Brave Bites
food sensory awareness and eating behaviours program
Aimed at children aged 4-9, the Brave Bites program introduces food sensory experiences using practical, fun activities. The activities provide a range of sensory exposures to increase food acceptance. Then, when ready, a variety of nourishing wholefoods can be enjoyed.
Is Brave Bites right for your child?
Brave Bites is designed for children aged 4–9 who find eating tricky. Your child may benefit from this program if they:
Have a very limited range of foods they will eat
Refuse, gag or become distressed around certain textures or flavours
Feel anxious about trying anything new
Cause significant stress at mealtimes for themselves or the whole family
About the program
If mealtimes feel stressful, or you're worried your child isn't eating well enough to thrive, you're not alone — and you've come to the right place.
Brave Bites is a gentle, 10-session program that gives children the chance to explore food through curiosity — peeling, grating, smelling, tasting, and creating, to build food confidence, pressure-free. Each session is hands-on and fun, designed to feel more like play than therapy.
As a qualified counsellor as well as a Certified Practicing Nutritionist, Robyn is able to support both the emotional and nutritional dimensions of your child's eating. Sessions are carefully paced to match each child's individual comfort level, building confidence gradually so that new food experiences feel safe rather than overwhelming.
You'll also receive practical tips, home activities, and resources to support your child between sessions, and Robyn will check in with you along the way to make sure the program is working for your whole family.
If getting to a clinic is a barrier — whether it's distance, a busy family schedule, or a child who finds new environments difficult — Brave Bites can bring the same structured, evidence-based support to you one to one via Zoom.
Please note: We do not assess for oral motor skills and risk of swallowing problems (i.e., If your child’s mouth muscles are functioning the way they need to eat all food textures); If you suspect this is an issue it should be assessed by a speech therapist prior to commencing Nutrition Therapy.
What to expect
The ten session program follows a gentle progression:
- Building confidence with familiar fruits and vegetables before expanding to new flavours and textures
- Building food sensory awareness — exploring how the five senses shape the way we experience food
- Learning how the same ingredient can feel and taste completely different depending on how it's prepared
- A dedicated parent session covering nutrition and mealtime strategies tailored to your family
- Exploring hydration, rainbow eating, and healthy snack-making
- A final lunch-planning session that brings everything together
Progress is tracked throughout, and each session is supported by home activities and resources on the patient portal to keep the momentum going between visits.
There is no 'one size fits all approach' here
Robyn's background as both a CPN and a counsellor means she looks at the full picture — addressing sensory sensitivities, anxiety around food, and nutritional needs together, in a way that is warm, patient, and shaped around what works for your family.
Feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start? Robyn is here to help.
A free 15 min discovery call will give you some clarity.