Ask The Expert
Fussy Eaters
From the moment you child is born, natural instinct tells you they need food in order to survive. So when they start refusing to eat what they're given, it's very frustrating. Our parenting team share some words of wisdom...
Hi Parenting Team,
Everyone tells us that children will go through food fads but I am at my wits end. My 3 1/2 year old has only eaten sausages, peas and potatoes for 16 months. She even has this in her packed lunches and more to the point I am getting fed up with cooking it!
Any helpful advice?
Thanks, Jo
Our Parenting Team replies:
Hi Jo,
The golden rule for feeding children is that you decide what they eat and when they eat. This allows you to take the control of the whole eating process. The child decides whether to eat and how much to eat.
Young children soon develop a desire for independence, and eating is one of the key activities that trigger this. It doesn't take long for them to work out the obvious - that you cannot make them eat.
They will soon pick up on the fact that food is one of the things that parents worry about most.
It is understandable to worry about feeding children, from when they are first born you know that your baby needs food to develop and grow and this is a deep emotional feeling. In the early years this creates a special bond and closeness between parent and child. Later on when your little one is refusing food you are bound to find it difficult to be patient. Feeding children is an emotional business.
But by setting routines and boundaries you can take the stress out of the situation so that mealtimes become something to enjoy again. It is up to you to show your daughter how to eat as well as choosing the right sort of food.
Give your child a good nutritional diet from the start. Make it a way of life. Children aren't born craving. If they are only given good nutritional food, they won't know the difference -a chopped up peach will be as much of a treat as a bowl of ice cream.
Everyone tells us that children will go through food fads but I am at my wits end. My 3 1/2 year old has only eaten sausages, peas and potatoes for 16 months. She even has this in her packed lunches and more to the point I am getting fed up with cooking it!
Any helpful advice?
Thanks, Jo
Our Parenting Team replies:
Hi Jo,
The golden rule for feeding children is that you decide what they eat and when they eat. This allows you to take the control of the whole eating process. The child decides whether to eat and how much to eat.
Young children soon develop a desire for independence, and eating is one of the key activities that trigger this. It doesn't take long for them to work out the obvious - that you cannot make them eat.
They will soon pick up on the fact that food is one of the things that parents worry about most.
It is understandable to worry about feeding children, from when they are first born you know that your baby needs food to develop and grow and this is a deep emotional feeling. In the early years this creates a special bond and closeness between parent and child. Later on when your little one is refusing food you are bound to find it difficult to be patient. Feeding children is an emotional business.
But by setting routines and boundaries you can take the stress out of the situation so that mealtimes become something to enjoy again. It is up to you to show your daughter how to eat as well as choosing the right sort of food.
Give your child a good nutritional diet from the start. Make it a way of life. Children aren't born craving. If they are only given good nutritional food, they won't know the difference -a chopped up peach will be as much of a treat as a bowl of ice cream.
