Hello Steve,

Thanks for the quick delivery, the Yawn book works a treat...one day we will make it through the whole book before Ruby is ready for sleep.

Cheers Simon

Hi Steve, 

I wish I had found your book months ago.

Every evening meal prior to tonight has been a battle, or a game of hide and seek with vegetables and my 2 year old son.   Of course my son has been winning since he was 18 months old.

I can hide 6 or more types of vegetable in my spaghetti sauce, and am a master at hiding vegies in casseroles too.
I’ve made super cheesy quiche with vegetables, and given a variety of sauces to make vegetables palatable to my son.
I’ve tried everything except putting spinach puree in chocolate cake (yuck).

But every night my stress levels rise as I rack my brains to figure out a way to get Tim to eat something that isn’t meat or potato without a major meltdown or food flying about the room.

I stumbled across The Big Mouth book last week and ordered it straight away.  It arrived on Friday and I put it on the table tonight (Saturday).

Tim loved it, he picked up the concept really fast, faster than I hoped (I was gearing up for a few days “introduction phase”).  He was chewing and chewing madly to get to the next page and virtually cleaned the plate. Dinner was finished within 10 minutes.

To say that I am impressed with the results of using this book to facilitate a happy pleasant mealtime would be a major understatement.

Who knew that the most valuable investment I could make to my family’s wellbeing would be a mere $20.

With much gratitude and an order for the going to bed book
Kerryn & Darren

I just wanted to send you a quick email to say how thrilled we are with the book. Previously our daughter wouldn't touch a mouthful of her dinner, since using the book she is more interested in dinner times and is eating much better.Thanking you, Kirsten

Hi Steve,

...I wanted to introduce her (my three year old granddaughter) to more types of vegetables etc. so after your book arrived I cooked a stir fry loaded with veges and the response was “yuck”, hands folded, no way, so I grabbed the book, explained the concept and she was keen, down went 10 BIG MOUTH FULLS after a lot of fun followed by a very enjoyable evening. Thankyou Steve - Dianne 

 

Big Mouth is featured in each capital city's Child Magazine under "New books for children" - compiled by Amanda Zucker - September 2007. Big Mouth by Steven Jenkins www.bigmouthbook.com RRP $19.95. This book employs a creative eating method for fussy eaters. It uses catchy rhymes to help kids finish their meals in 10 easy steps and aims to inject some fun into mealtimes.
 

I received the Big Mouth book, it is great, we gave it a go last night with my 4 year old fussy foodie and it worked a treat. He popped some vegies into his mouth with his only concern being what was on the next page of the book. Well done to you! Leanne Cooper Director Cadence Health www.cadencehealth.com.au Registered nutritionist and mother of two Author, presenter and nutrition advisor to Huggies BA (Pysch/Ed); Dip Nutr; PG Cert Higher Ed

Article in the Herald Sun 22 August 2007 - by Susie O'Brien. NEARLY a third of toddlers are obsessively fussy eaters who get hooked on one particular type or colour of food, research reveals. Half of all mothers think their preschooler has a problem with eating and are fussy with food, a survey of 304 Australian mothers found. Nearly half of all families find meal times stressful, Queensland University of Technology researcher Dr Linda Gilmore said. Some of the fussiest children will only eat one type of food, such as plain pasta, or foods of one colour. Parents are more watchful of their children eating and more aware of allergies and good nutrition, cramping meal choices. "Fussy eating is really common in early childhood, but many of them do start to grow out of it," Dr Gilmore said. "It can turn into a major battle." In an innovate sales pitch, a new book is offering a money-back guarantee that it will help children try new foods. Big Mouth uses colourful animals to tempt children to take 10 big bites, with them taking one bite a page. The author is Brisbane father Steve Jenkins, who was a frustrated parent of two fussy boys who wouldn't eat their vegies. "We'd sit around the table for ages and try to coax them into eating," Jenkins said. "It turned into a bad cycle of overly dramatic meal times." Jenkins, an IT sales manager, has self-published the book and sold about 400 copies so far from the website www.bigmouthbook.com "We've only had to return three copies so far," he said. Many parents are concerned about the range of food and the amount their children eat, said LeAnn Williams, community services manager at Tweddle Child and Family Health Service. "But don't forget some children need to try something 10 times before they will eat it," Ms Williams said. Parents are increasingly turning to the web. In July, kidspot.com.au had more than 200,000 searches done for recipes. And the Parenting Research Centre website raisingchildren.net.au has had 1500 parents downloading hints on fussy eating in the past 12 months.

Article continued by Susie O'Brien. FROM the age of two, Hayley Game (pictured on left) went on a vegie strike. All the Ivanhoe East preschooler wanted for dinner was rice and plain pasta. "She wouldn't eat any sauce at all on it, and certainly no vegetables," her East Ivanhoe mother, Simone Brown, said. "And because all she'd eat was plain pasta and rice, there was not even anywhere to hide some chopped carrot. "I think she was a bit scared to try things. "I was worried that our other daughter Sadie, who's one, would go down the same path." But things changed when Hayley, now four, started reading the Big Mouth by Steve Jenkins at dinner. "It absolutely changed things," Ms Brown said. "Now I use each page to add foods for her to try to her plate, like some different vegetables or mashed potato or pumpkin. "She has to turn a page before trying something new. Sometimes she gets to choose what to add to her plate. "We do the animal noises and try to guess what animal is next. It's great."

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/entertainment/foodandwine/

Huge wraps on the book too- we've had it for three nights and each night my two and a half year old son has eaten everything off his plate (a very rare event at our table of late)!! My one year old daughter has seemed to show an interest in it too. Keep up the good work- I've already started raving to all my friends!! Kind regards Gabrielle

Hi Steven, I just wanted to let you know that my fussy eater (who has just turned 2) loves her Big Mouth Book. We call it the dinner book and she would read it all the time if I let her. She doesn’t always get to the last page but we get at least 2-3 mouthfuls in, which is more than she used to do before (if she didn’t like what we gave her, we would get tears for even putting the plate in front of her). It’s also a great way for her to learn about different animals (ie Tazzy Devil). I think her favourite is the Pelican because that means that dessert is next! I recommend it to all my friends who struggle to get their little ones to eat. Thanks for a great solution to a stressful problem! Regards, Rachael

Just wanted to say thank you! We were having such a difficult time with our four year old son who refused to eat dinner. The big Mouth Book has made our meal times so much more enjoyable as a family, and our four year old is eating so much better. Kylie & James White

Big Mouth encourages positive social interactions and learning opportunities for young children at mealtimes – all in a light hearted,non – confrontational manner.’ Simone Brown Sydney SuperNanny - Early Childhood Consultant

Hi, I purchased your book recently as a last resort because my toddler would never eat anything. He had such a limited array of foods he would eat and he would only eat these when felt like it. Everyone kept telling me not to worry - that all toddlers are fussy eaters but seriously it was hard not getting worried given his refusal to try any new foods or eat anything at all at the best of times. When I received the book I put it to the side until 3 nights ago I was having a normal battle with my child who was refusing to eat. I glanced over to my table and saw the book sitting there so I thought I might as well give it a go. Oh my god... to my utter disbelief my child ate all his meal by himself with no prompting!!!!!! I can't believe it. We are now on day three and each night he has eaten all of his dinner by himself as we read the Big Mouth book together. I really believe a miracle has happened, I just can't believe your book has been so effective! You need to tell the world (ok all parents of fussy eaters) about your book because it is the best investment I have made for my child! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please feel free to use my words as a testimonial to your fantastic product. Cheers Tamara Hughes, Sydney

Kids Spot email 12 July 2007 Scientists may well know how to send rockets into space but it has taken a parent of two fussy eating little boys to crack meal time mischief. So confident is the Australian author, Steven Jenkins, that his Big Mouth book will bring about an improved willingness amongst kids aged two to six years to try new foods and finish meals, he is offering a money back guarantee, including postage, to parents who give his invention a go. Big Mouth is a stand up, flip book that sits on the dinner table. Its secret code is the suspense of discovering the next in a series of ten rhymes that inspire kids to enjoy their meals and want to try those crazy, green vegetables. There are a few tricks to use with the book and Steve explains those and more here. Good luck!

Hi Steve, am happy to report that the Big Mouth Book is having some serious results with my 4.5 year old very fussy eater. Despite my initial scepticism, my husband and I are very impressed. Thanks Steve. Gill Canning Editor bump www.bumpmag.com.au

"Many parents struggle to get their children to eat. This is the first book that we have come across that really encourages a creative eating method. It's not forcing the children to eat, it's encouraging them." Shannon Kaye Principal - Holland Park West World of Learning - Ramsay Bourne Child Care.

"Fresh Mums has trialed and tested this book on 3 young children and it's proven to be a huge success in overcoming the constant torture of encouraging children to try new foods or eat their vegetables!" Tracey Lucock, Fresh Mums www.freshmums.com

"It works a treat" - Aaron, father of Gabriel (almost three)

Radio Publicity Big Mouth Book was discussed on ABC Sunshine & Cooloola Coasts with Cam Young. Cam was particularly interested in hearing about stories of parents who have benefited from Big Mouth Book. We have helped children who would only eat white foods, fried foods and a select group foods. This conversation inspired us to create The Fussy Eater Challenge. Click on the words on the left side of the page to hear Steven Jenkins explain the Challenge.

“I heard about the book on Spencers programme 4QR and thought it was a fantastic idea. As a mother and grandmother I know that it can be very difficult getting young children to eat healthy food. As a professional Psychologist I see this situation multiple times at the ages when nutrition is so important for healthy brain development. So congratulations!” Coral Palmer, Director, Gnadenfrei Foundation for Trauma & Abuse Ltd, www.gnadenfreicounselling.com

Hi Steve, having two very fussy eaters, ages 6 and 3, I was a bit sceptical as to whether this book would work for us, but the kids love it! They ask for the book to be read to them most nights, particularly when I am trying to feed them something they are not so keen on: The book helps them get through the 10 all important mouthfuls necessary in order for them to get dessert!...Jane

Radio Publicity Steven was interviewed by Elaine Harris about Big Mouth on ABC Radio Northern Tasmania on the 16th of April. Elaine noted that the children would want to finish their mouthful to hear about the next hungry animal. Elaine also kindly said "you know when you say to yourself, why didn't someone think of that before? Well now they have".

Television Publicity Big Mouth Book stared on Extra on Channel 9 on the 12th of April. Extra showed the book in action and the Jenkins' boys devouring their vegetables. Sarah Davies noted that Steve was so frustrated with the boy's eating he was pulling his hair out! Shannon Kaye from Holland Park West World of Learning noted that the book doesn't force the children to eat, but creates a learning environment toward food. See the Channel 9 article at http://extraonline.com.au/stories/story/12766.html

Radio Publicity Scott Mayman from ABC Gold Coast interviewed Steven on the book. Scott was interested to find that animals that eat both vegetables and meat feature in the book. Steven noted that the book encourages the children to open their mouths and eat ten mouthfuls.

“Thank you for the Big Mouth book. My favourite animal is the Lion; Lili’s favourite is the Tasmanian Devil. I eat 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 mouthfuls.Bye.” Tom almost 3. Tom and Lili say "Bling Bling" when they are finished each mouthful.(message left on voicemail)

"As a busy working mum of two small girls mealtimes is that one time of the day where you want some good quality family time and some fun and light humour around the dinner table. Toddlers all seem to go through that period of "fussy" eating so mealtimes often become the opposite, frustrating and with little or no fun for anyone. It is great to see a book like Big Mouth bring some fun back to mealtimes whilst at the same time getting those "fussy" eaters to eat all their nutritious meals. Thanks for all your efforts Steve and we love Big Mouth!" Angela

"This book is bright, colourful, fun and effective. As a busy mother of 3 children, including 1 extremely fussy eater, I am always looking for new ideas to help my children eat healthily. Its great to see a book about encouraging eating - written for children. Big mouth has brought back some humour and sanity to our family mealtimes. Belinda (Sydney mum of three)"

Newspaper Publicity South-East Advertiser Article 28/3/07 - Journalist: Margaret Slocombe, Picture: Dale Haberfield. Text - Anyone with small children will understand what a nightmare dinner-time can become and how frustrating it can be to encourage children to eat their vegetables. Holland Park father of two, Steve Jenkins became so frustrated one night that after his young sons went to be he sat down and wrote a book about it. The Big Mouth book was created and at the encouragement of friends, Steve and his wife Julie self published it. Mr Jenkins said it was a new take on parents using phrases like "her comes the aeroplane" to feed their children, only without the force-feeding.

"The book revolves around wild animals who would never dare to stare at their food or other animals would eat it up," he said. "It gets the kids to mimic the animals. They love it. They gobble up their food. The take-anywhere book sits on the dinner table like a presentation folder and children love making a little "bing" noise to indicate that their mouthful was finished and the adult could flip the page to the next hungry animal." Bon appetit ... Cooper Jenkins ready to tuck in with his Big Mouth by his side. Visit www.bigmouthbook.com

ABC Radio Publicity ABC Radio 612 with Spencer Howson interviewed Steven Jenkins on the Big Mouth Book (29/3/07).................................................................................. Some of Spencer's comments - "Many parents have been frustrated over the years by the eating habits of their children. How many times have you discussed ways of encouraging your kids to eat this or that." - "Have a look what is unique about this book..it actually comes with its own stand and so the kids have the book in front of them while they are eating." - "To say "bing" they really have to have cleared their mouth or there is a big mess, so that's is kind of good isn't it" - "Meanwhile, if you are at the end of your tether and you are looking for one more trick that might just work, it could be Big Mouth by Steven Jenkins".

"Hello Steve, I see Big Mouth book as a investment in your family. If you work back often and find that it is your partner who often has the sole responsibility at dinner time, this is a real help. It helps your children through the meal and getting a book read to your child all at the same time. Points all round!.... James" (Brisbane father of three)