Book Information

Book ID Asin: 1932565124
Book Title: Just Take a Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges!
Book Author: Lori Ernsperger,Tania Stegen-Hanson,Temple Grandin
Book Format and Price:
Book Format Name: Kindle
Book Format Price: $14.24
Book Format Name: Paperback
Book Format Price: $14.99
Book Format Name: MassMarket Paperback
Book Format Price: from$33.94
Book Price: $14.99
Book Category: Books, Parenting & Relationships, Parenting and unknown
Book Rating: 162 ratings

Book Product Detail

• Best Sellers Rank: #141,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #359 in Parenting Hyperactive Children & Children with Disabilities (Books)
  • #1,579 in Parenting (Books)
  • #8,709 in Medical Books (Books)

• Customer Reviews:
  4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 162 ratings

Book Review

Name: Natasha
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Comparison: "Extreme Picky Eating" vs. "Just Take a Bite"
Date: Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2016
Review: This review is a comparison of the books “Just Take a Bite” (JTaB) by Lori Ernsperger and Tania Stegen-Hanson and “Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating” (HYCEPE) by Katja Rowell and Jenny McGlothlin. Both books are intended to help children who are highly selective eaters, and both take a non-coercive approach to feeding which draws on Ellyn Satter’s division of responsibility. Hopefully this review will help parents decide which book is better for their child’s situation.

At the time of writing this review, I have a two-year-old boy in feeding therapy. Contributing to his feeding problems are sensory issues, airway issues, reflux, and an oral motor delay. I read these books looking for support in standing up to doctors who’ve been pressuring me to use methods I’m not comfortable with, and for strategies I can implement at home to improve the carry-over of feeding therapy skills.

JTaB is written by a behavioral therapist and an occupational therapist. HYCEPE is by a family doctor and a speech pathologist. All four specialize in pediatric feeding disorders. The books cover much of the same information, share some guidelines, and both have suggested activities in the second part of the book.

While HYCEPE is clearly written for parents, JTaB is targeted towards both parents and therapists. It’s a bit more technical, which I like but others might not. There is more detailed information on sensory and oral-motor development. HYCEPE has some of the same information but it’s jumbled up with tidbits like this: “Family meals are a time to pass on family stories, traditions, and culture – and to laugh and spend enjoyable time with your children.” That’s nice, but it has nothing to do with my son’s eating problems. I prefer JTaB’s more to-the-point approach.

Both books agree that coercing a child to eat is counterproductive, but HYCEPE takes this to an extreme. They have two full chapters about avoiding even a hint of pressure, as well as constant warnings throughout the rest of a book, and they seem to think that pretty much every attempt to get a child to engage with food is pressure. Here’s an example from the section called “Play with Your Food”: “Playing a game with the agenda of increasing your child’s comfort with food can backfire.” Huh? If increasing my child’s comfort with food is not my “agenda” then why am I even reading this book?

They go on to advise, “At the first sign of anxiety or resistance, let it go and move on to an activity she enjoys.” I understand where they’re coming from if working with a neurotypical picky child with a sensitive temperament (one of the authors has a child like this). However, their strategy would not work for my son, who is predominantly *under*sensitive and whose food aversion has more to do with feeling unsafe with food than feeling pressured by adults. I spent months making different foods available on his tray, day after day, with no pressure to touch or eat them. He made no progress during that time.

The approach in JTaB is more compatible with the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) approach which my son’s feeding therapist uses. Although HYCEPE apparently considers it too coercive (they don’t name SOS but they describe the process), the child is never punished, bribed, or forced to do anything. He is taken to the edge of his comfort zone to look around, but is not pushed past the edge. HYCEPE would prefer to leave a child in the middle of their comfort zone and wait for them to venture out. Again, that may work with a typical child, but those who’ve had their feeding development stalled by medical problems or disabilities need a more hands-on approach.

Although as I said JTaB is more on the technical side, the authors acknowledge parents’ emotions around their children’s eating in a very validating way. I felt supported in my choice to keep mealtimes a positive experience. The book helped me create a more structured and supportive mealtime schedule/routine which really seemed to help my son. I also realized that some of his issues I thought were motor-based are actually proprioceptive.

A final note on layout. HYCEPE is a standard sized book with standard type. JTaB is textbook sized with double spaced lines and lots of white space on each page, which makes it easy to highlight or take notes in the margins. The information in JTaB is clearly organized and easy to refer to, with charts and tables.

If you have an older child whose pickiness is behavioral/temperamental and not complicated by developmental or medical problems, HYCEPE will probably be more helpful. If your child has developmental delays, sensory or oral-motor issues, or GI problems, you’ll probably get more from JTaB. I fall into the latter category.

Name: Lorelei
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars A good start to dealing with eating aversions.
Date: Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2013
Review: There were some good suggestions in this book to help getting kids more familiar with different foods. Also I learned how important it is to establish a routine of eating times (difficult to do with work but important) and also the rule of not violating my child's mouth. I must admit I have touched food to my son's lips hoping he would lick his lips and try the taste, but now I know not to do that and to, instead, slowly work him up to being comfortable with the food until he's willing to try a bite on his own. I think I would have given this book a higher rating if it dealt more with my son's particular issues, but I think my son's case is on the severe end of the spectrum and I will be seeking professional therapy to help. If you child has less sever issues I think this book could be a huge help.

Name: Jenna Arden
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars I wish I would have had this 8 years ago!
Date: Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2013
Review: I wish I would have found "Just Take a Bite" sooner. My eight-year-old daughter has had food aversions since birth, starting with nursing! There were things that we were doing right, and things I found in the book that I hadn't thought of as making the problem worse. The action plans that are in the book are easy to follow and really do make a difference! I think that any parent with a child who has eating challenges should have this book as a guide. I also believe that this would be extremely helpful for professionals who work with kids with sensory, motor, or developmental differences. It is so difficult for some people to understand the differences between picky eaters and those with food aversions. This book lays it out!

Name: Amanda
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars GREAT!!
Date: Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014
Review: Book was shipped quickly.

It's an easy read with TONS of very useful information. I wish I would have found this book sooner.
It goes into great detail about resistance eaters and eaters with adverstions. My son will only eat about 8 different foods. He is extremely resistant to new foods. He even gags if he looks at new foods or smells something he doesn't like.
This book gave me a greater understanding of what he is experiencing, and how to approach introducing new foods.
It even has exercises you can do with your child. I would highly recommend this book if you have a child with food aversions and/or resistant to new foods.

Name: anon1025
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars NOT helpful for typically developing picky eaters
Date: Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2016
Review: This book was recommended to me when I was making inquiries about getting help for my typically-developing picky eaters. I did not find it helpful. I can see where this book would be extremely helpful for those with underlying sensory or motor development issues. It puts various motor-based and sensory-based issues in terms that parents can understand and suggests steps and games to help overcome these issues. However, I am looking for techniques to help my two healthy eaters who are strong-willed and highly intelligent, and have already made up their minds about not liking whatever new thing I introduce. For my particular situation, I regret buying this book.

Name: E. Raphael
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars wish I'd had this book when my child was younger
Date: Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2007
Review: I think this is a terrific resource. No, it's probably not cutting-edge for a professional, but that's not the audience, which is intended to be broader. My daughter was extremely overselective as a young child--she's merely extraordinarily picky as a 10-year-old. Just by browsing the book, I've gotten a number of ideas about how to expand her food repertoire. She's alerady eating more fruit than she had been a few weeks ago.

The book also does a good job of reassuring parents who've been subjected to the same damn food myths ("If she's hungry enough, she'll eat." Not my kid).

Name: SunnyNora
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: .0 out of 5 stars Good book for your standard picky eater
Date: Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2014
Review: Nice book with interesting information, but I would say it is probably for those who simply have picky kids rather than those with ASD or SPD. No information that I hadn't already received through therapists or the internet, nor any information that really helped me tackle my son's very specific food aversions.

Home | Contact  | DMCA