How to navigate the fussy eating phase during the preschool years
Contributing article by Laura Matthews, a registered nutritionist, food consultant and early years nutrition expert.
Fussy eating (also known as picky, faddy or choosy eating) is usually classified as part of a spectrum of feeding challenges. It is characterised by an unwillingness to eat familiar foods or to try new foods. There is no single widely accepted definition of fussy eating and so there’s little agreement about its assessment and prevalence. The NHS reports that babies’ growth rate does slow after the age of 1 which can be seen by a decrease in appetite and a greater lack of interest in foods. This stage is often noted by parents as a very tricky phase around food and mealtimes, but it’s also very common and there are tactics we can employ. I hope some of the tips below are useful and you can practice and apply them at home.
Top tips on how to deal with the fussy eating stage:
“You don’t have to eat it” - Stick to this mantra and trust that your children will eat how much they want by tuning into their hunger and satiety signals. Be mindful of your daily routine and make sure snack times aren’t too close to meal times so little ones come to the table hungry. A gap of about 3 hours is appropriate for toddlers.
Meal time language - Be conscious of the language you use, for example don’t pressure them to ‘clear their plate’ or ‘eat up’. Don’t override their hunger signals for them. It’s important for them to learn those feelings of hunger and fullness. Ultimately avoid putting pressure on them to eat and keep mealtimes positive.
Practise family style dining - This is where you plate up the food at meal time in separate bowls or plates and your child can help themselves. This method follows the ‘division of responsibility’ approach where the parent provides the food and the child decides what they’ll eat and how much. Family style dining can also help develop fine motor skills. Make sure to offer child-friendly tongs and a plastic jug so they can attempt to pour themselves a drink. These are good skills to work on before starting school.
Offer a variety of foods - It can be easy to fall into the trap of always offering foods you know your little one likes. However, try to ensure you keep offering a variety of foods from all the food groups so they are exposed to lots of foods, otherwise, before you know it, your repertoire of meals can become quite narrow! This is where having a weekly meal plan for your family meals, particularly at dinner time can be useful.
Don’t offer alternatives - They may start to hold out for something ‘better’ each time. Ideally the whole family will sit together and eat the same meal. Realistically with family schedules and timings this might only be a handful of times a week, but practice and apply it when you can. In addition make sure to include 1-2 ‘safe foods’ alongside a meal which you know your little one enjoys, to make sure there’s something at the table you know they’ll eat. This can be a useful approach especially when offering a new recipe they’ve not tried before.
Avoid distractions - Consider the eating environment, clear toys off the dining table, turn off all electronic devices so everyone can focus on the food and each other. Keep topics of conversation away from food too, if you can.
Try offering a starter rather than a pudding - A pudding such as plain yoghurt and fruit can be a useful way of getting extra nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals into little ones. However you don’t have to include pudding with a meal, instead it could be a starter such as vegetable crudites with hummus or sour cream. Where you do offer pudding, try serving it with the main meal to bring all foods back on the same level playing field and make it clear there are no conditions or rules attached to eating certain foods or eating them in a particular order.
Role modelling - Try to eat with your children the same food at mealtimes, even if it’s just a small portion at dinner time and you plan to eat later once the kids are in bed. If little ones see you eating the same food as them, there’s a greater chance they’ll eat and enjoy it too!
Last thoughts
1.You may find that your little one appears to eat better at preschool. This could be the case as they eat alongside their friends, who are great role models for them!
2. Always look at your child’s food intake over a long period of time such as a few days or a week, rather than a single meal. Also note that fussy behaviours are normal peaks and troughs in the appetites of young children.
3. If you do have greater concerns with your child’s weight and relationship with food, then do speak with your GP or health visitor.
At Two Hands Preschool our staff sit and eat with the children at every mealtime and the children are involved in serving themselves. Our menus, from the Nursery Kitchen, aim to introduce children to new foods whilst also ensuring that there are safe foods that they are comfortable with. We will also be working in partnership with our parents in sharing recipes, welcoming comments on our menu and helping to promote healthy eating at home.
