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How to avoid fussy eaters

  • February 17, 2008 6:09 pm

Everyone has their likes and dislikes but everyone knows someone who is labelled as a “fussy eater” these people seem to dislike the majority of food.

My advice would be to offer your child a variety of different food from the very start (of weaning that is) also give your child the opportunity to try foods that you don’t like as it is unfair to stop your child having things purely on the basis that you don’t like it for example I tried my daughter with peanut butter; neither me nor my partner like it but she loves it.

Also DON’T offer cakes and biscuits (nice things) as an alternative when your child won’t eat the food you put in front of them, they need to learn that they eat what they are given obviously if they clearly don’t like it then offer them a substitute but again don’t make it something like a biscuit. I’ve found that if you try a child with something and they don’t like it doesn’t mean that they wont like it later. Lucie wouldn’t eat banana when we were weaning her but now she does; basically this is purely the result of their taste buds developing

Conflicting diet advice

  • January 6, 2008 5:32 pm

Has anyone noticed that when it comes to eating when you’re pregnant the advice gets really confusing? Some say you can eat certain things and others say definately not.

Ok here’s what you should avoid:

  • High quantities of vitamin A
  • Soft/mouldy cheeses
  • Peanuts – this is to reduce the likelihood of allergies
  • Fish containing high levels of mercury

WEANING
The guidelines say weaning should be done around 6 months old; however this means that it has to be done very quickly.
I started weaning my daughter at 16 weeks which meant that I could go at a slower pace, however some children are not ready at 16 weeks so basically let your child tell you when they are ready. I started with fruit and veg but not citrus fruit, then added meat and fish, then a 6 months my daughter could have everything within reason, she can’t have the things I couldn’t eat when I was pregnant but she can when she is 1.

Finger food: these can be anything from pieces of fruit or vegetable to pieces of toast, usually introduced at around 6 months.
Here are some to try:

  • Cooked broccoli
  • Raisins
  • Sandwiches if you use spreads the child is more likely to eat the bread as well as the filling
  • Rice cakes

Drinking from a cup
It is a good idea to allow your child to play with a cup for a few weeks before putting a drink in it this gets the child used to the cup. Also it is now recommended that children have cups without the valves in (basically the non-spill ones) this is because research shows that the muscles used for sipping and swallowing are the same as those used for speech.