Family & Child Nutrition
Gentle, practical nutrition support for babies, children, teens & families
Practical guidance to help your family feel more confident around food.
Feeding children can feel surprisingly stressful.
From toddlers who suddenly refuse everything except crackers, to worries about growth, allergies, introducing solids, gut symptoms, or teens with increasingly complex relationships with food — many families feel overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition advice.
At ABC Nutrition, our experienced NZ Registered Dietitians provide compassionate, evidence-based family nutrition support that works in real life.
No guilt. No pressure. No rigid food rules.
How We Help Families
Every child and family is different - and nutrition advice should reflect that.
Our dietitians support families with:
✔ Nutrient deficiencies (such as low iron)
✔ Neurodivergent feeding challenges
✔ ARFID-related nutrition support
✔ Teen nutrition concerns
✔ Disordered eating / food anxiety
✔ Vegetarian or plant-based family nutrition
✔ Sports nutrition for active children and teens
✔ Family meal planning and creating healthy eating habits
✔ Fussy or selective eating
✔ Introducing solids
✔ Toddler feeding challenges
✔ Food refusal and mealtime struggles
✔ Poor appetite
✔ Growth or weight concerns
✔ Food allergies or intolerances
✔ Digestive concerns
Whether you're navigating a specific nutrition concern or simply want reassurance that your child is eating well, we’re here to help.
Family nutrition support that feels achievable
Feeding kids was never meant to feel like a full-time job.
Our approach is practical, realistic, and tailored to your family — because what works on social media doesn’t always work at your dinner table.
We help parents cut through the noise and focus on strategies that are:
✔ Evidence-based
✔ Age-appropriate
✔ Weight-inclusive and non-judgemental
✔ Sensitive to family dynamics and stress
✔ Designed for long-term confidence — not perfection
Our goal is to make nutrition feel simpler, calmer, and more sustainable.
Support for babies, children & teens
Baby and Infant Nutrition
Starting solids? Wondering whether your baby is eating enough? Managing allergies or reflux?
We provide support with infant feeding, introducing solids, responsive feeding, and early nutrition foundations.
Children’s Nutrition and Selective / Fussy Eating
Selective eating is stressful — but that doesn’t mean you have to figure it out unsupported.
We help families with practical strategies for fussy eating, sensory challenges, food variety, mealtime routines, and reducing pressure around food.
Teen Nutrition
Teen years bring changing appetites, independence, sport demands, body image pressures, and sometimes increasingly tricky food behaviours.
Our dietitians provide supportive, age-appropriate nutrition guidance that helps teens build confidence and healthier relationships with food.
Neurodivergent feeding, sensory challenges & ARFID nutrition support
Feeding challenges can look very different for neurodivergent children (or those with a disability) — and traditional nutrition advice often misses the mark.
For children with ADHD, autism, AuDHD, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, PDA profiles, executive functioning challenges, or highly selective eating patterns, mealtimes can become exhausting for the whole family.
This is not about “just being picky”.
Food preferences and eating patterns may be influenced by sensory sensitivities, predictability, anxiety, interoception differences, routine dependence, oral motor challenges, nervous system overwhelm, or difficulties with planning, initiating, and managing everyday eating tasks.
At ABC Nutrition, we provide compassionate, neuro-affirming nutrition support that respects your child’s individual needs while helping reduce stress around food for the whole family.
Our approach is never about forcing food, using pressure-based feeding strategies, or pushing unrealistic expectations.
Instead, we focus on practical, sustainable strategies that support nutrition while respecting sensory needs, autonomy, and nervous system capacity.
ARFID nutrition support
ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is more than fussy eating.
It can significantly impact nutritional intake, growth, physical health, social participation, and family wellbeing.
ABC Nutrition offers nutrition support for children and teens with suspected or diagnosed ARFID as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach.
Because ARFID is complex, effective support often involves working alongside other health professionals such as your GP, paediatrician, psychologist, therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language therapist, or wider care team.
Our role is to support nutritional adequacy, reduce food-related stress, help identify practical strategies, and work collaboratively within the broader therapeutic plan.
Because feeding challenges are rarely just about food — and families shouldn’t have to navigate them alone.
Meet Your Family & Child Dietitians
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![leading eating disorder and weight neutral dietitian rachael wilson]()
Rachael Wilson
DIETITIAN
Specialising in:
* Children, teens, and adults
* Weight concerns (weight neutral approach)
* Body image
* Eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia, binge eating & ARFID
* Emotional eating
* Mindful & intuitive eating
* Neurodivergent individuals (ADHD, ASD, AuDHD, PDA)
* Trauma-informed care
* ACC Sensitive Claims Services (SCS) support
Available via:
* Telehealth (NZ-wide)
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![infant and child paediatric dietitian and feeding specialist Sarika Coetzee Auckland]()
Sarika Coetzee
DIETITIAN
Specialising in:
* Infant and Child Nutrition feeding specialist
* Food intolerances
* Tube-feeding
* Specialist feeds & formulas
* Weight & growth concerns
* Selective eating and sensory challenges, including ARFID
* Neurodivergence (eg ASD, ADHD, AuDHD, PDA)
* Gut health
* Starting solids
* Family meals
* Nutrient deficiencies
* Vegetarian and plant-based eating
Available via:
* Papakura, South Auckland clinic (Thursdays, by appointment)
* Online / Telehealth (NZ wide)
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![image of leading auckland nz nutritionist ada cheung]()
Ada Cheung
DIETITIAN
Specialising in:
* Adults, children and teens
* Weight concerns (weight neutral approach)
* Emotional eating
* Disordered eating
* Neurodivergence (ADHD, ASD, AuDHD)
* Starting solids
* Family meals
* Nutrient deficiencies
* Vegetarian and plant-based eating
Available via:
* Milford clinic, Auckland (by appointment)
* Online (NZ wide)
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Caroline Worth
DIETITIAN
Specialising in:
* Teens
* Teen Diabetes specialist
* Sports nutrition
* Weight concerns (weight neutral approach)
* Disordered eating
* Starting solids
* Family meals
* Nutrient deficiencies
* Vegetarian and plant-based eating
Available via:
* Online (NZ wide) Mondays & Wednesdays
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![image of auckland teen sports dietician lauren vodanovich]()
Lauren Vodanovich
DIETITIAN
Specialising in:
* Teens
* Sports nutrition
* Weight concerns (weight-neutral approach)
* Eating Disorders (eg anorexia, bulimia, binge eating)
* Emotional eating
* Disordered eating
* Mindful and intuitive eating
* Gut and digestive health
Available via:
* Mt Eden, Auckland clinic (Tuesdays 8am - 12pm)
* Telehealth (NZ-wide)
How It Works
1. Book your appointment
We'll connect you with a suitable dietitian for an online or in-person appointment.
2. Meet with your dietitian
Your dietitian will listen, understand your concerns and focus on matters to you.
3. Get your personalised action plan
Walk away with practical, achievable steps and tools that fit your lifestyle
4. Ongoing support
Regular appointments help to further fine-tune your goals and action plan, to ensure lasting results.
For more information about our service and how we can work together, head over to our nutrition consultation page.
Families choose us because we offer:
NZ Registered Dietitians with specialist family nutrition experience
Compassionate, non-judgemental support
Evidence-based advice without fads or fear-based messaging
Practical strategies tailored to your child and family
Appointments in Auckland or online NZ-wide
We meet your family where you are — and help you move forward with confidence.
At ABC Nutrition, we believe healthy eating should feel supportive — not stressful.
All our dietitians are Registered with the New Zealand Dietitians Board, hold current Annual Practicing Certificates, abide by The Code of Ethics and maintain professional standards by undertaking a Continuing Competency Program.
All the team at ABC Nutrition are paid members of Dietitians NZ, the professional association for Registered Dietitians in NZ.
FAQs
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No referral is needed to book a family or child nutrition consultation.
Just head over to our bookings page to book your appointment.
If your GP, Paediatrician, or other healthcare professional would like to send us one, they can reach us at clinic@abcnutrition.co.nz
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Yes. All our dietitians, including those specialising in family & child nutrition, offer secure online video and phone consultations.
You can work with us from anywhere in New Zealand.
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This varies widely from person to person, depending on your child’s and family’s goals, lifestyle and medical needs.
Many clients will find:
2 - 4 sessions helps to create early momentum
6 -10 sessions supports deeper behaviour change
15 - 20 sessions are recommended to support clients on the road to recovery from an eating disorder or with sensory food challenges, including ARFID
Ongoing support (monthly or quarterly) helps maintain progress long-term
Your dietitian will create a personalised action plan and support you as much - or as little - as you feel the need.
We also offer a range of package options for ongoing support.
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Absolutely. Fussy eating is one of the most common reasons families seek support.
We help identify what may be driving feeding challenges and create practical strategies that reduce stress at home.
We are fortunate to have some of New Zealand’s top fussy and selective eating dietitians in our team - so you’ll be in excellent hands!
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Yes. We understand that sensory preferences, routine needs, anxiety, and feeding differences can significantly affect eating.
We support children, teens and adults experiencing feeding challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, AuDHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, and ARFID.
For ARFID, nutrition support is typically most effective as part of a multidisciplinary approach, working alongside other healthcare professionals involved in your child’s care.
Our approach is compassionate, practical, neuro-affirming, and tailored to your child’s and whanau’s needs.
We support children, teens, and families with:
Highly selective or restrictive eating
Sensory-based food aversions
ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) nutrition support
Executive functioning challenges affecting meal routines and regular eating
Difficulty recognising hunger and fullness cues (interoception)
Anxiety around food or trying new foods
Safe food dependency
Meal skipping or inconsistent eating patterns
Appetite suppression related to ADHD medication
Building independence with food for neurodivergent teens
Family mealtime stress, conflict, or overwhelm
