When I was little, I would only eat hazelnut yoghurts. And when I say only, I mean it. Breakfast, lunch, dinner – it had to be hazelnut. What an annoying child.
Luckily, that phase passed... only to be replaced with brie on toast (pretty bourgeois tastes, for a seven-year-old). Brie on toast lasted even longer than hazelnut, taking me right through my teens. It was only knocked off the pedestal when I discovered tuna and cheese jacket potatoes at university (after a particularly big night out, I once ate three).
It probably shouldn’t have surprised me that, after growing up as a fussy eater, my kids would be exactly the same. But, here’s the thing for anyone worried their child will only ever survive on a diet of blueberries and mashed potato – they’ll grow out of it. I did, my daughter did, my son will – and your kids will too.
[Read More: Parents of fussy eaters, here’s why you shouldn’t force your kids to eat foods they don’t like]
I get it. It’s hard not to worry about what your child is eating – particularly with the constant warnings over child obesity. Public Health England reports that nearly a third of UK children aged two to 15 are overweight or obese – with younger generations becoming obese earlier, and staying so for longer.
Meanwhile, new research also suggests that as many as 60% of us consider our children to be ‘fussy eaters’ – and we’re throwing away as many as two uneaten meals every week. So what to do?
As a parent, it’s virtually impossible not to tear your hair out over whether your child is eating too much, not enough, or not enough of the right thing.
My daughter has been at the lowest end of the NHS child weight charts since she was born. When she was two, I was so worried about how little she was eating – despite seeing how much energy she had, and how normally she was developing – that I took her to a dietician, who put her on an emergency ‘double cream diet’ to help her gain weight.
It didn’t work. She continued to eat little and often, seemingly not needing much more than she was offered. Five years later and she’s healthy, strong and naturally petite. She was probably just taking in exactly what she needed. I wish I’d listened to my instincts more, and worried less.
Same goes for me. I still get food ‘fads’ (my current one is After Eights), but other than that, I have a completely varied diet, and I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t eat (except parsnips, for they are the devil). I’m trying to remember that while raising my son, who currently refuses to eat anything other than plain rice.
So if you’re struggling with ‘fussy’ kids, take heart – it won’t last forever. And in the meantime, there are ways around it. Here are six quick tips that have worked for me:
1. Offer a variety of foods.
Letting children choose from a ‘picnic-style’ spread is fun. Include bright, raw vegetables, such as peppers and mange tout – and put it all in a muffin baking tray, for extra giggles. An interesting study found success with difficult eaters when they offered ‘micro tastes’ of new foods.
2. Eat together.
Experts say eating together helps children feel better – both emotionally and physically. It may also encourage them to try different things if they see you eating it.
3. Hide the good stuff.
One pal told me they blended up broccoli into a homemade pesto sauce when their daughter ate nothing but pasta and pesto – and did the same with sweetcorn to mix into pancake batter. It’s also easy to hide veg in spaghetti bolognese or lasagne, because all kids eat spag bol, don’t they? (Don’t look at me – I still preferred hazelnut yoghurt).
4. Stop the bargaining.
Try not to go on about finishing every last mouthful, or bargaining (“if you don’t finish your food, you can’t have dessert”). Food shouldn’t be about ultimatums, or swapping one for another.
5. Don’t focus on how ‘healthy’ it is.
When it comes to getting your kids to learn about food, emphasising how nice something tastes works better than reminding them of the health benefits, research shows. Tell your kids how delicious broccoli is, rather than how good it is for you.
6. Just relax.
Don’t make a big deal out of it. Kids are stubborn – I know I was. Dr Helen McCarthy, a clinical psychologist also known as The Appetite Doctor, says actions speak louder than words at mealtimes. “Enjoy the blessing of eating and enjoying food together,” she says. “That’s enough.”