Around 80% of families I see in my clinic are struggling to increase variety in their children’s diet. Time, effort and expense spent preparing healthy and nutritious meals and snacks, only to have a little one turn their nose up is understandably a stressful experience – for everyone!
Fussy eating, which surfaces between the ages of 2-6, is thankfully a phase most children will grow out of. However, the strategies we implement to deal with their food refusal, along with the food choices we offer them during this stage can have a huge impact on how willing they are to try new foods and how their eating habits are ultimately shaped.
A small percentage of children will require intervention as a result of physiological or psychological reasons for their ongoing food refusal. These children are classified as “problem feeders” whose difficulties with food can be due to a myriad of reasons: oral motor delays, sensory issues, gastrointestinal disturbances, anxiety food-related disorders and having low muscle tone. In these instances, it’s recommended to seek expert support from dieticians, nutritionists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and/or paediatricians.
In my clinic and fussy eating workshops, I’m always keen to manage expectations around what “success” looks like? Each family’s situation is unique and success with mealtimes needs to be measured accordingly. For one child, moving from one vegetable to two vegetables daily is a huge success. For another child, eating a meatball in sauce is a big win.
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I get my 3 year old to cook with me so she actually wants to eat what she’s made. That’s how I got her eating omelettes, sandwiches and pancakes. We sit down together, prepare everything and then she cooks it with me. She enjoys it and wants to eat it.
Also don't miss the window of opportunity. If your child is hungry at 6 pm, don't wait until 7 pm to feed them. They may be at the point of no return and over it by then.