It can be very frustrating to parents when their child, who may have been a hearty eater as a baby, suddenly turns against whatever he is offered. It could be green vegetables, meat, fruit – almost anything, and now a mealtime can become a real battle.

However, you can reassure parents that faddy eating is a perfectly normal part of growing up and a mother mustn’t blame herself.  Most toddlers go through phases when they get fussy about food and refuse to eat or even taste new foods.  Tell the parents not to worry, unless the child shows signs of weakness, fatigue or weight loss, in which case they should seek advice from their doctor or contact you.

What can be done?

No two children are the same and there is no guaranteed answer.  However, here are some ideas that have worked for many parents:

• Offer a range of meals over the week and introduce new foods and variations on previous menus.
• Try smaller portions.  The child can always come back for seconds if they are still hungry, also serve milk drinks after the meal to avoid filling them up before they have their weaning foods.
• If the child is reluctant to try new foods, try encouragement by offering a tiny taste. It is also important to give lots of praise when they try something new.
• Parents should get to know their child’s hunger patterns and only offer food when they are hungry and not tired.  Some children are starving when they wake up, but others take time to work up an appetite.
• If a child will only eat their favourites try to build on this.  For example, if they only want cheese sandwiches try adding sliced banana or dried apricot.
• If food is rejected the child shouldn’t be force-fed and food should be removed without comment.

Here are some more ideas to suggest:

• Make mealtimes a fun experience so the child looks forward to it.  Recommend that the parent sits with the child and shows an interest in what their child is eating.
• When a favourite food is rejected, suggest it might be introduced at a different time or day.
• Try snacks, like a full fat yoghurt, apricots, or cheese and crackers. Offering a wide variety of foods will help to ensure that the diet is nutritionally balanced.
• Above all, advise parents to be patient, this fussy phase will usually pass and most children grow up to be good eaters keen to try new things.