Hill, or any guests or contributors to the podcast, as well as any employees, associates, or affiliates of Harkla, be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast.
Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you.
This podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.
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Courtney Horton
April 28, 2022
Fantastic podcast! I am an OT & my husband a pediatrician…. Solid Starts is so very needed! Great job!