My child is a fussy eater: Tips from healthy food expert Lucy Thomas and Organix

When you’re busy it can be difficult to find the time to buy, cook and enjoy good food together, and just as hard to come up with meal ideas to help the family eat a wide range of foods.

It can seem even harder when you have a fussy little eater, and your toddler’s growing independence means they want to take matters into their own hands when it comes to food!

You’re not alone, according to a survey from baby and toddler food brand Organix, nearly half (46%) of mums say their toddler is a fussy eater, and 88% say mealtimes are more challenging when toddlers develop their own opinion of what they like and don’t like to eat.

As healthy food habits start to develop during the toddler years, it’s a key time to influence their future relationship with food. Yet while you know a taste for good food and healthy eating starts with a varied and balanced diet, with lots of tasty fruit and vegetables, the frustration is often how to get your child to actually eat them!

My Kent Family blogger Charlie O’Brien and Kent mum Ciara Attwell both have young children and struggle to encourage them to eat a range of foods. Earlier this year they became ambassadors for the Organix No Junk Journey, in a bid to help their families enjoy good food and avoid the junk.

They were both hoping for a little help tackling fussy eating, and some simple practical tips they could easily put into practice at home. For expert advice they turned to children’s food expert Lucy Thomas, who works with Organix running Taste for Life workshops that help inspire children to explore foods they may not have tried or enjoyed before.

Lucy says, “It can be challenging for parents to get their little ones to eat fruit and veg, but toddlers are naturally curious about the world around them so helping them learn about the colours, the funny shapes, smells and textures of a variety of fruit and vegetables in a fun environment and away from mealtimes can really help get them excited about food.

“As parents we tend to think about food as just eating but we forget the simple pleasure that children can get from peeling their own banana, enjoying how it feels to pull down each piece of skin.”

Below, Charlie and Ciara share their experiences and how a session with Lucy helped them explore, enjoy and share the wonderful world of fruit and veggies with their little ones.

Charlie, mum to Noah

I think it’s fair to say I’ve found the time from Noah being six months old harder than when it was just breastfeeding.

He was one a few months ago and there are so many things to take into consideration – what if he utterly refuses to eat (which has happened a few times!), how much should he be eating? Is the food I’m giving him healthy enough? Will he grow up with a good attitude towards food?

We try our hardest to make sure we only offer Noah fresh, home cooked food – but it’s not always easy. He’s a fussy eater at the moment and can suddenly reject everything healthy!

Sometimes he only really trusts beige foods and nothing else! He eats broccoli and bananas, that’s literally it, and whilst he loves fruit puree he doesn’t like actual fruit.

Lunch and dinner seem to be the biggest struggle, breakfast he loves, probably because it’s the same every day, nothing new or different!

Lucy explained that toddlers can struggle with the sensory aspect of new foods and textures. She suggested simple activities for Noah, like touching a strawberry or piece of courgette, to engage him with new foods - which can also be a fun distraction that will help reduce his anxiety of new textures.

It sounds simple, if he touches the strawberry with his hands, it helps build his confidence, then he’ll handle them for longer and maybe smell or kiss them – it’s all one step closer to putting it in his mouth!

'I’ve taken away so many ideas - but more importantly, it’s increased my confidence'

She showed us some easy and fun exercises to get toddlers used to foods they dislike or refuse. She played a game with Noah putting slices of raw courgette on his legs and encouraging him to put them in a bowl.

After two minutes of doing this she even managed to get him to lick it! I’ve taken away so many ideas - but more importantly, it’s increased my confidence.

It was also reassuring to chat about how issues are not always related to fussiness and that there can be other contributing factors, like tiredness, appetite, my own expectations, and teething – Noah iscutting a few more teeth at the moment!

I learnt so much Lucy really reassured me about my fussy toddler Noah that I could have kissed her!

Ciara, mum to Aoife and Finn

I was sick of listening to my iron-willed five year old daughter moan “but I don’t like that” and feeling guilty for giving in and making her tomato pasta for the umpteenth time.

As with most parents, learning how to feed my children was a bit of a struggle. I made many mistakes along the way with my first child (always the guinea pig!), hence her becoming My Fussy Eater - the name of my blog.

I resolved to cure her of her fussy eating ways, and get the entire family, including my little boy Finn, eating more fresh and nutritious food and bringing the fun back to meal times. With fussy eating toddlers to feed, along with myself and my husband, meals can often feel like a chore, so I was happy to tackle fussy eating one meal at a time!

And with raspberries and leafy greens Finn’s least favourite fruit and veg, I really wanted some help with the green veg struggle!

Sitting together in a circle Lucy had us – mums, dads and children – doing some simple exploring and food handling with raw vegetables and songs.

We did raw courgette crunching, lettuce licking and to help the children explore raspberries Lucy sang a song about raspberries growing on a bush – she encouraged Finn (with my help – he’s only two!) to draw round his hand on a paper plate and place raspberries on the top of each finger on the plate.

'She made a simple three minute spinach sauce for the children to taste and have on pasta for lunch – also eaten by Finn, amazing!'

Lucy also covered green veg in cooked foods – there was a delicious soup made from potato, leek, lettuce, onion and garlic. She used her Soup Song”to get Finn to explore the green lettuce soup using Organix Goodies breadsticks to stir and dip!

To finish she made a simple three minute spinach sauce for the children to taste and have on pasta for lunch – also eaten by Finn, amazing!

My favourite piece of advice from Lucy was to introduce new foods away from mealtimes and in a different situation. This tip was really helpful as we always wait until the children are hungry to try to get them to eat certain foods. I

nstead Lucy recommended getting them to explore new foods in the garden or even in the bath. By encouraging them to play with their food, smell it and feel the texture, they will slowly become more familiar with it and even be tempted to taste it. I thought this was a wonderful idea and will definitely be trying it with my two fussy eaters!

Putting the fun into food: Lucy's top five tips

1. Encourage a wider interest in food, without asking your toddler to eat or taste anything. Get them to smell, kiss, lick or crunch a strawberry or a floret of broccoli.

2. Give lots of opportunities to touch and handle fresh fruit and vegetables - out shopping, at home cooking or even growing food. It will help them be more relaxed and interested in food.

3. Get a little messy - let your little one squash a tomato or squeeze an orange while you are cooking. If they feel comfortable handling a food they are more likely to want to eat it.

4. Let your child explore different textures of food by juicing, blending, grating or mashing foods with your help.

5. Explore vegetables raw as well as cooked as trying it in a different way, is a great way to overcome a dislike.

For lots more advice around tackling your toddler’s fussy phases and tips on exploring good food together download a free copy of the Little Book of Good Food – Toddlers & Families at www.organix.com/lovegoodfood or follow #NoJunkJourney

Click here to read Charlie O'Brien's latest My Kent Family blog