Helping kids sleep and eat better: a guide

Late sunsets, hot weather, disrupted routines, travel plans, and sensory overload — summer has a way of shaking things up. For kids who already face challenges with sleep or eating, it can be even harder. From insomnia and sleep apnea and from picky eating to struggles with variety and nutrition, this season can quickly become overwhelming. We’ve pulled together real-life strategies that actually work — from feeding therapy to sleep hygiene to busting some nutrition myths, and more, we’ve got your back one day (and night) at a time.

In this newsletter:

🍽️ Tips for picky eating, feeding therapy, and more!
💤 Top 10 sleep hygiene tips even parents can practice
🎧 New podcast episode: Feeding Therapy
🎒 July 9 office hours: life after high school
🍕 Undivided Conversations: Autism Nutrition

Picky eater or something more?

While nearly every child goes through a phase of selective eating, some kids need additional support to build healthy eating habits and get the nutrition they need to grow. Picky eating, problem feeding, sensory or motor challenges, ARFID — what’s the difference? And how do you know if your child needs feeding therapy or nutritional support therapy?!

We can help. Explore picky eating, ARFID, nutrition myths, and learn how to expand your picky eater’s diet the OT way in our article here. And for a deep dive on feeding challenges and feeding therapy, explore our brand-new articles Feeding Challenges in Children with Disabilities and Feeding Therapy 101.

And for parents on-the-go, catch the bite-sized, AI-powered companion podcast episode on feeding therapy.

Sleep support for kids and teens

If your child has trouble sleeping, you’re not alone — whether it’s bedtime battles with a toddler, a teenager who stays up all night, or navigating conditions like sleep apnea or insomnia. Start with our article Sleep Issues in Children with Disabilities for insight into common sleep disruptions, then explore Interventions to Help Children Who Have Trouble Sleeping for tips that actually work. And if you’re curious about sleep hygiene (e.g. bedtime stories, wind down routine, noise reduction, consistent bedtime, etc), explore our Top 10 Sleep Hygiene Tips for Kids and Teens.

Hint: parents can practice it, too! As Vivian Wang, PsyD, licensed psychologist at CARE-LA tells us, “A lot of things parents can do for their own health and for their own sleep hygiene can also help create a routine for the whole family.”

⚠️ This week in Undivided Updates⚠️

Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, and texted their elected representatives. SCDD is still collecting stories that explain why we need public funding for services. It’s clear that the voice to our community was heard in Washington and in Sacramento, with mixed results. In other updates:

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB143, a budget trailer bill that set out tightened regulations for Regional Centers with the goal of saving $30 million this year and $250 million next year. Read our California updates article to find out how they are changing SDP.
In Congress, they have passed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. Read about the impact this might have on families with children with disabilities in our federal updates article.
On July 1, a new funding crisis appeared as the federal government withheld $6.8 billion in education funding that has been authorized by Congress for disbursement to all the state governments. California’s public education system is without $928 million that should have been delivered on July 1. Without these funds, state Departments of Education will not be able to disburse expected funding to our public schools. So far, this does not affect Title I or special education funds, but any reduction in revenue is likely to have a huge impact on our schools, especially when occurring without any time to plan ahead.

Join us for expert office hours

Do you have a teen preparing for future plans after high school? Join us on Wednesday, July 9, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT for office hours with Undivided’s Transition Specialist, Nicole Morris. Nicole will be available to answer Undivided member questions about work experiences and career counseling through the Department of Rehabilitation, planning for public benefits after age 18, and more. If you’re not an Undivided member yet, get started here to join us for office hours every week.

Catch an Undivided Conversation

Tune into our Facebook page this Saturday, July 5 at 10:00 a.m. PT to catch the re-stream of Undivided Conversations: Autism Nutrition. If you have an autistic child, you know they can be very picky eaters. Autism Dietician Brittyn Coleman sits down with Undivided’s Lindsay Crain to discuss her best tips for helping your child.

One of our parent members told us, “We joined Undivided after years of struggling on our own. It was like a light shone on us, and we could see the path ahead.”

You want to ask a professional about your child’s sleep issues, but how do you know what kind of expert or specialist to ask? Hear this quick rundown on our YouTube channel→

Step one of helping a child with picky eating habits: take inventory of what they will eat! Hear from autism dietician Brittyn Coleman in this Instagram reel→

A parent in our Facebook group recently asked about autism-friendly activities in Southern California — do you have recommendations to share? Join the conversation in our private group for parents→