Dr Hazel Wolstenholme

Dr. Hazel Wolstenholme

Child Feeding Support and Consultancy

Support and consultancy for parents of children with feeding challenges including fussy, picky, and avoidant eating

I am a feeding psychology specialist based in Ireland. I provide online support to parents all over the world.

Children who struggle with eating are rarely just 'fussy' or 'picky'. These children almost always have genuine reasons for finding eating hard and require the right kind of support to overcome these challenges.

Eating involves so many senses, organs, motor skills and psychological processes. When you understand how complex eating is - you can see just how easily feeding can go wrong!

I have a Doctorate (PhD) on families' experiences and management of fussy eating behaviours. I have completed training in diverse approaches to assessing and managing feeding challenges.

Welcome to my website where you can read more about me, my research and qualifications, and how I help families enjoy happy mealtimes.

No matter how big or small your feeding query, please don't hesitate to contact me.

"After two sessions with Hazel, our daughter is beginning to accept some new foods. We found her advice really helpful and will definitely recommend her to anyone in a similar situation."

Nicola, London

"We started at a point where my son would only eat one cooked meal and various carby snacks. Hazel helped me establish the structure that worked for my son’s specific needs and I have watched him confidently come to the table without any stress. He has tasted and even eaten new and unexpected foods. I can’t thank Hazel enough for being there anytime I needed guidance and it gives me great comfort to know that there is no need to face this on my own. I only wish I had sought her help much sooner!"

Farrah, UK

"I want to thank Hazel for all her professional help with my nine year old boy who became anxious about eating. He is doing super and is his confident self again at mealtimes"

Caitriona, Galway

"We approached Hazel for support with our lovely affectionate, witty, and active 4 year old boy. Due to autism related eating challenges, mealtimes were a big challenge for us. After 6 sessions with Hazel over 8 months, we have made a lot of progress. The biggest change is that he is happily joining the family table every day. He is able to order food in restaurants now that he could not eat anything in before. He has branched out to quite a few new foods including hot dogs, baked beans and breakfast cereals. Mealtimes are so much calmer for the whole family. We are much less worried about his nutrition now and feel confident that he is getting what he needs."

Mary, Ireland

We are very happy with the progress our son has made and no longer have any concerns about his eating and confidence he now has around food. So thank you so much for your support. It has been a great help and his removed a whole lot of stress from our daily routines.

Michael & Paula, Ireland

Blog

September 14, 2022

The Power Of Sharing The Foods That Your Child Eats

How often does your child experience being able to eat EVERYTHING that everyone else is eating, without worry? The desire to feel accepted, considered, and included without it being awkward is so real! One small step you can do to help your child feel accepted and included no matter where they are with their eating right now - is to share the foods they eat.

What to do When Anxiety Creeps into Mealtimes

In my last blog post I wrote about what happens when worry creeps into mealtimes, and how to spot when your child is feeling anxious about eating. If you’ve read that too much worrying at mealtimes can reduce appetite, lower children’s curiosity, and increase sensory sensitivity, then you’re probably asking - what can we do about it?

What Happens When We Worry?

There is so much to worry about when it comes to feeding kids! Are they getting the right nutrition? Are they eating enough? Am I doing a good job? Will my child be able to manage socially? Will they ever grow out of this “phase”? The list of potential worries is endless. Of course, when faced with a feeding challenge, it is natural to worry! But can all of this worrying actually make the situation worse?