You can understand fussy eating problem of toddlers when you think about early memories of when your mother used to tell you stories to get you to eat.
Or you may recall the fussy eating habits like throwing a tantrum, crying, spitting out food instances seen by you of kids in your family.
Fussy eating is a common problem encountered amongst toddlers & more so for their mothers who struggle hard albeit face defeat in getting their kids to eat.
So, what exactly is fussy eating?
Picky eating (also known as fussy or choosy eating) is usually classified as part of a spectrum of feeding difficulties. It is characterised by an unwillingness on the part of the child to eat familiar foods or to try new foods, as well as strong food preferences. It includes not liking the taste, shape, colour or texture of particular foods.
Picky eating is a common behavior in early childhood. Up to a third of children around the age of two could be described as fussy eaters. The good thing is that most grow out of it and begin to accept a wider range of food in time.
Causes of picky eating include early feeding difficulties, late introduction of lumpy foods at weaning, pressure to eat and early choosiness.
The consequences for the child’s diet include poor dietary variety and a possible distortion of nutrient intakes, with low intakes of iron and zinc (associated with low intakes of meat, and fruit and vegetables) being of particular concern.
Low intakes of dietary fibre, as a result of low intakes of fruit and vegetables, are associated with constipation in picky eaters.
There may be developmental difficulties in some children with persistent picky eating. There may be a small subgroup of children in whom picky eating does not resolve who might be at risk of thinness during adolescence, or of developing an eating disorder or adult picky eating: these children need to be identified at an early age to enable support, monitoring and advice to be offered to parents.
Few fussy eating facts
These facts can help you understand why children sometimes fuss about their food:
Children’s appetites are affected by their growth cycles. Even babies have changing appetites. At 1-6 years, it’s common for children to be very hungry one day and picky the next.
Children have different taste preferences from grown-ups.
Life is too exciting for children sometimes, and they’re too busy exploring the world around them to spend time eating. Eating also uses energy – so when they’re tired they might be less interested in eating.
Children learn by testing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. They can be very strong willed when it comes to making decisions about food (to eat or not to eat, and what to eat). It’s all part of their social, intellectual and emotional development.
If your child is healthy and has enough energy to play, learn and explore, they’re probably eating enough. But if your child eats only a very small range of foods or won’t eat entire food groups for longer than a few weeks, see your GP, your child and family health nurse or a dietitian.
Proven tips to overcome fussy eating
#1. Pleasant mealtimes
Your child’s willingness to try food will depend partly on their eating environment. Pleasant, low-stress mealtimes can help.
#2. Parental modelling
Strategies for avoiding or ameliorating picky eating include repeated exposures to unfamiliar foods, parental modelling of eating fruit and vegetables and unfamiliar foods, and the creation of positive social experiences around mealtimes.
#3. Eat with your child
The best way for your child to learn to eat and enjoy new foods is to copy you. Try to eat with them as often as you can.
#4. Stay calm & relaxed
If your child is fussing about food, try to stay calm.
This will help your child think of mealtimes as enjoyable and relaxing.
#5. Create a feeding pattern
Gradually introduce other foods and keep going back to the foods your child did not like before.
Children’s tastes change. One day they’ll hate something, but a month later they may love it.
#6. Let your child serve themselves
Put a small amount of food on your child’s plate, or put all foods in the center of the table and let your child serve themselves.
#7. Switch off the TV
Turn the TV off so your family members can talk to each other and focus on enjoying the meal.
#8. Make healthy foods fun
For example, cut sandwiches into interesting shapes, or let your child help prepare a salad or whisk eggs for an omelette.
#9. Set a time limit
Anything that goes on too long isn’t fun. Give your child half an hour for meals.
If he/she hasn’t eaten the food in this time, take it away without fuss or comments.
#10. Offer a variety of foods
Keep offering a variety of foods – it may take lots of attempts before your child accepts some foods.
#11. Same food as the family
Give your child the same food as the rest of the family, but remember not to add salt to your child’s food.
#12. Small portions
Give small portions and praise your child for eating, even if they only eat a little
#13. Don't react
If your child rejects the food, do not force them to eat it.
Just take the food away without saying anything. Try to stay calm, even if it’s very frustrating.
Try the food again another time.
Sometimes your child might refuse food to see how you’ll react.
If you stay calm, it will be less interesting for your child, and they might be less likely to do it again.
#14. Offer new foods
Keep offering a new food.
It can take 10-15 tries (or even more) for children to become familiar with, accept and enjoy new foods.
#15. Timely serving
Do not leave meals until your child is too hungry or tired to eat.
#16. Avoid snacks
Do not give your child too many snacks between meals – 2 healthy snacks a day is plenty.
#17. Don't use food as a reward.
It can be tempting to offer your child food treats just so they eat something – for example, ‘If you have a carrot, you can have some chocolate’.
But this can make your child more interested in treats than healthy food.
Your child may start to think of sweets as nice and vegetables as nasty.
It also sends the message that eating healthy food is a chore.
Instead, reward them with a trip to the park or promise to play a game with them.
#18. Enjoyable mealtimes
Make mealtimes enjoyable and not just about eating. Sit down and chat about other things.
#19. Encourage group eating
If you know any other children of the same age who are good eaters, ask them round for tea.
Kids might be more willing to try a food if they see other children eating it.
Also do not talk too much to your child about how good the other children are.
#20. Invite favorite adult
Ask an adult that your child likes and looks up to to eat with you.
Sometimes a child will eat for someone else, such as a grandparent, without any fuss.
#21. Experiment formats
Changing how you serve a food may make it more appealing.
For example, your child might refuse cooked carrots but enjoy raw grated carrot.
#22. Prepare for the meal
Sometimes children are too distracted to sit at the family table for a meal.
If this sounds like your child, try giving your child a 5-minute warning or quiet time before meals so they can calm down before eating.
Even the ritual of hand-washing can help.
#23. Avoid unhealthy fillers
Try not to let your child fill up on drinks or ‘sometimes’ foods before introducing new foods.
They’re more likely to try food if they’re hungry and don’t have the option of something else to eat.
#24. Cover 5 food groups
Offer a variety of nutritious foods from the 5 food groups (Fruits & vegetables, cereals & starch, dairy, protein & fats) at each family meal.
Go for variety yourself – show your child that you’re willing to try new foods and that you enjoy them too.
Offer different foods from each of the 5 food groups. For example, if your child doesn’t like cheese, they might enjoy yoghurt instead.
#25. Food independence
Giving food independence can help with fussy eating: It can be a good idea to support your child’s need for independence when it comes to food.
You provide healthy food options for your child. But let your child decide how much they’ll eat.
#26. Offer choices
You could also let your child make choices within a range of healthy foods.
Just limit the options to 2-3 things, so your child doesn’t get too confused or overwhelmed to eat.
For example, instead of asking your child to pick what they want from the fridge, you could ask, ‘Would you like carrot or cucumber?’
#27. Involve them in meal prep
Another top tip is getting your child involved in preparing family meals.
For example, your child could help out with: picking a recipe, getting food out of the fridge, washing fruit and vegetables, tossing a salad, planting and picking herbs at home.
They’ll feel proud of helping and be more likely to eat something they’ve helped to make.
#28. Introduce new foods smartly
Put a small amount of new food on the plate with familiar food your child already likes – for example, a piece of broccoli alongside some mashed potato.
#29. Demonstrate eating
Show your child how you explore food – for example, touching, smelling or licking
#30. Portion sizes
Serve your child the same meal the family is eating but in a portion size your child will eat.
#31. Fresh foods
Protective factors also include the provision of fresh foods and eating the same meal as the child.
#32. Make food fun
Offer your child a variety of different colours, shapes and sizes, and let your child choose what they eat from the plate.
These are some of the ways you can handle fussy eating by adopting strategies that work in congruence with kids psychology & steps towards positive parenting.