Gitte Daniels is a qualified nursery nurse with more than 18 years experience.
'Fussy eating is usually only part of the problem. Often it's a case of a child asserting their independence, ' she says. Here is what Gitte suggests to deal with fussy eaters:
1. Relax and enjoy mealtimes: Coaxing your toddler to eat, fussing and spooning food in his mouth means you are showering your toddler with attention and effectively reinforcing his behaviour.
Talk to your toddler about other things instead, such as what you've been doing that day or which story you'll be reading at bedtime.
2. Set new table rules: Make sure everything you will need during the meal is on the table before you start. Getting up to fetch items is distracting and disruptive. Have a jug of water to hand so you can top up his cup as you go along.
If your toddler decides he wants a different plate, be firm: the plate on the table is the one you will use today.
If your child wants something removed from his plate, tell him to leave it on the side of the plate and that he doesn't have to eat it, then change the subject.
3. Have fun with food: Get your toddler really stuck into food preparations. Maybe do some baking together or simple chopping of something soft using a plastic knife.
Make food fun by cutting up small pieces of fruit and letting your child dip them in a pot of yoghurt. Try it with vegetables and hummus too.
Present food and mealtimes in different ways: have a kitchen or carpert picnic; use a muffin tin or ice cube tray and pop a different piece of food into each hollow.
4. Use the A-T-A approach: Employing the Ask-Tell-Act approach will help teach your toddler who is in charge (you!) and that meal times are for eating not playing with food. He Asks for something, you Tell him what the situation is and then Act on it.
5. Keep on trying: You need to be patient when trying toddlers on new food. You may have to try a new food up to 20 times before your toddler will even try it. Remember too that you can hide one kind of food inside another in order to get your child to eat it - making a fruit smoothie, adding carrot and swede to mashed potato, or stirring a little grated cheese into a pasta sauce.
6. Keep a food diary: If you despair that your toddler eats a very limited diet, keep a note of everything he eats over the course of a week. Often when you look at what a child has eaten over the course of seven days, it's far more nutritious than you imagine.
Having trouble with your toddler? If you'd like Wondernanny's help, email prima.baby@natmags.co.uk with your details, including your telephone number and a brief description of your problem.
