If your toddler or child is a fussy eater, or going through a phase of being picky, it can be incredibly frustrating – and stressful. Here, clinical nutritionist Gina Urlich shares the number one thing she recommends for getting out of the fussy stage.
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It can be so incredibly frustrating. You’ve just prepared a meal – after an eye-wateringly expensive supermarket shop – and presented it to your child who has immediately pushed it away, started crying or worse, thrown it on the floor.
It’s frustrating – and it’s stressful. The moment you Google ‘what happens if my toddler only eats toast?’ the algorithm starts targeting you with an overload of information about exactly which nutrients your child must be lacking.
But the truth is, this little scene is incredibly common.
“It’s so normal,” says clinical nutritionist – and mum-of-four – Gina Urlich. “It can feel really stressful in the moment, but picky eating is a very common phase, especially in toddlers and young children.”
If your child is going through a fussy eating stage, she says there’s one key thing to try that’ll help move you through and out of that stage.
“The biggest thing I always come back to is removing the pressure,” says Gina.
“The more we push, bribe, or negotiate, the more food can become a battleground. Instead, focus on consistently offering a variety of whole, nourishing foods and let your child decide what and how much they eat from what’s been provided.”
Although it can be frustrating, Gina recommends continuing to put different foods in front of your child – if they don’t even want to pick it up, leave them be without reacting and then go ahead and put it on their plate again next time.
“It can take many exposures before a child feels comfortable trying something new, sometimes 10 or more, so don’t be discouraged if something is rejected again and again,” says Gina. “Keep putting it on the plate in a low pressure way.”
If you’re feeling a bit worried that your child is being picky at dinner time, try zooming out from that one meal.
“I think it helps to look at meals across a whole week, rather than stressing about a single meal or even a single day,” says Gina. “Children are actually very good at regulating their intake over time.”
Another tactic you can try is getting them involved at meal time. “Let them help choose, prepare, or even just touch and explore food,” says Gina. “That familiarity really builds confidence.”
Lastly, take a look at how meal times happen at your house. Do the kids eat a different meal, earlier in the evening? Sometimes it’s impossible, but where possible, try to make dinner a communal experience.
Remember that children don’t just listen, they watch,” she says. “They absorb what’s around them. Sitting down together, sharing meals, and showing enjoyment around food is one of the most powerful tools we have. I can’t emphasise enough how important family meals and role modelling are, because what they see you do shapes how they learn to eat for life.”