How to cope with fussy eaters

How to cope with fussy eaters

Everyone has their favourite foods as well as those they just don’t like – and that goes for babies too.

But giving your baby a wide variety of foods to try is one of the best ways of stopping fussiness before it sets in.

How to cope with fussy eaters:

  1. Offer your baby foods of different colours, shapes and textures. If they only ever get their favourites, they are less likely to try new things.
  2. If your baby spits something out, just take that food away and try it again another day, perhaps in combination with something you know your baby likes.
  3. Eat together if you can, so your baby can eat with the whole family. Share mealtimes with friends – babies are very interested in what another baby is eating!
  4. Don’t rush – some babies like to eat slowly.
  5. Feed your baby at the table in the highchair so they know what to expect at mealtimes.
  6. Keep portions small, but offer seconds if they want more.
  7. Encourage your baby to feed themself whenever possible, even though there may be more of a mess; they will enjoy it.

Comments

I have a 1 year old who has

Submitted by catannie28 on Wed, 07/09/2011 - 23:59.

I have a 1 year old who has become fussy pushing the spoon away etc. We both sit down for breakfast and if he refuses his i continue to eat my weetabix. He will then eat mine from my bowl! Recently he has started to have a spoonful from his and then i have a spoonful from mine. At tea times if he won't have his tea i change it into an adult bowl and he will eat it then, i think he feels that he is the same as everyone else. My older children are now teenagers and one of them was a very fussy eater. He went through a stage of wanting sausages every day, as my mum said "if he is eating does it matter if its the same every day". He doesn't like tomato and explains why he wouldn't eat sauces as a child. He still only likes meat, some veg and gravy even now. When a child gets bored of a food they will ask for something else. Mine all love yoghurt, even now. Best advice i can give, make a mess, experiment but don't stress they will eat when hungry!!!

I have a 10month old son who

Submitted by lmclellan785 on Tue, 09/08/2011 - 20:56.

I have a 10month old son who can sometimes be really fussy with his food. Sometimes he will eat perfectly and others he wont touch a thing just fling it about. When he starts playing with his food, at the beginning of a meal time, i take it off him and take him to play with his toys whilst me and my partner eat ours. If he hasnt ate anything or only a tiny amount, i then try him again with something different (in colour or texture) half an hour later. I don't give him huge amounts so the waste is little. If he has eaten enough to keep him going until the next meal, I just leave him until then. He also refuses the spoon now, except at breakfast, as i have always insisted as keeping this constant. I have also tried to limit snacks so he is hungry at meals times, and dont give him any fluids for half an hour before meals times so he doesnt fill up on them. Hope this helps.

Fussy Eater

Submitted by joeyp001 on Wed, 29/06/2011 - 06:38.

Hi,

My Daughter is exactly the same, won't eat from the spoon unless it is breakfast or yoghurt, and has gone off sauces on her food. She lives on crackers, toast, bagels, crumpets, babybel and the odd mouthful of banana. I have found she seems to get board of the taste of something midway through, so she will have a bit of cracker, then lick off the cream cheese, eat a bit of toast, then leave the rest, then eat half a babybel. I just offer her food a little bit at a time until she seems to have had enough, and introduce something new as regularly as I can, but never force more than a few mouthfuls on her in the hope that eventually she will get used to it and eat a full meal eventually.

Fussy 3 year old

Submitted by rachelj87 on Tue, 26/04/2011 - 22:20.
I have a 3 year old son who refuses to eat anything that he has to use a spoon for. Will not eat anything with a sauce - to the point where if there is a tiny bit of tomato sauce on a chip he will refuse to eat it! This really limits the type of food he will eat. I've tried offering him something a number of times over a few weeks but still refuses to eat it. Tonight I made mince and mash potato which he dipped his finger in a tasted a tiny bit (so small you couldn't see it!) but i have run out of ideas on what to do to tempt him to eat - even a bribe of chocolate doesn't work anymore. Anyone got any suggestions? :)

Try the baby-led weaning!

Submitted by Okena on Tue, 15/02/2011 - 21:49.
We are doing the baby-led weaning too. I know some other mums who are doing it too. Such a natural thing to do but surprisingly not very common. It stops fussiness, promotes enjoyment of food with whole family and baby's self-esteem and independence as she is not being stuffed with spoons by an adult. At the end of the day, she has her own hands to feed herself!

14 mth old refusing to eat

Submitted by els28 on Fri, 14/01/2011 - 18:43.
My daughter was going great guns with eating until she had a cold over christmas. She`s now driving me mad with only eating yogurts, crisps and occasionally weetabix. Sometimes she`ll eat breakfast - weetabix, lunch/dinner - chicken & 2 veg. She`s in her highchair 90% of time unless we`re out and about. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL

9 month old will only eat cucumber!

Submitted by NieNie73 on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 15:09.
My daughter is 9.5 months now. She has eaten beautifully off the spoon historically but now keeps pushing it away. I try finger food but that goes on the floor unless its cucumber which she'll sit and eat fine. I've tried distracting with toys etc but this isn't a habit I wish to get into. Any adivce?...is it just a phase? I've tried giving her a spoon but her dexterity isn't there yet to feed herself. Help!

Baby-Led Weaning

Submitted by lenibella on Thu, 16/12/2010 - 22:45.
Hi All! I am doing Baby-Led Weaning & it's the best thing! We never have battles at mealtimes, I just put a bit of what we are having in front of her & she feeds herself what she wants, no purees or mashing things up! I am still breastfeeding her however much she wants, around 4/5 times per day, so she is getting enough calories from this plus the food as they say " food for fun until they're one" so milk should (in my opinion) still be the main source of nutrition. You have to be quite relaxed to use this method & trust they will eat enough but my daughter is almost 10 months old & eats almost anything with no fuss. If she doesn't want it, she doesn't pick it up, and I don't force her either. And no, she has NEVER choked on anything as she is controlling her own food & babies have a gag reflex which stops them swallowing large pieces of food- in fact spoon feeding over-rides this reflex so there is more chance of choking this way. Anway, Google it & see what you think. I absolutely love it, especially when we are in a restaurant, she can just join in with us!

Hiya my daughter is 14months

Submitted by scaredbuthappy on Tue, 23/11/2010 - 20:20.
Hiya my daughter is 14months and im haveing terrible trouble she refuses to be spoon fed unless its yogurt so getting breakfast in to her is terrible as she will only eat fruit/finger foods so i carnt get cereal into her as she just plays wiv the spoon !!!!!! she will only eat things like chix nugg and sausages so getting healthy food in to her is driveing me nuts all she does is throws it on the floor or puts the bowlon her head ARGH pls help..........she is sat at the table in her high chair.

I've cut out the morning milk

Submitted by Marion10 on Wed, 03/11/2010 - 09:59.
I've cut out the morning milk bottle and give my 13 mth water with meals, however, meal times are still a battle. He refuses to be spoon fed (unless is yoghurt or pureed fruit!) and just eats finger food, but nothing mushy. He's ok for the first few mouthfuls, but then he just throws his food on the floor or squeezes it and flicks it away. It doesn't seem that much goes in and I'm worried he's not getting enough. I sometimes save the food and give it to him afterwards when he's playing and he eats it fine then. It's like he's just messing around in his high chair at the table. Any one have any advice?

fussy eater

Submitted by sazd89 on Thu, 28/10/2010 - 14:51.
hi sam, My daughter is 13months and fussy with some foods at meal times has she is not a big meat eater but my HV told me to cut down on her milk so she would be more hungry for foods and not to let her snack in between meals to much. At dinner times she has water with her meal instead of milk. Sarah x

fuss pot

Submitted by sammyj321 on Wed, 06/10/2010 - 13:19.
my lil boy is 13 month old he is a very fussy eater he sits in his high chair at meal times with me and my partner, he eats fine an all of a sudden he will keep spitting his food out after a few mouth fulls we give him finger food an some times he will sit an eat the lot an most of the times he will spit it out an throw it around he is mostly like it with meals but he also does it with rusks and other treats has anybody got any advise? thanks xsamx