The Gentle Eating Book: The Easier, Calmer Approach to Feeding Your Child and Solving Common Eating Problems

I have several of Sarah’s other books which I have found hugely helpful and so was very interested to buy this one too. It’s very interesting, lots of research which challenges a lot of my preconceived ideas about “healthy eating” and there is a lot to reflect on, for example my own relationship with food and disordered eating. My own mother was very restrictive with what she deemed to be unhealthy foods - crisps, chocolate, cakes and snacks etc and so I was only allowed them as special treats once a week. Despite cooking me loads of wonderful home cooked meals, what this taught me was certain foods were forbidden (this made me want them more!!) As soon as I got to secondary school I traded all her lovingly made sandwiches with the forbidden chocolate and cakes and developed an unhealthy habit for binge eating. I found it interesting to read that the research supported my experience! I don’t want to repeat this with my own child and so I’m trying to be more mindful of the restrictions and sensible boundaries I put in place in relation to food. The most helpful chapter for me so far has been on picky eating in toddlers. My baby who ate everything given to him during weaning is now super picky and I underestimated how stressful I would find this! Sarah talks about the biological and developmental reasons for picky eating in toddlers which i found hugely reassuring as we go through this “phase”!! I’m trying to step back and trust my child to eat when he is hungry and stop when he is full. I’m trying to avoid labelling “good” and “bad” foods and continue offering him a choice, and biting my tongue when he chooses all the beige options! Most importantly I’m trying to avoid turning mealtimes into a battle and model mindful eating myself. This book has helped me with all of the above. I would highly recommend it to all parents.

GREAT book. My baby is 6 months old and I’m so glad I read this. I thought I was already pretty well informed on this topic but this was really eye opening. I learned a lot and it changed my mindset about how I’ll approach eating with my baby from her first solids now, into her teen years and beyond. It even made me reassess my own eating habits and behaviours. I wouldn’t normally use the words ‘mind blowing’, but I really feel this book was! It has left me feeling empowered to make meal times fun, peaceful and happy, rather than battlefields of bribery, coercion or fussy eating! Can’t recommend highly enough.

I have read all the author's previous 'Gentle' books and have been eagerly awaiting this one, as my 20-month-old is quite a picky eater. The book doesn't disappoint. It's full of Sarah's usual blend of wisdom, compassion, respect and commonsense, giving clear information and simple steps to enable me to start my son gently towards a healthier and happier way of eating. Some parts are eye-opening - before reading this book I'd never realized how much my own eating habits were shaped in unhealthy ways by pressure from my well-meaning but anxious parents. But now, hopefully, I can avoid doing the same to my son. For me, Sarah is a gentle, sane voice in the noisy maelstrom of advice on parenting. Now I just go straight to her books, knowing I have found a perfect fit for my own style of parenting. Tonight when I get home I'm cooking up some spaghetti ready for some slimy pasta play with my son!

Great and speedy delivery

Our child has been going through a fussy phase, our Dr explained it’s normal but I was still very anxious. We got this book after reading the gentle sleep book by Sarah Ockwell-Smith and it has clarified so much for us, it’s been fantastic. Easy to read and understand, well written and to the point. Perfect when you have to keep putting it down 😁 This would be great to read from birth or as a gift for someone’s else so you can feel calm and ready for all of the normal behaviour to come. I would say it could help build confidence if you’ve been given unwanted advice around children’s eating habits.

I am already a huge fan of Sarah, her methods and her books, so I was super excited to read this one and add it to my collection. The book has easy to read chapters both in terms of the language used and the length of them. They can read in bite size chunks or in combination with the rest of the book. My little one is almost 11 months old, so we are well into the solids phase, however this book has reassured me about anxieties I have been having (all related to my little one refusing to eat anything when she is teething) and provided new advice about how to wean off breastfeeding. I would highly recommend Sarah and all of her work for everyone with babies and children.

I was already decided on doing BLW when I got this book, so I was not sure what else it could offer and oh boy, am I glad I bought it! I’ve struggle with an eating disorder most of my life and was really stressed about not passing it on. I also held a lot of unhelpful beliefs about food from my childhood. This book was my life saver and helped me to deal with my own stuff as well as to be more calm and understanding about my son’s development in the food department. I am pretty relaxed about food nowadays and I have this book to thank for that x

Another wonderful and insightful book by Sarah O-S. Her books have been indispensable for me over my baby boys first year and they are the only ones I recommend to expecting friends. She partners evidence based reason, and psychological / developmental theory with experience (but writes clearly and without jargon so anyone can understand) which has created a book that is informative, reassuring and pretty fascinating too! Her writing has helped me be the parent I want to be! Definitely buy these books!

A very useful book for parents. And practical knowledge not everyone knows about. Would be an excellent baby shower gift.

This book absolutely changed my life! My toddler went from eating a few favourites and not being willing to try anything new to trying everything and including broccoli, zucchini, and chicken in her favourites. It also made me look at my own relationship with food in a gentle and loving way, which is always a positive thing.

I believe I bought this book through Amazon UK, but I hope a US publisher picks it up. It is SO important. Sarah does a great job of explaining the difference between hunger and appetite, and quite important, she explains how our own feelings about food, our bodies, and eating can be passed on to our children. I really appreciated Sarah being honest about her own battle with food and comforting herself with eating. Her transparency made me love her even more. Sarah offers sections for feeding your children at every age and stage, including the teen years. She discourages using food to reward or punish children. Thank, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, for this book!

Supported by research evidence, these guidelines are credible and simple to follow and just land a calmness in navigating the Motherhood Maze.

If you have anxiety about your child eating and want a therapy session on how you can calm down, read this book. If you are a normally functioning family that wants some tips to improve or understand your child's eating, do not buy this book.