A Unique Child: Nutrition - A real fuss?

While periods of fussy eating are quite common in the under-fives, early years practitioners can face a range of different issues in trying to support families through these times.

Early years consultant Penny Tassoni says, 'Parents often report that their child starts to become a fussy eater at two years. This is also an age when sometimes children are starting to exert independence, and preference over food is part of this.' She adds that from two years onwards, children's growth slows down, which can impact on how hungry toddlers feel.

There can be other reasons why a young child is reluctant to eat, says Sue Chambers, an early years consultant and senior LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) associate. For children on the autistic spectrum, she says, 'There are certainly issues around fussy eating. They may find certain textures very unpleasant. Some children may not eat food of a particular colour or may hate different things touching on a plate.' Children with poor oral-motor skills can have problems eating too.

Refusal to try new foods can be seen as an evolutionary 'safety mechanism', suggests Suzanne Hawkings, manager of the Snapdragons Keynsham nursery. 'At this age, children are able to take more control of themselves and this is a sort of basic survival instinct to avoid trying new things which could be poisonous.'

Food fads often do not last more than a couple of weeks, according to Eating Well for Under 5s in Child Care, a guide published by the Caroline Walker Trust. However, problems can be exacerbated if not handled well.

KEEP CALM

Although there are different reasons why children become fussy about food and a variety of strategies for coping, practitioners are clear there is one common approach: keep calm and do not let mealtimes become a battleground.

Ms Tassoni says if battles are waged at mealtimes, the tension can make some children fearful and even more reluctant to eat while others can see it as a means of gaining attention.

The advice of the Eating Well for Under 5s in Child Care guide is, 'While it can be distressing for carers (and parents or guardians) to have food they have prepared rejected, keeping your own attitude to eating friendly and relaxed will help children to feel that eating is a pleasurable way to satisfy hunger rather than a battleground.

'If a child refuses a food even after gentle encouragement to eat, remove the food without making a fuss or passing judgement. While it is useful to encourage children to try different foods, it is not good practice to reward children for eating food they do not want (particularly by offering the reward of pudding or a sweet snack).'

Ms Tassoni says if the overall diet is a balanced healthy one, it does not matter if a child picks and chooses just a little and that applies to snacks too.

At Snapdragons, the staff work to make sure mealtimes are social occasions. The toddlers eat in a room that is also used for food-related activities such as potato printing which encourages them to feel comfortable about handling different foods.

Ms Hawkings says the staff will try to seat a reluctant eater with friends who are more enthusiastic as they will tend to copy the others.

WORKING WITH FAMILIES

Nina Williams, manager at Marigold Day Nursery, Heswall, says the challenge that staff tend to face with fussy eating is not at mealtimes in the setting but in supporting parents reporting difficulties with their children not eating at home.

'We invite parents in and discuss possible menus. We have a recipe of the week up for them to see. Our cook makes everything from scratch here, including our baked beans and pasta sauces. We show parents how we reward the children with stickers for trying new foods. We talk to them about portion sizes and show them what a small portion looks like and show them the bowls and cutlery the children use.

'At nursery the children are on the go physically and they have a great deal of mental stimulus so they are using up a great deal of energy.

'We also remind them that at nursery the children have their lunch at 11.30am and teas at 3.30pm and the children who are here full time get used to that routine.'

A child's opinion on what they like and dislike should be respected, says the under-fives guide which advises 'it is better not to "disguise" foods that they have rejected. However, changing the form a food is given in may make the food more acceptable. For example, a child might refuse cooked carrots but enjoy raw ones, or may refuse pasta coated in sauce but prefer the pasta and sauce served separately.'

Ultimately, says Ms Chambers, 'Allow a child not to like something. You could sit me down in front of a dish of prunes for a week and you still wouldn't get me to eat them!'

TOP TIPS ON FUSSY EATING

• New foods need to be offered frequently, or at least shown, to the toddler.

• Never force the child to eat.

• Offer a wide range of foods. The more often a toddler sees a new food the more likely it is they will try it.

• Even if a child tries a new food, they will not necessarily like it the first time they taste it.

• The older the child, the more exposure to the food they are likely to need.

• Sweet foods are more likely to be accepted than any other taste.

• Foods that taste or have a similar texture to foods that the child already prefers are more likely to be accepted.

• Toddlers often benefit from meals and snacks at nurseries or playgroups because they will often imitate other children's eating behaviour.

• It is really good if adults can be seen eating the same food that is offered to the children.

• Don't give overly large portions - children can be offered more if they are still hungry.

• Allow the child to self-feed.

• Don't mash everything up after the child is about seven months old. Use finger food whenever possible.

• Let the child get messy.

• Let children take their time and don't nag them to eat more or finish.

• Don't make too much fuss over the mealtime. When the child has finished take the dish away.

• Use mealtimes as a social event.

• Don't allow children to eat snacks too close to mealtimes.

• Don't make the child sit for too long at the table.

• Make sure the child isn't too tired to eat.

• If mealtimes are fun and enjoyable most children will begin to eat a more varied diet.

Prepared with the help of Sue Chambers

MORE INFORMATION

Eating Well for Under 5s in Child Care: Practical and nutritional guidelines by Dr Helen Crawley for the Caroline Walker Trust : www.cwt.org.uk.