Just got fussy

[Annasmum]

My 17 month old has just got fussy. She used to love her vegetables. I would do them steamed and big enough that she could pick them up herself. She especially loved brocoli, potato, zucchini and carrot. Now she just pushes the plate away and refuses to eat. Give her pasta and she will gobble it down. I tried bubble and squeak but she refused that too. She adores fruit and eats a minimum of 3 serves a day (pear, grapes, strawberries or banana or kiwi fruit). I'm assuming this is normal, but it is very frustrating.:banghead:

[the pero clinic]

Dear Annasmum,

You are correct – it is both normal and frustrating! Toddlers will invariably go through a stage of ‘normal’ food fussiness, where they will suddenly refuse foods that they loved just the day before. It is usually just a way of exerting some independence, testing boundaries and being the one to say ‘no’ for a change.

While it can be extremely frustrating and illogical for parents, be willing to accept that children are likely to be inconsistent with their food. It is best not to react to this and accept it as a typical part of development. Children will turn food and meal times into a big deal if the adults around them do. Research shows they will otherwise grow out of this fussiness and return to some consistency with definite food likes and dislikes around the age of 3.

Continue to offer your daughter vegetables – perhaps put broccoli in one bowl and carrots in another and let her choose which one she will eat at that particular meal. She may just be wanting to say no to one of the several veggies on the plate - not all of them. Giving a simple choice may also help to relieve some of the independence and assertion issues.

Simply take away foods that she refuses without comment or reaction – do not provide any kind of reward or motivation for her to continue to say no (such as any expression of frustration!). And don’t be too surprised if tomorrow she loves vegetables but hates her fruit!

the pero clinic