Research has proved that worrying about fussy eating doesn't help much and it is unlikely that your child is fussy because of what you have done. Very occasionally, children are faddy because of some effect of their parent’s attitude towards food. However, in many families where just one child is fussy, it’s really down to the children and their individual tastes.
Put simply, some people are born liking tomatoes and some aren’t! You can learn to like things if you want to, but this is an adult behaviour – you can’t make your child like something he or she hates.
What is both reassuring and frustrating is how the tastes of children within the same family will vary SO much. One child may love all fruit but another child may only like over-ripe bananas!
The first thing to do, when working out how to deal with a fussy eater, is decide whether your child genuinely dislikes a few foods, or if they are fussy simply because they are nervous about trying new foods. Maybe they feel happier and more secure eating the same old boring things? You need to decide how much difference it will actually make to family life if your child became less fussy.
Where fussy eating can become a real issue is when it spoils the time you have together as a family. For example if it turns family mealtimes into a battle or limits what the family can do and enjoy together, such as going out to eat. Or if, as a result of being fussy, a child will turn down invitations to tea with friends (or worse, you find your child isn’t invited out to eat).
If you have a child who you feel is making life difficult because of fussy eating here are some useful tips:
 Try and eat with your children and share the food you like with them – let them see you eat and enjoy a wide variety of food
Don’t force a child to eat something they hate – this is one way to ensure he or she will never enjoy that particular food.
Don’t take the first refusal, if a new food is rejected at your first attempt to serve it, leave it a few weeks and try again.
Don’t let the child hear you talking about how fussy he or she is – there is no doubt that children can choose to be fussy as a form of attention seeking.
Sometimes include the children in deciding what they are going to eat, let them choose a meal and encourage them to sample new tastes by the mouthful, rather than the plateful.
Most children love to cook when given the opportunity, and they will almost certainly eat what they have cooked themselves.
Remember, just like with any other aspect of family life children’s eating habits change, if you have a fussy eater you can look forward to the time that will change.
One thing you can do when your children are young which can reduce the chances of them turning into fussy eater is to let them feed themselves as early as possible. This will mean your babies and toddlers are covered in food after every meal, and you won’t be able to hurry through mealtimes, but it will be worth it.
Children’s tastes develop at different rates – some children develop sophisticated tastes at an earlier age than others. Don’t panic if your child, aged three, chooses plain pasta and his friend prefers Thai chicken curry.
September 2008 |
