I have a VERY fussy 3 year old!

[EllasMum1]

My 3 year old daughter has never really eaten very well, no matter how hard we try she will not try new foods. She doesnt eat vegetables at all and the only fruit she eats is apples and the odd banana. She eats yoghurt (only one type), bread, luncheon meat, vegemite, baby custard(apple flavour), 2 minute noodles(only chicken flavour), and then some snack foods which i try to limit. It gets me quite upset that she has such a poor diet but she just refuses to eat anything else! I've tried to give her a multi vitamin in her juice but she recognised something different in the flavour and wouldnt drink the juice. I really need some help here!

[the pero clinic]

Dear EllasMum1,

It can be extremely frustrating and concerning to have an extremely fussy eater in the family. There isn’t a quick fix for fussy eating, and it isn’t just about diet or food preferences or a battle of wills, but a complex combination of factors. There are, however, always starting points to encourage fussy eaters to increase the range of foods they will eat.

As a general start, it is a great idea to focus on positive experiences around food and eating for your child. Involve her in the grocery shopping (choose a time when the shops aren’t too busy!) and let her choose a fruit, vegetable, meat etc to put in the trolley. Play games at home with tea parties and picnics. Cook and bake together, letting her pour and mix. Try to do all of these things without any expectation that she will or has to eat any of the foods – let it just be a positive food experience.

In terms of specifically expanding your daughter’s diet, try not to be too adventurous in your ‘target’ foods. If you say she does not like fruits or vegetables, don’t choose mango or capsicum as your starting points. Just begin by making small changes to the foods that she does eat. For example, buy a different brand of the flavour yoghurt that she likes (don’t let her see the packaging if need be) or add in beef flavouring with the chicken flavouring, gradually increasing the beef and decreasing the chicken. Try cutting the bread and meat into different shapes or toasting the bread. These are only small changes, but they are big steps towards your daughter trying new foods.

Also, have a look back through some other posts about fussy eaters for other ideas on how to handle and avoid the meal time battle ground and introducing new foods. As you live in the Brisbane area, you might also consider attending our next “Fussy Eaters” parent workshop for more ideas.

the pero clinic