Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

Announcing The Fearless Feeding Movement

This is the first in a collection of posts written in preparation for my first book Fearless Feeding. This is how it all started!

I’ve got news…big news! I’ve been writing this blog for over 2 years now and have learned a lot about the feeding struggles that parents face, including my own. While I love blogging, I wanted to do more. I wanted to reach more people.

I wanted to write a book.

In walks Jill Castle, pediatric nutrition specialist. I interviewed her for my Eating Disorder Prevention Series — and we hit it off. We both talked about the need for one, comprehensive book as an answer to modern-day feeding challenges but neither of us wanted to do it alone. But together….that just might be doable.

After a long road of coming up with a name, getting a proposal together, finding an awesome agent and finally landing a book deal, we have arrived at this moment. The book, Fearless Feeding, due out in early 2013, will help parents with kids of all ages — from high chair to high school.

Our goal is simple and ambitious: we want to take the fear out of feeding by giving parents the tools, resources and credible information they need to raise healthy and happy eaters. Whether you are trying to figure out what to feed your baby, unsure how to navigate picky eating or clueless about how to talk to school-aged kids about weight and body image, the book will have the answer. And most importantly, it will help prevent future problems, making feeding easier and less stressful each year children get older.

That said, we don’t want to stick our heads in the sand and write this book. We want to get parents (that’s you!) talking about their challenges. We want to hear all of your voices. We want to invite every parent to have a say so we can make the book relevant.

That’s why we are launching our Fearless Feeding Community on Facebook where we will ask questions/run polls, post news and food ideas, run giveaways, with a huge final prize, and ask for stories. Please “LIKE” us and tell your friends — we’ve got some great stuff to give away as an incentive and to celebrate this launch.

First, we have two Bento lunch boxes with coupons for any Sara Lee bread products. I really like the Sara Lee Soft and Smooth line of whole grain products. If your child has trouble accepting the rougher whole grain bread these are perfect. We regularly use the whole wheat mini bagels that contain 20g of whole grain per serving. Big A loves them. This package will also contain WomenHeart’s All Heart Family Cookbook.  We will have two winners for this each at $40.00 dollar value.

Bento_Box

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Real Simple is donating some organizing products from their Bed Bath and Beyond line including a mug rack, erasable calendar, and a 3-piece trunk storage unit (pictured) great for organizing groceries and food items in the car. This is a $50 dollar value for one lucky winner.

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Jill has more stuff to give away on her site so head over to the Just the Right Byte. She’s got a new Greek yogurt product from Chobani for kids and unique whole grain products.

This giveaway is closed.

Posts Included in the Series:
1. Announcing the Fearless Feeding Movement
2. The Only Guarantee I Can Make About Your Child’s Eating [Next]
3. Did You Make This Feeding Mistake the First 2 Years?
4. Expert Interview: Lucy Cooke, Ph.D.
5. The Feeding Strategy Every Parent Needs in Their Toolbox
6. Fearless Feeding Release Party!
7. The (No) Clean Plate Mom Comes Clean
8. Fearless Feeding 5 Years Later [Podcast]

It’s here! The most ambitious feeding book of our time: Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School

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Comments

  12. Rachel L. says

    I already subscribe on RSS, but sent an e-mail to my sister (mother of 3 young boys) telling her about Fearless Feeder on FB 🙂

    Reply

  13. Monica says

    So excited about your book!!! Just liked the “Fearless Eating” page and posted on Facebook about this.

    My son would love the bento box for his lunches at school!

    Reply

  31. Katie Shipley says

    No FB account, but I am also looking forward to your book. As I keep up with your blog, you remind me to back away from food pressure when it comes to my 3 1/2 year old. She’s picky, but we get the nutrition in by sticking with whole foods for the most part. Typical “5 smalls” day: oatmeal, whole fruit and whole milk yogurt, quesadilla on w.w. tortilla, popcorn and smoothie, w.w. pasta with peas. She’ll eat eggs, and peanut or almond butter, but no meat mostly. Although she does love chicken nuggets, I don’t want to serve that at home, it’s a special Happy Meal or kids’ party thing. We offer what we’re having, and she did “one polite bite” for a while. But since she didn’t like it, I felt that I was just reinforcing the notion that our food is undesirable. It became a focus to please Mommy, so we stopped. We eat dinner together and she participates in the family time. One thing I would like you to address in your book is the “I’m full” versus “I’m hungry” problem we have. Here’s what happens. She will say she’s hungry every time she sees me doing something not focused on her. It’s a ploy to control me. My response is lunch(or whatever meal is next) is coming soon. Then at that meal, “My tummy’s full.” I won’t fight that, so, with one bite taken, she’s onto the next thing even if it’s a nap. I’ll let her know that this food will be at the next meal so it doesn’t go to waste. Catching on to my frugality, now she’s trying to please me by saying, “Look I’m finishing my meal, not wasting it!” But that’s not good. I don’t want her to think finishing her plate is a virtue. I don’t give her too much in the first place, so I figure she’s not overeating for the “clean plate club”…yet. Sometimes she’ll say,”I want to save the rest for later,” which strikes me just right. Anyway, we go round and round, with her trying alternately to control the situation and to please me. She’s a good, sweet little girl and we just don’t put much emphasis on what or whether she eats, but I worry about it a lot. Especially the lack of veggies. Peas, once in a while raw carrots, or tomato sauce on pasta. No potatoes or sweet potatoes or corn… Any advice? I know, I know…buy the book. I will.

    Reply

  34. Maarit says

    This will be interesting both professionally and as being a mother. I look forward what crowdsourcing* puts together and how the writers zip it for us to see the big picture in feeding a child, your own and if being responsible of feeding group of children.
    I liked you in FB and told my friends to like too so they keep informed.

    *Crowdsourcing: ” is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community (crowd) through an open call” (Wikipedia)

    Reply

  35. Terri says

    Congrats on your book. Liked you on FB and will share. Here’s my challenge: my now 6 year old, fought self-feeding, refused to try new foods, lived for large periods of time on applesauce and crackers. Managed to grow and thrive, fortunately. Was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and is borderline Aspergers. Has made progress, but still has SEVERE anxiety over trying new thigns, and is really fixated on what they LOOK like they will taste like.
    Meanwhile, now almost three year old started out being my good eater, but is picking up her sisters bad habits, and is infinitely more stubborn. No developmental issues that I can tell. We eat family meals, I don’t make them anything different, it’s just that they only eat whatever the plain starch is. Sigh. I send the three year old to bed without dinner many a night because she refuses to eat what’s in front of her. yet her habits don’t change. what do you do when nothing from the books is working? I threw Ellyn Satler at the wall many times because nothing she said made sense for my sensory child. It is a dagger in the heart to my hubby and i because we LOVE food, love vegetables, love trying new things.

    Reply

  36. Sarah Mathot, M.S., R.D. says

    I not only “like” this on Facebook but love it personally!! There is such a need for a book like this to guide parents through the feeding adventure. I think it would be nice to have a chapter on getting parents on the “same page” with there child feeding philosphy. I find that sometimes one parent wants to take an intuitive eating approach but the other is into food rules. Good luck to you both!

    Reply

  38. jen says

    I am so excited about this book. I am also an RD and the mommy of a toddler & I love ur blog. Congrats on the book. I “liked” fearless feeding on FB and will definitely tell my friends!

    Reply

  49. Susan Ruffalo says

    I’d love easy ideas that the kids would LOVE (like what one would find on your website). Can’t wait to see the book!!!!

    Reply

  53. Eszter says

    WONDERFUL NEWS! I thought very highly of your work and I know how hard it is to write/produce a book. Can not wait to get it. Thank you. Your work has been very inspirational to the Feeding Your Kids Program.

    Reply

  81. Karin Claisse says

    I have done all three – Announced on my Facebook status the that my favorite food blog will have a cookbook out in 2013, “Liked” you on Facebook and sent an email to friends reminding them about your awesome blog. Doing all this was my pleasure though. I am due to have another child in March and that little girl will most certainly be raised the “Healthy Eaters” way.

    Thanks so much!!

    Reply

  82. Michele says

    Liked you on FB and email subscriber. Gladly accept advice on dealing with the picky eater that my husband and I have created.

    Reply

  85. Libby Owens says

    I get the Raise Healthy Eaters email updates. Yesterday I told a friend via facebook message about Raise Healty Eaters for Fearless Feeding on facebook. She’s interested in your suggestions.

    Reply

  90. Sharon says

    I liked on Facebook and wanted to share one of my challenges here: how to handle and adapt to a toddler’s changing tastes. I have always tried to prepare healthy, homemade meals for him. Some things he used to devour, like veggies or soup, he now barely eats any. He also doesn’t like to drink many liquids in large enough quantities. This can manifest itself into problems, digestively.

    Reply

  109. Katie Stewart says

    Liked on fb, already receive your news letters and already liked RHE on fb! Hope to see a chapter on plant based kiddos!

    Reply

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