Not sure what kind of feeding support your child needs?

Feeding challenges can feel confusing—especially when it’s hard to tell whether what you’re seeing is a typical developmental phase, a sign that extra support is needed, or something in between.

You don’t have to figure that out alone.

At Up Beet Eaters, we help families make sense of feeding challenges in a way that feels respectful, empowering, and grounded in skill-building—not pressure.

Start with a feeding reflection

If feeding feels stuck, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.

Eating isn’t a single skill—it’s a collection of many small skills that develop and connect over time. These include things like sensory comfort, motor coordination, communication, emotional regulation, trust, and flexibility.

When progress slows or power struggles show up, it’s often because one or two of these pieces need support—not because a child is being resistant or a parent isn’t trying hard enough.

Understanding which pieces matter most right now is the first step toward meaningful progress.

A gentle feeding reflection to help you notice patterns

If you’re unsure where your child fits—or what kind of support would actually be helpful—you can start with a short guided reflection.

This reflection is adapted from evidence-based pediatric feeding frameworks and is designed to help you:

  • Notice patterns in your child’s feeding

  • Clarify what feels most challenging right now

  • Identify areas of strength you may already be building on

This is not a diagnosis and it doesn’t label your child.
Many families fall somewhere between categories—and that’s okay.

Start the Feeding Reflection

What your results mean

After the reflection, you’ll receive a brief summary written in plain language that highlights common patterns families with similar responses often notice—such as:

  • Power struggles around meals

  • Avoidance or anxiety that increases as expectations grow

  • Uncertainty about which goals to prioritize

These patterns don’t tell us what to do yet—but they help us ask better questions.

From there, you’ll have options.

Schedule a Feeding Consult
Learn More About Feeding Development

Support for common feeding challenges (ages 2–18)

This path may be a fit if your concerns include:

  • Picky eating or limited variety

  • Food neophobia (fear of new foods)

  • Ongoing power struggles at meals

  • Worry about “doing the wrong thing” and making feeding harder

Our work here focuses on:

  • Increasing confidence and clarity

  • Understanding how skills grow over time

  • Avoiding unintentional patterns that stall progress

Explore Developmental Feeding Support

Support when feeding is more complex

Feeding can feel especially overwhelming when it’s shaped by additional factors such as medical history, developmental differences, or neurological conditions (for example autism, Rett syndrome, Down syndrome, and others).

In these situations, the hardest part is often knowing:

  • Which barriers matter most right now

  • Which goals are actually helpful

  • How to support feeding without sacrificing connection

My role is to help families identify their child’s personal keys to progress—while collaborating with care teams when needed so goals are aligned and no one loses connection through unnecessary power struggles.

Explore Support for Complex Feeding

The Up Beet Eaters approach

Our work is grounded in a constructional, relationship-centered model of feeding support. That means we focus on:

  • Building skills instead of forcing outcomes

  • Increasing safety, engagement, and curiosity

  • Respecting a child’s communication and boundaries

  • Supporting caregivers as the most important part of the process

Eating may change over time—but connection comes first.

For clinicians & care teams

Up Beet Eaters offers consultation, caregiver coaching, and collaborative planning for pediatric feeding challenges across diagnoses and settings.

You don’t need to have all the answers to take the next step.
Whether you start with reflection, education, or a conversation—we’ll meet you where you are.