Why "They'll Eat if They're Hungry" Doesn't Always Work for Picky Eaters
“They’ll eat if they’re hungry.” This CAN be true for many kids when it comes to feeding and picky eating, but for some kids it’s not great advise. I welcome Dr. Taylor Arnold, a PhD, registered dietician, and founder Growing Intuitive Eaters and she is on a mission to foster a healthy relationship with food and teach adults how to talk to kids about food in a positive way.
She joins me to discuss:
Why this advice can lack a lot of nuance
When to know or be concerned your child may have an underlying issue regarding feeding solids
Why online guidance around feeding sometimes lacks necessary nuance
To connect with Dr. Taylor Arnold follow her on Instagram @growing.intuitive.eaters, check out all her resources at https://msha.ke/growingintuitiveeaters
00:00 – Intro
01:29 – Meet Dr. Taylor Arnold
03:45 – Let’s Break It Down: Why That Phrase Fails Some Kids
06:09 – Medical and Sensory Red Flags to Watch For
08:11 – So What Should Parents Do Instead?
10:56 – Red Flags That Signal It’s Time to Act
13:32 – A Pediatrician and Parent’s Perspective on Feeling Brushed Off
15:05 – Feeding, Sleep, and Behavior: The Pediatric Trifecta
15:58 – A Final Feeding Pet Peeve: School Nutrition Assignments
20:03 – Final Takeaway: If You’re Not Being Heard, Get Louder
21:54 – Where to Find Dr. Taylor Arnold’s Free Resources
22:55 – Dr. Mona’s Closing Reflections
We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you!
Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk.
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website.
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27:36
The Follow-Up: Unlearning and Re-parenting Together
This episode is personal.
My husband and I sit down for an open, honest, and vulnerable conversation about what it means to reparent ourselves while raising our son. It’s a raw look at how childhood experiences—good and bad—shape us as adults, and how we can consciously break harmful cycles for the next generation.
In this conversation, we explore:
✨ What “reparenting” really means—and why it’s not about blame, but awareness and healing
😡 How anger, yelling, and emotional reactivity from childhood show up in our parenting—and what we’re doing to change it
🧠 The long-lasting impact of body image comments, even when they seem “harmless”
📊 Navigating comparison, perfectionism, and pressure—especially in achievement-focused households
❤️ The power of modeling emotional regulation, self-acceptance, and growth mindset for our son
🔄 How we still slip up—and how accountability and grace keep us moving forward
This episode is for any parent who’s looked in the mirror (or at their child) and thought: I want to do things differently.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being conscious. It's about healing. And it’s about choosing a more connected, compassionate way to parent—starting with ourselves.
🎧 Listen in, reflect with us, and share with someone who's breaking cycles too.
Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk.
Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. Join the newsletter!
And don’t forget to follow @pedsdoctalkpodcast on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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17:06
Parenting Burnout: Science-Backed Strategies to Thrive, Not Just Survive
Ever felt like you’re running on fumes, snapping at your kids, or just going through the motions of parenting with no joy left in the tank? You’re not broken. You’re burned out.
In this episode, Dr. Flora Sinha joins me to break down what parenting burnout really is from a psychological and physiological perspective and why it’s so common (especially for moms). More importantly, she shares actionable, research-backed strategies to help you move from survival mode to a place of more clarity, connection, and peace.
We discuss:
The difference between normal exhaustion and true burnout
What’s not helping (looking at you, hustle culture)
How to find small but powerful pockets of recovery in real life
Mindset shifts and scripts to release the guilt and reclaim your joy
If you would like to listen to Dr Flora's the Beyond podcast series, receive her free newsletters, sign up for her REwritten coaching program, you can do all of that here: https://linktr.ee/florasinhamd
Follow Dr. Flora on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drflorasinha/
We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you!
00:00 Intro
03:03 Personal Stories + Signs to Watch For
08:20 Burnout, Depression, and the Guilt Spiral
14:23 The Pressure to Do It All
22:48 Micro Breaks, Macro Relief
29:41 Boundaries, Self-Talk, and Asking for Help
36:01 Starting Small + Next Steps
Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk.
Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. Join the newsletter!
And don’t forget to follow @pedsdoctalkpodcast on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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48:03
The Follow-Up: Making Pumping Work at Work
Returning to work while breastfeeding? You’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out on your own either.
In this episode, we break down the essentials of pumping and transitioning back to work with your feeding goals intact. Whether you're just starting to think about pumping or already mapping out a return-to-work plan, this episode covers what you need to know to make it work at work—with less stress and more support.
We discuss:
🍼 Your legal rights to pump at work (hint: it’s not an “accommodation”)
🧾 What to talk to your employer and HR about before returning
👜 A practical packing + pumping checklist for the workday
🕒 How much time to block off (spoiler: 30-minute breaks are ideal!)
🧊 Storage, cleaning, and coolers—figuring out logistics for any job site
💡 When and how to start pumping before you return to work
💞 Tips for building a freezer stash without spiraling into oversupply
🧠 Encouragement for the emotional side—because this transition is a lot
Most importantly? We bust the myth that it’s “all or nothing.” If you need to supplement with formula, that’s okay—and you can absolutely still nurse at home and pump what you can. Flexibility is not failure.
Whether you're planning ahead or feeling overwhelmed, this episode will leave you feeling seen, supported, and equipped for the next step in your breastfeeding journey.
🎧 Tune in and share with another working parent who needs this pep talk!
Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk.
Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. Join the newsletter!
And don’t forget to follow @pedsdoctalkpodcast on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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15:14
Zoom Out Parenting: The Mindset Shift Every Overwhelmed Parent Needs
Is parenting starting to feel like one giant checklist you’re constantly failing?
In this episode, I introduce a powerful mindset shift called Zoom Out Parenting, a way to ditch the guilt, the hyper-tracking, and the unrealistic expectations that make modern parenting feel overwhelming. From picky eating to screen time guilt, wake windows to milestone anxiety, I explore why we spiral into perfectionism and how to step back and focus on what actually matters.
You’ll learn:
What Zoom Out Parenting really means
Why zooming in too closely fuels guilt and anxiety
Real-life examples of how to reframe everyday parenting struggles
The one question that can stop a parenting spiral in its track
We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you!
00:00 – Welcome & Episode Intro
01:05 – Why We Need to Zoom Out
02:18 – What Zooming Out Really Means
03:06 – When Tracking Becomes Hypervigilance
04:04 – Guilt, Control, and Letting Go
05:05 – Zoom In vs. Zoom Out: Real Parenting Examples
08:03 – Development Is a Landscape, Not a Checklist
09:20 – The Cost of Always Zooming In
09:56 – Tips to Reframe in Real Time
10:39 – Zooming Out Isn’t Denial—It’s Clarity
11:03 – Intentional Parenting Over Perfect Parenting
11:43 – Final Thoughts & Takeaway
Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk.
Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. Join the newsletter!
And don’t forget to follow @pedsdoctalkpodcast on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support.
We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
À propos de The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom
The PedsDocTalk Podcast is your go-to parenting resource, hosted by Dr. Mona Amin, a trusted pediatrician, parenting expert, and mom of two. As a top 50 Parenting Podcast in the U.S., this show delivers expert-backed guidance on child development, health, illness, behavior, feeding, and sleep—giving parents the confidence to navigate every stage from baby to teen.
Each episode dives into real-life parenting challenges, featuring conversations with specialists in pediatrics, child psychology, nutrition, and parental well-being. From potty training and sleep training to tackling tantrums, picky eating, discipline, screen time, postpartum recovery, and developmental milestones, Dr. Mona provides practical, science-backed advice that actually works.
Tune in on Mondays and Wednesdays for actionable insights, mindset shifts, and expert interviews that empower you to raise healthy, resilient, and happy kids—while thriving as a parent yourself!
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