Hi! I’m Jen & I believe raising happy, well-nourished eaters who have a healthy relationship with food doesn’t have to be a battle.

I’m the mom to three kids, a Registered Dietitian with a BSc and MSc in nutrition and have owned First Step Nutrition, focusing on family nutrition for 20 years. I’m passionate about helping families break the cycle of diet culture and inneffective feeding methods, and have helped hundreds of clients make feeding their families easier.

Personally, for years, my daughter refused to try new foods. Unfortunately, dietitians aren’t immune to having selective eaters! I felt like a total failure as both a mom and a dietitian. We finally discovered that she had low iron, which can lead to poor growth and appetite. Digging deeper, we also discovered other underlying reasons for her preferences, like Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and a narrow mouth palette. We treated them all. Today, Norah is a healthy, adventurous eater.

Today, I’m passionate about helping both healthcare professionals and families dig into the underlying reason WHY a child might be having difficulty eating.

In the past, I provided in-home feeding services with an Occupational Therapist. That’s where I learned just how important teamwork is for helping families! Currently, I work exclusively online and in the media, and offer an online group coaching program for parents of older children (as I find they’re often a complicated, underserved population).

I also saw a gap in training for healthcare providers who were really struggling to help families with selective eating. Our education doesn’t prepare us for this! So five years ago, I founded The Pediatric Feeding Network, a membership for healthcare professionals, to provide training, resources and support. As healthcare professionals, we have a crucial role: to help make mealtimes a positive place for families and set children up to have a life-long positive relationship with food.

I’m always happy to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in the feeding space. Please reach out!

Website: www.firststepnutrition.com
Email: jen@firststepnutrition.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlhouse/
Instagram: firststepnut and pediatricfeedingnetwork