Practical Ideas to Support Children Who are Fussy Eaters

Caring for a child who is a fussy eater can prove to be stressful, parents/carers can worry that the child is not getting the balance of foods they need or even that they are not eating enough food to sustain them. I have put together some practical tips that parents/carers can use to help support their children to try and introduce new foods in to their diet.

The NHS website encourages parents/carers not to worry about a child’s daily intake but rather to consider their intake over a week and to try to ensure a child is having some foods from each of the 4 main food groups, listed below, during each week;

• Fruit and vegetables
• Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates
• Dairy or dairy alternatives
• Beans, pulses. Fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

Have a positive attitude towards food and mealtimes, children will tune in to how you are feeling so be conscious of how you present yourself.

It can take time for a child to try new foods so keep trying. Children’s tastes can change and they can need to taste a food more than 10 times before they start to like the taste and so continue to offer foods they have previously disliked as well as new foods they are yet to be introduced to.

Meal Time Tips

• Eat with your child – children will often copy adults and so if they see you eating, they may try the food too. This also gives a good opportunity for children to learn about how to use cutlery and the social aspect of mealtimes.
• Give the child the same food as the rest of the family.
• Give the child small portions with the option to have more if they wish – having a full plate can be very daunting for a child who may feel pressured to eat all of the food on the plate.
• If your child does not eat/try the food try not to react, take the food away and wait until the next meal or snack time to offer them more food, never force them to eat it.
• Make sure you give lots of praise when your child eats/tries a food.
• Do not offer desserts as a reward – instead, offer fruit or yoghurt a a second course whether or not they have eaten the main course.
• Try to have mealtimes when your child is not tired.
• Try serving foods in different ways, your child may not like cooked peppers but could enjoy them raw.
• Keep mealtimes short, 20 – 30 mins.
• Drinks can fill your child up and so try not to offer drinks for 30 minutes before a meal.
• Give your child gentle encouragement.

Getting your child involved

Involving your child in activities around food and mealtimes can help them to be more relaxed about mealtimes. Here are some ideas of things your child can help with;

• Get your child involved from the beginning- let them help with making the shopping list and give them their own little shopping list of ingredients to find in the supermarket
• Involve your child in meal preparation
• Ask your child to lay the table ready for mealtimes
• Have the food in serving dishes in the centre of the table for everyone to serve themselves – allowing your child to serve themselves will give them some control over how much food is on their plate and help them to not feel too overwhelmed
• Involve your child with clearing away after the meal – depending on their age they can take their plate to the sink or put it in the dishwasher
• Take your child shopping and let them choose a new bowl/plate for them to use at mealtimes, they may like one with their favourite character on or one that is their favourite colour – this could give them a reason to look forward to mealtimes

Food Play

Food play can give children the opportunity to become familiar with different foods and textures away from mealtimes where the focus is on eating the food. Food play is exactly what is says – a chance to play with food – this removes any pressure or expectation to eat the food and allows children the freedom to explore the foods how they wish in order to find out about them.

For children who are uncomfortable with different textures and do not like to get messy it is best to start with foods that are dry and will not stick to the child’s hands when they touch them before progressing to wetter, more sticky foods. Allow your child to explore the foods freely as they wish, they may put some of the food in their mouth and if so then praise them but remember that eating is not the focus of this time.

You can provide some additional resources to encourage your child to explore – small pots/cups for filling and pouring, cars that will leave tracks when rolled through the food, paint brushes to spread the food around or maybe set some toys inside some jelly or ice for your child to find.

Some foods that are good for playing with are;

Uncooked rice                               Cooked pasta                  Custard                                          Ice cubes

Uncooked pasta                            Oats                                  Cooked lentils                               Pureed fruit/veg

Dry cereals                                    Wet cereals                     Jelly                                                Baked beans

Rice cakes                                      Lentils                              Mashed potato                             Porridge

Do not hesitate to speak to your child’s GP or health visitor if you are concerned about their health/diet, they will be able to offer support and advice on the best approach for your child.