New Australian parenting guide challenges common assumptions about persistent fussy eating
Fussy Eater Solutions
- The Fussy Eater Reboot was published on 6 May 2026.
- The book is written for parents and carers of children experiencing persistent fussy eating, food anxiety, sensory sensitivities and ARFID-like difficulties.
- Paperback price: AU$34.99.
- Ebook price: AU$8.99.
- Available through Fussy Eater Solutions, Amazon and major ebook retailers.
- Marie-France Laval is available for television, radio, podcast, print and online interviews, with in-person interviews available in Melbourne.
- Review copies and high-resolution media assets are available.
Australian Expert Launches Practical Guide to Overcoming Fussy Eating
The Fussy Eater Reboot offers parents a structured, compassionate approach to stubborn picky eating, sensory sensitivities, food anxiety, and avoidance.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – 01/07/2026 – After years of working with families affected by persistent feeding difficulties, Melbourne practitioner and author Marie-France Laval has released The Fussy Eater Reboot: Confident Eating: A Parenting Plan for Stubborn Picky Eaters.
The book provides a practical, multi-disciplinary framework for parents who feel they have tried everything, from rewards to separate meals, only to find their child’s eating becomes more restricted and stressful.
Drawing on Marie-France’s background in dietetics, nutrition, social work, and hypnotherapy, the book explores how sensory sensitivities, anxiety, avoidance, and protective threat responses shape a child’s experience of food.
It is highly relevant for families supporting children with selective eating, ARFID, or paediatric feeding disorders. “Parents work incredibly hard to help their child eat,” Marie-France said. “But logical strategies like pressure, bargaining, or immediately replacing rejected food can unintentionally keep the difficulty going. The aim of this book is to reduce pressure and create conditions where confidence can grow.”
A practical plan for real family life, the book combines behavioural and psychological perspectives to explain:
- Why some children reject food before tasting it.
- How anxiety and sensory sensitivities influence eating.
- The role of avoidance and protective routines.
- Why pressure and accommodation keep children stuck.
- How parents can respond without coercion.
Marie-France noted that many parents feel a sense of relief when they realise their child is not simply choosing to be difficult. “A child can look calm at the table while still experiencing food as a psychological threat,” she said.
Endorsed by leading professionals:
Psychologist Michael Hawton (The Anxiety Coach) described the book as a practical guide that transforms mealtimes, while consultant paediatrician Dr Liam Tjia praised its unique combination of clinical knowledge and psychotherapy skills.
Availability: The Fussy Eater Reboot is available in paperback (AUD $34.99) directly via https://fussyeater.com.au/shop. E-book (AUD $8.99) available through major ebook retailers.
Marie-France is available for interviews and expert commentary regarding: Persistent fussy eating and sensory sensitivity, Food anxiety and threat responses, ARFID and paediatric feeding difficulties, and Practical ways parents can reduce mealtime stress.
About us:
About Marie-France Laval
Marie-France is a feeding specialist, author, and founder and CEO of Fussy Eater Solutions. With a professional background in dietetics, nutrition and social work, she combines nutritional, behavioural and psychological perspectives to support children, adolescents, adults and families experiencing persistent fussy eating, sensory sensitivities, food anxiety, ARFID and other feeding difficulties.
Marie-France is also an Australian-accredited hypnotherapist. She uses evidence-informed therapeutic approaches to address anxiety, avoidance and protective responses around food. She wrote The Fussy Eater Reboot to make her clinical insights and practical framework more widely accessible to families.
Contact details:
Media Enquiries, Interviews, and Review Copies:
Marie-France Laval, CEO & Founder of Fussy Eater Solutions
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://fussyeater.com.au
Mobile: 0421 843 038
Instagram: @fussyeatersolutions
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Media Kit Assets: Click here to download high-resolution book cover imagery and author headshots.
