Win an Organix hamper or £50 Love2Shop voucher! Join Q&A on children's eating habits and fussy eaters - ANSWERS BACK

[LucilleMumsnet]

This week we are running a Q&A with Organix who are offering you the chance to ask feeding expert Lucy Thomas about children's eating habits and how to help fussy eaters.

Inspiring fussy eaters to enjoy fruit and vegetables is Lucy's passion. As founder and author of 'Mange Tout', her methods have been recommended by doctors, nutritionists and Great Ormond Street hospital. Lucy has also featured on BBC TV and Radio and is a spokesperson for the Taste for Life campaign, brought to you by Organix.

Post your questions to Lucy before 9am Monday 20th January and we'll send over a selection to which she will provide answers to help you better deal with fussy or unusual eating habits. There is a £50 Organix hamper and a £50 Love2Shop voucher up for grabs for those that post questions. We will post up Lucy's answers on Thursday 30th January.

Should I give my 4 year old a choice of eating vegetables and getting desert or not ?

My daughter is two and loves her vegetables but really shows no interest in fruit- I have tried presenting it as a selection of different cut up pieces to share with her brother, as a desert with custard or yoghurt but she mostly refuses it. Obviously I am keen to get her to enjoy some fruit and wondered what you might suggest? She does however, go in phases where she will enjoy fruit pouches and similar but I do worry about the nutritional content of these- are they an acceptable alternative to a piece of fruit occasionally? Thank you

If your child is a fussy eater and refuses a lot of food how do you find a balance between trying to get them to eat a wide range of foods and just sticking with whatever they will eat?

I have an extremely fussy three year old. Lots of people talk about children going through fussy stages, but he's always been like this. Even when weaning he refused to be spoonfed, so we did the baby led weaning approach instead. Even so, he was about 9 months old before he'd eat anything at all. I now have another baby, and am dreading having another fussy one! What are your top weaning tips? I'd love to have an least one child who enjoys eating and has a healthy, varied diet!

My 2 year old son is a fussy eater I don't know how to get him to eat better. I've tried him with all kinds if food etc the only thing I can get him to eat is mash potato, toddler meals, apple, grapes, porridge, and the odd chicken dipper. Do you have any tips on how I can get him to eat a balanced meal

do you have any new suggestions for finger foods for our 9 month old daughter - she is so interested in exploring everything and we would like to give her the most varied (and yet safe for her tummy) diet as possible
thank you

My eldest two (aged 7 - a boy and 5 - a girl) have gone backwards in their veg eating variety. For a while it was only peas. Now it is only sweetcorn. As little ones they ate anything. It is affecting our youngest too (aged 3). They all eat a great variety of fruits and will eat dried fruits. Do you suggest we just ignore this as a phase? It is affecting us being able to eat out as a family. We feel we've tried all the tricks in the book to encourage them!

My daughter is a great eater and I'm expecting number 2. I remember that I couldn't use stock cubes due to the high salt content, and I must admit I've got into the habit of this. What is the best recipie for home-made stock, and what age do you suggest I can use stock cubes from?

How do you begin weaning/ fruit and veg singly or combined, smooth, lumpy or whole? How often do you re-introduce a food that isn't initially enjoyed? x

Should I just give in and let them eat what they want to?

I would like to know how much milk/water my 18 month old son should be drinking, he seems to drink anything I offer him, like he's constantly thirsty.

I have a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old and for our evening meal we usually all have the same thing. However, neither of them will eat potato which we grownups tend to have at least 2 nights a week (chips, mash, baked, roast, boiled are all refused). Can you offer any tips on getting kids to eat potato (what I consider a pretty inoffensive vegetable!)?

My 16month old has started spitting out meat when she puts it in her mouth. If we give her a sandwich with meat in she will open it and throw the meat on the floor and eat the rest. Is this just a stage she will work through or should I be trying other things.

My eight year old will eat certain vegetables for a while then will suddenly decide she doesn't like them. How can I encourage her to keep eating them? She's too old now for he tricks I would use when she was younger ( hiding veggies; making them into a Face etc).

How do you deal with a child who will not eat food that accidentally touches each other on a plate (even none wet items such as mashed potato and peas)? Put the food items on separate plates? Buy a camping tray? What would your advice be?

My almost 3 year old likes to snack lots during the day (mainly healthy foods). When it comes to dinner time she's not hungry. Should I encourage her not to snack so much, or this ok for her age?

This Q&A is now closed and we've sent a selection of your questions over to Lucy. Congratulations to twinklenic, winner of the Organix hamper and TiggersAngel7774, winner of the £50 Love2Shop voucher. We'll PM you with info about how to claim your prize.

What is the best way of keeping small pieces of freshly chopped fruit fresh? so it is always ready, or to travel with

We now have the answers back and will be posting them up shortly.

@ThemisA

If you were advising a new mother what would be your favourite first weaning foods?

Some babies find lumps in food a strange sensation and are slow to like them - have you any suggestions how to gently help them to adjust?

As a mother myself and currently going through the weaning process my favourite weaning foods which have also been successful with clients children too tend to be the sweeter vegetables such as Squash, Sweet Potato and Parsnip. These are all fairly easy to digest and gentle on the tummy. Babies have a natural preference for sweet following breast milk (and even formula is sweet too) and due to the natural sugars in these vegetables most babies take to them readily. With regards to the lumps, from 6months I would suggest handing your baby a chip sized piece of the roasted vegetables I have listed to encourage them to self-feed the same food they are eating pureed. Your baby will be able to squash the food in their hand and it will naturally gravitate to their mouth for them to explore it. Soft pieces will come off in their mouth that they will be able to manage. Expect them to gag as this is a natural reflex to help them work out how to manage the new sensation. This way babies can get used to lumps, bits and texture early on and be able to cope with the sensation and learn how to self-feed and chew. Remember never leave a baby unattended when feeding.

Keeping food smooth for too long makes the transition to lumps trickier, so also begin mashing food with a fork by seven months. If you find this approach too daunting then adding pureed peas or pureed cooked red lentils to the food will add a coarser texture that is a more gentle approach to lumps.

@Fillybuster

How do you recommend dealing with babies and toddlers rejecting new foods and textures? Do you keep on trying (as some of the weaning specialists suggest) or give up and move onto something else?

Also: what is your approach when a child rejects a meal? Do you believe in offering an alternative, or still giving dessert?

Thank you :)

At the start of weaning babies very rarely have likes or dislikes for tastes and flavours, they may find the food texture or flavour a new or strange experience and pull a face or grimace but it will not be because they do not like something, it will be them adjusting to the new experience. If you ever watch a toddler suck a lemon, they will wince and shudder then often go back and have another go!

There is a window of opportunity between 6-9months where babies are most receptive to new flavours and during this time it’s best to help them sample as many as possible and not keep their food bland for too long as this can provoke shocked responses and rejection later on.

Once a baby gets more mobile and learns to crawl or walk often this coincides with the rejection of many foods that were once enjoyed, and can become a parent’s main frustration. It’s often to do with a natural inbuilt mechanism that prevents self- poisoning, so that the now mobile baby/toddler does not go off and pick/eat wild toxic berries or such things that could cause harm.

There is also a period between 1-2years where our children’s taste buds change and fluctuate dramatically, such that once enjoyed foods now taste different and can be rejected.

Yes it can take up to 15 times of offering a new food before a child might sample or accept it as many specialists suggest, but it’s also important that it’s a food your child has seen you eating regularly – this then reassures them it’s safe and good to eat.
If you are feeling like you’re getting nowhere, then yes move onto something else and come back to it a week or two later, or have some on a plate in the middle of the table, young children are often interested in what’s out of reach!

Depending on how old your child is it’s sometimes a good idea to offer a choice of two options before the mealtime (peas or carrots with pasta?) so they have been involved in the decision of what is being served (to prevent unexpected surprises on their plates) but also to prevent you offering them a whole host of options once the meal is served as this then teaches them that they will always be offered something else.

Dessert after rejection of a meal is often asked about and it’s really an individual decision to make as a parent. Forcing a child to eat a meal with threats of no dessert is not perhaps the best approach, denying your child calories if they have not eaten anything is worrying too.

Maybe have fun together making a visual menu on paper plates of the week’s meals and stick them on the wall, ask your child to choose one each day and tell you what is on the plate (you can use food packaging labels, yoghurt lids, drawings) and make sure your child understands that is what will be for lunch/dinner. Decide on a rule for when they reject or refuse something – maybe based on your child’s age – 3bites of each food because you are three, if it’s a new food perhaps three licks of it?
If you decide to still include a pudding make sure it’s given unconditionally and never with any comments related to what was or was not eaten.

In summary:
Prepare your child for what’s to come on their plate. Get involved and set an example by modelling for your child eating the same food too and don’t move the goalposts.

@BellaVida

I have never made my children clean their plates, but do encourage them to eat a reasonable amount if I suspect they are just trying to rush away from the table. They eat a very varied diet and are the right height and weight.

I always thought children were quite good at self-regulating and responding to what their bodies tell them, or is that not the case?

Yes you are right, babies and children are extremely good at self-regulating and will even themselves out eventually through the day or over a week, it’s just such a tricky concept to comprehend and trust when as a parent you might be stuck in a cycle of food being refused or rejected.
I always suggest that my clients look at their child’s food intake over a week and not a day.
Some children however will struggle to self-regulate after they have been ill as the appetite can get suppressed and getting it going again can be a slow process. Other children might struggle if there is an underlying health problem such as reflux which causes great discomfort and can cause negative associations with feeding.
But it sounds like you have very healthy children who eat a balanced diet – and yes who are like most children - desperate to play rather than eat!

@StillNoFuckingEyeDeer

My almost 3y old DD1 loves fruit - bananas, apple, grapes, tomato, blueberries, mango, but won't eat vegetables (apart from mushrooms, peas & sweetcorn). Does it really matter if she's eating 5 portions of fruit a day?

@StillNoFuckingEyeDeer

My almost 3y old DD1 loves fruit - bananas, apple, grapes, tomato, blueberries, mango, but won't eat vegetables (apart from mushrooms, peas & sweetcorn). Does it really matter if she's eating 5 portions of fruit a day?

Wow a 3 year old who likes mushrooms – that’s fantastic! It sounds like your daughter enjoys a wide variety of fruit and having three vegetables in her diet she enjoys eating is great, especially considering many parents I know would love it if their child ate one! Yes you are right five a day is important and usually I would recommend three portions of vegetables and two of fruit, but if the balance is in favour of fruit then it is really not something to get too worried about. Perhaps making sure there is a serving of one of the preferred vegetables at lunch and dinner.

Fruit is a fantastic healthy snack – if you are worried about the sugar levels naturally found in fruit you can always offer a slice of cheese or some nut butter on a cracker alongside the fruit as the protein helps to slow down the release of the sugar.

Have you thought about introducing a food like avocado – that can be presented to your daughter as a fruit?

Also remember that a serving of baked beans, hommous, tomato pasta sauce, some vegetable soup, all count as a serving of vegetables too incase she eats any of these?

@kerryv

Do you have any ideas for kids who say "I don't like that!" Before they have even tried it. My cooking really isn't that bad.

What a familiar phrase! And yes I am sure you’re cooking is delicious.

Having spent the last 10years working with children who, on seeing me unpack my bag of goodies immediately respond with the well-rehearsed phrase of “I don’t like that” I always respond with “That’s okay because we’re only going to explore it!”

It’s definitely worth involving your children in the preparation process of a new meal and let them see the ingredients and explore them together. Often children respond with that well coined phrase when they are nervous or worried about something they have not eaten before. So preparation is definitely the key and so they don’t end up with something unexpected on their plate, and you don’t feel frustrated that they have snubbed your efforts before they have even tried it. If involving them is too tricky or time consuming then use the exploring phrase at the mealtime.

For example let’s pretend you made satay chicken and noodles with toasted sesame green beans. You could say to them in response “Okay it’s just because you haven’t seen it before so let’s explore it together”

Start with smelling the food (have some on your plate and sit with them) ask them to smell the sauce and guess what’s in it? Can they dip their baby finger in it and paint a small tiny spot on their tongue? If they brush their teeth with the green beans can they feel the sesame seeds on their tongue? Explore the noodles and lick them – are they soft or hard? Sweet or salty? If you do a tiny nibble on one is it just like the spaghetti they had yesterday?

Using phrases such as “It’s like…” helps children to relax about something new they are tasting and relating it to something they already like helps to make it familiar.

@AngelDog

How common do you think it is for children to be fussy eaters due to underlying medical / biochemical problems?

Both my boys have been fruit/vegetable refusers and have reacted to lots of different foods (not ones they're allergic to, though DS1 has lots of food allergies). It appears to be caused by underlying biochemical problems (nutritional deficiencies); addressing those deficiencies has got them eating vegetables again without the reactions they previously had.

“Biochemical problems” is very broad, but if you’re talking about micronutrient deficiencies, something like iron deficiency can certainly be linked to poor appetite in children - however I wouldn't necessarily say this would be linked to specific foods.

I see a feeding problem as a mixture of physical, psychological and social, with some also having an underlying medical aspect to them too and it is very hard sometimes to see which predominates, and how to pick it apart. Therefore statistically the number of feeding problems in children cannot be clearly divided into
causes.

I am glad the problems your sons have experienced have been sorted out,
presumably by a dietitian or someone who has diagnosed nutritional
deficiencies.