How Feeding Therapy Can Help Your Child with Picky Eating

Is every mealtime a battle in your home?Do you find yourself making separate meals, negotiating bites, or feeling anxious about your child’s nutrition?

If your child is an extreme picky eater, you’re not alone—and you’re not failing. But if picky eating is causing stress, limiting your child’s growth, or disrupting family life, it may be time to look beyond “just a phase” and consider feeding therapy.

At Wisco Integrative Therapies, our pediatric feeding specialists work with families every day to help children build healthy, positive relationships with food—and turn mealtimes into less of a struggle and more of a success.

What Is Feeding Therapy?

Feeding therapy is a collaborative, therapeutic approach to help children eat more comfortably, confidently, and nutritiously. It addresses the underlying factors—not just surface behaviors—that make feeding difficult.

Therapists trained in feeding (often occupational therapists or speech-language pathologists) work one-on-one with your child to build the oral motor skills, sensory tolerance, and emotional readiness needed for successful eating.

Unlike a one-size-fits-all strategy, feeding therapy is individualized—tailored to your child’s unique history, preferences, and needs.

Signs Your Child May Benefit from Feeding Therapy

Some degree of food preference is normal for kids—but extreme picky eating that affects nutrition, growth, or family dynamics may need intervention.

Your child may benefit from feeding therapy if they:

• Eat fewer than 20 different foods

• Gag, vomit, or cry at the sight of new foods

• Avoid entire food groups (e.g., all proteins or veggies)

• Refuse to try new textures, colors, or temperatures

• Rely on milk or formula for most nutrition beyond toddlerhood

• Have a history of reflux, oral aversion, or feeding trauma

• Have difficulty chewing or swallowing

• Only eat “safe” foods and panic when they’re not available

• Experience growth delays or weight concerns due to eating habits

• Family mealtimes are consistently stressful or disrupted

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Feeding therapy can also be helpful for children with developmental differences, sensory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, oral motor delays, or a history of medical issues (like prematurity, feeding tubes, or tongue tie).

What Happens in Feeding Therapy?

At Wisco Integrative Therapies, feeding therapy is a gentle, play-based, and trust-building process. We start by understanding your child’s full story—medical history, feeding timeline, family routines, and current concerns.

Sessions may include:

• Oral motor support to build strength, coordination, and safe swallowing

• Sensory exploration of foods to reduce anxiety and build tolerance

• Feeding routines and rituals that promote predictability and calm

• Fun, low-pressure food play to increase familiarity and comfort

• Family coaching to support you in creating a positive feeding environment at home

  
  

We never force bites or pressure a child to eat. Instead, we build curiosity, confidence, and connection—one small step at a time.

Feeding Therapy Is More Than Just “Getting Kids to Eat”

Our goal isn’t just to expand your child’s menu—it’s to help them:

• Feel safe and confident at the table

• Reduce anxiety around food and mealtime

• Improve nutrition and growth

• Experience greater sensory comfort

• Build independence and self-regulation

• Enjoy family meals without battles or tears

  
  

And equally important? We support you—because picky eating can take a toll on parents, too.

Wisco Integrative Therapies Can Help

If you're exhausted from managing picky eating and worried your child isn’t thriving, you're not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

At Wisco Integrative Therapies, our experienced occupational therapists offer specialized feeding therapy for children of all ages. We take a holistic, family-centered approach to help your child feel confident, curious, and successful with food.

👉 Book an appointment today at our Milwaukee or Mequon offices and start building better mealtimes—one bite at a time.

Let’s work together to turn food stress into food success.

Book Now!