Managing fussy eaters

How long can a fussy eating stage last?

Children grow very rapidly in their first year, but their rate of growth slows down in the second year. Babies under the age of one tend to eat pretty well and then get fussier in their second and third years. I think that if your child is fussy, he or she will soon find that there's not much point making a fuss if you don't react.

How important is a balanced diet to a child's health and self-esteem?

What a child eats affects not only their health but also their behaviour. The most common nutritional deficiency in children is iron deficiency. If a child doesn't get enough iron in his diet, he will feel tired, unable to concentrate and will be more prone to infection. Essential Fatty Acids are also important and most children don't get enough of these. They are particularly important if a child has dyslexia, dyspraxia or attention deficit syndrome as including omega 3's in the diet can markedly improve their behaviour and learning. What children need is a balanced diet which includes protein, complex carbohydrates like wholegrain cereals, lots of fruit and vegetables and calcium. And it's important to include iron rich foods and foods that contain essential fatty acids.

What strategies can you offer parents trying to cope with a fussy eater?

Anyone with children will know that when it comes to eating, fuss is often high on the menu. It's not surprising then that we can lose heart when our children turn their noses up at pasta sauce with green bits or anything with visible onions, but rest assured, you're not alone. In fact, 90% of children go through at least one lengthy stage of being fussy.

Try and make mealtimes a really positive experience. One of the most important things is to really try and hide your frustration. Praise your child excessively when he eats well or tries something new. You may need to ignore some bad eating behaviour to refocus attention on good behaviour. Avoid using mealtimes to assert your authority. If there is a lecture to give choose another time ...

Some tips:

• If your child refuses to eat anything other than junk food, chill out. He will soon find there's not much point making a fuss if you don't react.
• Avoid empty calorie snacks like crisps or soft drinks and keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand - maybe have a low shelf in the fridge with cut up fresh fruit and other healthy foods. When children are hungry, they won't wait.
• It's important to introduce as many foods as possible at an early age. You could try playing a game and blindfold your child before introducing a new food and ask him to guess what it is.
• Reward schemes can work well. You could have a sticker chart in the kitchen and each time your child tries something new he gets a sticker to put on the chart. When he has collected a certain number of stickers he gets a reward or a special treat. The first goal should be relatively easily attainable and to teach him the purpose of the chart.
• If children will not eat vegetables, create recipes that vegetables can be blended into such as a tomato and vegetable sauce for pasta or a creamy tomato soup made with carrots and onions. What children can't see, they can't pick out. Also many children who don't like cooked vegetables will eat raw vegetables like carrot sticks or sweet pepper with a tasty dip.
• Most children adore cooking, and tasks like squeezing fresh orange juice or cracking eggs are well within the capabilities of a young child. It's amazing how being involved in the planning and preparation of a meal can stimulate a child's appetite.
• Reduce snacks between meals to one snack in the morning and one in the afternoon and make sure they are healthy. Try to control how much your child drinks between meals and at meal times. Choose pure fruit juice rather than juice drinks that often contain less than 10% juice and try to encourage him to drink more water.
• If your child is underweight and not eating well she needs as much energy (calories) as possible. Choose full fat dairy products like cheese, milkshakes or good quality ice-cream and avoid using ‘low fat' dairy products.
• Create your own ‘healthy junk food'. Make pizza bases using mini muffins, foccacia bread or pitta bread and you can let your child choose his favourite toppings. Make burgers using good quality lean beef and make your own sweets using fresh fruit and juice.
• Inviting another child over for tea, preferably one with a good appetite, tends to be a good ruse. Invariably you will find that your child will eat what is offered provided her friend is eating it too!
• Without going to unnecessary lengths, try to make your child's food not only taste good but look good too. Choose colourful food and give small portions. Attractive presentation can make the difference between your child accepting or refusing food. Whole fruit in a fruit bowl may well not get eaten but thread bite-sized fresh fruit onto straws it immediately becomes more appealing.
• Once a child's palate has become accustomed to the intense sweetness of refined sugary foods it is harder for them to appreciate the more gentle natural sweetness of fruit. If you want your child to enjoy fresh fruit, restrict sugary foods.
• Eat at the same time as your child whenever possible.

Do you think fussy eaters should be given a choice?

Yes, I think you can give a choice sometimes as everyone has likes and dislikes - even adults. Take your child shopping to choose food that they like and you could encourage your child by saying - choose six healthy foods that you will eat and then you can choose a treat or a little toy.
You might also want to offer three vegetables and then let him choose two.

What can a parent or carer do if a child refuses breakfast?

If your child skips breakfast and claims not to be hungry first thing, think back to the previous evening. When did he last eat and what time did he go to bed? The earlier your child eats and the earlier he goes to bed the more likely it is that he will fancy eating first thing and the easier it will be to get him up 15 minutes earlier to give time for breakfast. It's also important to try and eat breakfast with your child.

If your child has to get to school early and just doesn't have time for breakfast, you can make delicious fruity muffins that he could eat on his way to school with a fruit smoothie.

How can a parent get a fussy eater to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables?

• Disguise vegetables by blending them into a tomato sauce and serve with pasta. You can double bluff by leaving a few chunky vegetables in the sauce for your child to pick out, then he'll never suspect there are still some there.
• Offer crudités. Many children who don't like cooked vegetables will eat them raw. Vegetables like carrot, cucumber and sweet pepper sticks make a great snack any time of the day and you can serve them with a tasty dip like hummus.
• Over cooked soggy vegetables are a turn off. Steam rather than boil vegetables, they taste and look better. Alternatively stir fry vegetables. It's worth buying a wok, stir frying mange tout in a little butter is much nicer than boiling them and boiling broccoli almost halves its vitamin C content.
• You can sneak vegetables into other popular dishes like wraps, cannelloni, lasagne, quesadillas or hide vegetables under grated cheese in pizzas.
• Try adding some more unusual vegetables like chinese cabbage, snow peas, bean sprouts and baby sweetcorn to stir fries. Add a splash of teriyaki sauce and some noodles for added child appeal. And how about some child friendly chopsticks that are joined at the top - your child will have so much fun picking up the food he will forget to make a fuss.
• Instead of boring mashed potato, why not combine mashed potato with carrot or sweet potato? - it's a good source of betacarotene. Sweet potato is also delicious on its own and contains more vitamins and fibre than ordinary potato. You can use it as substitute for potato to make oven baked potato wedges or mash. Interestingly, the more colourful the vegetable the better it is for you as the pigment contains valuable antioxidants.
• The secret to getting your child to enjoy eating salad is to come up with a delicious dressing.
• A simple batter can transform vegetables into an exciting snack. If you can't get your child to eat any green vegetables, try making courgette (zucchini) batons with a crispy coating flavoured with parmesan.
• How about growing your own vegetables and getting your child involved? It's surprisingly easy to grow vegetables like potato, broccoli, zucchinis and runner beans. Children will be intrigued to eat something they have grown themselves.
• Children like eating with their fingers, so serve vegetables like whole corn on the cob with melted butter or baked potato wedges.
• Fruit in a fruit bowl tends not to get eaten, but try threading bite sized pieces of fruit onto a straw.
• Find fun ways of serving fruits like making melon balls, or cut kiwifruit in half and serve in an egg cup.

Is it wise to disguise foods such as green vegetables?

I think that sometimes you do need to resort to disguise if a child is ultra fussy, but eventually you need to try to get the child to accept the food and it may need to be quite a gradual transition.

Do you have any tips for eating out with fussy eaters?

Sometimes it's better to order from the adult menu as often the children's menu is not good quality. Also try eating out in ethnic restaurants like Thai, Chinese, Japanese as children tend to like these foods

How can a parent tell the difference between fussy eating and attention seeking?

It's usually pretty clear. An attention seeker will soon realise that there's no point making a fuss if you don't react.