It’s common for toddlers’ likes/dislikes to change and for their eating to become “fussier”. This is a very normal part of their development and will pass with time, although it can be a really worrying time for parents!
Try to think more about what your child eats over a week rather than day to day to get a good idea of their eating habits- we all have days when we might not eat as much. As long as your child is eating at least some food from each of the main food groups and seems active and healthy, there’s usually nothing to worry about.
There are lots of ways you can encourage your child to be more adventurous with food
- Be a role model and eat with your child
- Messy play with food
- Encouraging your child to help safely with food preparation, growing things you can use in cooking
- Trying a food in lots of different ways, e.g. a carrot could be raw with a dip, roasted, as a soup, or steamed
- Allow your child to feed themselves (under supervision) to promote feelings of choice and independence.
There are also LOTS of common pitfalls to be aware of to try and avoid…
- Don’t put pressure on your child to finish food they have refused or to clear their plate
- Don’t use food as a reward (e.g., “If you eat your dinner, you can have pudding,” “If you do X, you can have some chocolate,”- this makes the sweet food seem even more desirable and the main meal/ healthy foods even less likeable).
- Food restriction- if your child knows there are unhealthy but desirable foods at home, e.g. biscuits and crisps, but they are not permitted to eat them unless in certain circumstances, this can make them more desirable. It’s best to only have food in your cupboards that you are happy for your child to eat.
There are many ways we can help children make good eating habits and healthy relationships with food that will last for their whole lives.
This website is full of brilliant advice about overcoming fussy eating: https://www.childfeedingguide.co.uk/
These websites are also helpful:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/weaning-and-feeding/fussy-eaters/
https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/eating-well-early-years
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