Find Peace at the Dinner Table Practical support for picky eating, restrictive eating and ARFID

Does dinner feel like the most stressful part of your day? Maybe your child eats a very limited range of foods, refuses whole food groups, becomes anxious around new foods, gags easily, or seems genuinely distressed at mealtimes. Maybe you feel like a short-order chef, cooking several different meals just to make sure everyone eats something. And underneath it all, you might be worried about their health, their nutrition, and whether this is “just picky eating” or something more, like ARFID.

This 90-minute online workshop is designed for parents and caregivers who want practical, evidence-based support to reduce mealtime stress and understand what helps children feel safer, calmer and more confident with food.

We will look at picky eating through a responsive feeding lens, including when eating challenges may be more complex or consistent with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, ARFID. This workshop is grounded in a trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming approach, recognising that feeding difficulties are not about children being difficult, defiant or manipulative, but often reflect sensory differences, anxiety, past experiences, developmental differences, nervous system stress, or a genuine lack of safety around food.

If your child already has an ARFID diagnosis, the advice in this workshop will still apply.

In this workshop, we will cover:

• The difference between common picky eating and feeding difficulties that may need more support

• When picky eating may be more like ARFID, and what signs to look out for

• What to do if you are worried about your child’s growth, nutrition, health or limited food variety

• Why pressure, bribing, rewards, “just one bite” and food battles often backfire

• How sensory differences, anxiety, neurodivergence, past experiences and nervous system stress can affect eating

• How to reduce stress and anxiety at the table for both you and your child

• How to stop becoming a short-order chef while still making sure your child has enough safe food available

• How to support food exploration without forcing, tricking or pushing your child beyond what they can manage

• How to create mealtime routines that feel calmer, safer and more predictable

• How to protect your child’s relationship with food, their body and their own appetite cues

The goal is not to force your child to eat everything on their plate. The goal is to help you understand what might be driving their eating, protect their relationship with food, and build mealtimes that feel calmer, safer and more connected.

If you would love to move from stress, battles and worry towards more peaceful mealtimes, this workshop is for you.

Support from Registered Dietitian and Family Feeding expert:

* You will have an opportunity to problem-solve your family nutrition challenges with New Zealand's leading feeding specialist and paediatric dietitian Rachael Wilson who will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.

If you'd like practical tips & evidence-based solutions for reducing mealtime stress we hope you'll consider joining our workshop. We would love to see you there!

Tickets are limited.

Equity-Based Ticketing Policy for webinar:

At The Food Tree, we believe in making our workshops accessible to everyone while also ensuring that those who have the means to pay more can support those with less financial flexibility. To achieve this, we are offering a tiered ticketing system that allows participants to select a pricing tier based on their financial situation and recent holiday experiences.

Please select the tier that best reflects your current circumstances:

Tier 1: Overseas Holiday Pricing

For individuals or families who have taken or are planning to take an overseas holiday this year. By choosing Tier 1, you are helping to subsidise the costs for those who are in less financially stable situations. Your support ensures that more families can access this important workshop.

Tier 2: Domestic Holiday Pricing

For individuals or families who have taken or are planning a holiday within their home country this year. This mid-tier option reflects moderate financial flexibility while still ensuring the workshop remains affordable for those who might need extra support.

Tier 3: No Holiday Pricing

For individuals or families who have not been able to take a holiday this year, either domestically or internationally, due to financial constraints. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to attend, regardless of their financial situation. This lower-cost ticket is designed to keep the workshop accessible for those with limited financial resources.