Vanessa Facendola - Picky Eating Expert

Home
United States
Montclair, NJ
Vanessa Facendola - Picky Eating Expert

🗣️| Pediatric SLP
🍓| Helping picky eaters try new foods
🍽️| A step-by-step system for calmer meals
🫦| Creator of the BITE Method

09/11/2026

If every meal feels like a mission to get your child to eat, I want you to try changing the goal.

Because when the goal is “They need to take a bite,” it’s really easy for begging, bribing, negotiating and pressure to sneak in.

And for a hesitant eater? That pressure can make food feel even harder.

Instead, start looking for food-learning wins.

Maybe they let the strawberry stay on their plate instead of immediately throwing it off.

Maybe they touched the chicken.

Maybe they smelled the broccoli.

Maybe they licked the sauce and decided they weren’t ready for more.

That is still progress.

Your child doesn’t have to go from “NO WAY” to eating a full serving overnight.

We build comfort first.
Then curiosity.
Then confidence.
And eating can come later. 🤍

This is exactly what I teach inside The Mealtime Reset™ - how to help your picky eater expand their foods without pressure, bribing or battles.

Need help? I’m here. 🙋🏼‍♀️

09/10/2026

ver wonder why your child will eat the SAME cracker every single day… but suddenly refuses the strawberry they loved yesterday? 🍓

It actually makes a lot of sense.

A cracker is predictable.
Same shape. Same crunch. Same flavor. Pretty much every time.

But a strawberry? One might be sweet and firm. The next might be soft, sour, bigger, smaller, or look completely different.

For a cautious or picky eater, those little differences can feel like a BIG deal.

💙 This is why exposure matters.

Your child doesn’t have to eat the strawberry for the exposure to “count.”

Seeing it.
Having it on the table.
Tolerating it on their plate.
Touching it.
Smelling it.
Licking it.

Those are all steps toward becoming more comfortable with that food.

So keep offering - without pressure, bribing, or “just take one bite.”

Small steps add up. ✨

That’s exactly what we work on inside The Mealtime Reset™ - helping kids build comfort and confidence with food while making mealtimes feel a whole lot less stressful for parents, too.

Want to learn more? DM me RESET 💙

09/03/2026

If dinner feels like one long negotiation with your picky eater, I want you to hear this:

You are working WAY too hard to get your child to eat.

“Just take one bite.”

“Two more bites and you can have dessert.”

“You liked this yesterday!”

“Pleaseeee just try it.”

I know why you’re doing it. You want your child to EAT. You want them to get enough nutrition. You want them to try something besides the same handful of foods they already accept.

But when we make it our job to get our kids to eat, mealtime can quickly turn into pressure, negotiating, bribing and battles.

And there’s another way. 🤍

Inside The Mealtime Reset™, I teach you exactly what YOUR job is at mealtime — and what belongs to your child.

You’ll learn how to:

• structure meals so your child knows what to expect
• serve foods without automatically making a separate dinner
• introduce new foods without pressure
• know what to say when your child refuses
• help your child explore and become comfortable with new foods
• recognize progress BEFORE the bite ever happens

The goal isn’t to become better at convincing your child to eat.

It’s to create the kind of mealtime where you don’t HAVE to.

If you’re ready to stop begging, bribing and negotiating your way through dinner, DM me RESET and I’ll send you the details about The Mealtime Reset™. 🤍

09/02/2026

If you’re waiting for your picky eater to actually EAT the new food before you call it progress… you might be missing all the progress happening right in front of you. 👀

Because the bite isn’t where trying starts.

Maybe they let the food stay on their plate instead of immediately pushing it away.

Maybe they touched it.

Smelled it.

Licked it.

Or took a tiny taste and spit it right back out.

Those little steps matter — because they’re how kids build comfort and confidence with unfamiliar foods. 🤍

And this is exactly what I teach inside The Mealtime Reset™.

Instead of going into dinner every night wondering…

Should I make them take a bite?
Should I offer something else?
Am I supposed to encourage them or back off?
How do I actually get them to try something new?!

I give you a clear, step-by-step plan for helping your child explore new foods, expand what they eat, and make progress — without pressure, bribing, or turning dinner into a battle.

Because the goal isn’t to force the bite.

It’s to build the skills that eventually lead to it.

Ready to stop winging it with your picky eater?

DM me BITE and I’ll send you the details. 🤍

09/02/2026

You don’t have to choose between making a separate meal or letting your child go hungry.

Inside The Mealtime Reset, I teach you exactly what to serve, how to introduce new foods, and what to do when your child refuses.

If you’re ready to stop making two dinners every night, DM me RESET. 🍽️

08/24/2026

Things I never say as a pediatric SLP who works with picky eaters…

“Just take ONE bite.”

“No dessert until you finish your dinner.”

“But you LOVED this yesterday?!” 😩

“Fine… I'll make you something else.”

And before you come for me…

Have I said some of these things as a MOM?
ABSOLUTELY. 😂

Knowing what to do and actually standing in your kitchen at 6:07pm with a hungry child who has just declared the dinner you made “DISGUSTING” are two very different things. 🙃

That's exactly why I believe feeding strategies have to work in real life, not just sound good on paper.

So no judgment here.

Just a better way forward. ❤️

Okay, picky eater moms...

Which one are you most guilty of saying? 😂👇

08/20/2026

Picky eater moms… you know. 😂

One day strawberries are LIFE.

The next day?
How dare you even put one on their plate.

You make the exact meal they asked for… only to hear, “I DON’T LIKE THAT.”

And somehow you’ve become a short-order cook with a customer who changes the menu without notice. 🙃

But here’s your reminder:

Your child changing their mind about a food doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.

Picky eating can be unpredictable - and progress is rarely a straight line.

Keep offering.
Keep the pressure low.
Keep giving them opportunities to explore.

And maybe keep the chicken nuggets stocked. 😂

🤍 Follow for practical picky eating support that makes mealtimes feel a whole lot less stressful.

08/19/2026

I’ve been a pediatric SLP for 15+ years, working with little ones in schools and Early Intervention.

So naturally, when I had my own kids, I thought I’d have this whole feeding thing figured out. 😂

And for a while…I kind of did.

Then my second son, who had been a pretty adventurous little eater, suddenly became PICKY.

Foods he used to love? Nope.
New foods? Absolutely not.
The dinner I lovingly made for everyone? Highly suspicious. 😂

And suddenly, I wasn’t just looking at picky eating through my “pediatric SLP” lens.

I was looking at it as a MOM thinking…

Why is feeding my child this hard?!

Over the years, I’ve worked with countless children and families struggling with feeding and picky eating - helping parents understand why their child was refusing foods, take the pressure out of mealtimes, and help their kids become more comfortable exploring and trying new foods.

But experiencing it in my own home gave me a whole new appreciation for just how exhausting it can feel.

The second-guessing.
The separate meals.
The “just take ONE bite.”
The wondering if they’re eating enough.
The frustration when something they ate yesterday is suddenly unacceptable today. 🙃

I knew there had to be a way to take everything I’d learned professionally AND everything I’d experienced personally, and turn it into something simple that parents could actually use at home.

And that’s why I created The Mealtime Reset™. ❤️

A step-by-step approach to help families move away from pressure, battles, and short-order cooking - and toward calmer meals, more food exploration, and kids who feel confident trying new foods.

Because picky eating may be common…

…but dinner doesn’t have to feel this hard. 🫶

If mealtimes at your house have become a whole thing, you’re exactly who I created this for.

DM me RESET and I’ll tell you more. 💌

08/15/2026

If your picky eater’s food list seems to be getting smaller and smaller…you’re not alone. 🤍

Maybe they used to eat eggs, chicken, pasta, fruit. Then suddenly you’re down to the same handful of “safe” foods on repeat.

And every time another food gets dropped, you start wondering:

*Do I keep serving it?*
*Do I make something else?*
*What if they barely eat anything?*

Here’s the thing: **waiting for picky eating to magically get better isn’t always the answer.**

Your child can learn to feel more comfortable around new and nonpreferred foods, without pressure, bribing, or forcing “just one bite.”

That’s exactly what I teach inside **The Mealtime Reset™**: a simple, step-by-step approach to help you expand your child’s food variety while making mealtimes feel calmer again.

Ready to stop watching that food list shrink?

**DM me RESET and I’ll send you the details.**

08/12/2026

Not every win ends with a bite. 👏🏼

Sometimes progress looks like touching it, smelling it, licking it… or simply letting a new food hang out on the plate without a meltdown.

Those little moments matter because exposure comes before acceptance.

Take the pressure off the bite and start noticing the progress happening before it. 🤍

Want more simple strategies for your picky eater?

DM me RESET and I’ll send you the details on The Mealtime Reset. ✨

Address

30 Park Street
Montclair, NJ
07042

Website

https://memberup.com/themealtimereset, https://essexspeechfeeding.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Vanessa Facendola - Picky Eating Expert posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Vanessa Facendola - Picky Eating Expert:

Want your business to be the top-listed Gym/sports Facility in Montclair?

Vanessa Facendola - Picky Eating Expert

09/11/2026

09/10/2026

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

08/24/2026

08/20/2026

08/19/2026

08/15/2026

08/12/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request