THE PROBLEM: Yusuf, aged 18 months, only eats tiny amounts of food.
HIS MUM POPPY SAYS: When Yusuf was 8 months old he contracted enteritis - an inflammation of the intestine - and he was in hospital for several weeks. We were prescribed Infantrini, a milk formula designed for babies who are not gaining enough weight.
A year on, Yusuf will often only have one or two teaspoons of food and nothing else. At nursery, the staff say he eats well.
Mealtimes at home have become so stressful that I prefer someone else to feed hom as I can't bear to see my little boy refusing to eat. Yusuf is small for his age and I'm afraid he will become ill if he doesn't start eating properly soon.
GITTE SAYS: It's hard for any parent to watch their child refuse food, but often the situation is not as bad as you might think. Yusuf's illness has made Poppy oversensitive to what he eats. She feels terribly guilty and blames herself.
Poppy needs to accept that Yusuf's illness was not her fault. She also needs to get reassurance from her health visitor that Yusuf is in fact growing properly.
A major concern is that Yusuf is still drinking Infantrini formula. Now he is a toddler he should drop these feeds, as he is using them as a food substitute, and replace them with cows' milk.
Poppy should start a food diary for Yusuf and check it on a weekly not daily basis. Taking into account what Yusuf eats over the course of seven days gives a clearer idea of his overall diet.
Chances are, that if he eats only a little one day he will make up for it the following day.
Poppy's anxiety about Yusuph's eating also means she is not giving him the chance to explore food for himself. Step back and let Yusuf feed himself - at this age he should be OK with a spoon.
Another good way to get your child interested in food is to present it differently. Try: chopped fruit with a yogurt dip; guacamole with vegetable sticks; fruit kebabs; or a meal arranged to look like a face. Remember it can take up to 20 attempts at introducing a new food before a child accepts it.
Making a mess doesn't matter; learning to enjoy food does.
