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Tips if your toddler is a fussy eater

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Behaviour Food & Eating Mealtimes and fussy eating

Once your baby becomes a toddler and starts eating meals and snacks like the rest of the family, dinnertime can sometimes become a bit of a battle. What do you do when they turn their nose up at everything you put in front of them? It might help to try following the tips and tricks of other parents and professionals who have come before you.

Top tips for tempting fussy eaters

What the parents say

More top tips from parents

"Try offering children a range of food from a very young age and to not force them to eat something they don’t like."

-    Sabina, mum from Edinburgh


"Keep putting things on your kids’ plates even if they don’t like it so they can get used to it and eventually they’ll be more likely to pick it up."

-    Judith, mum from Edinburgh


"My daughter will not eat certain vegetables when they are on her plate so I will blend them into things like homemade soup and casseroles and even though she’s not sure about them on their own, she enjoys eating them in these sorts of dishes."

-    Gillian, mum 


“If they won’t eat a veg at mealtimes try and compromise by offering a piece of fruit for dessert."

-    Lorna, mum from Paisley


“I like making funny faces with different foods on the plate to encourage them to try something different.”

-    Catriona, mum from Argyll & Bute


“I've found that the old adage of repetition was really helpful in getting my kids to not be fussy. Whilst I had them eating all sorts off my plate when very tiny, once they hit about age 2 they each refused all but the most basic things. I continued to present the same foods, speckled through the overall menu plan in many different ways over a long time frame and asking that they try them each time. The older ones are now very adventurous with food. The little one is still a work in progress but showing huge improvements.”

-    Victoria, mum from East Lothian

What the professionals say

“We all have days when we don’t fancy what’s on our plate, and toddlers are no different. Sit down with them, offer small amounts of food, and if they use their fingers and get a bit messy, don’t panic. Remember, fingers were invented before knives and forks! Your toddler will have their moments, but most tots grow well – even those who don’t seem to eat everything. Don’t forget you can always ask for help from your health visitor.”

-    Margaret Duncan, Sure Start Health Visitor, Dundee

What should I do if I’m worried?

It can be frustrating if your toddler refuses most of the food you put in front of them, and you may start worrying that they’re not getting enough to eat. But it’s important to remember that fussy eating is a really normal part of growing up for toddlers – lots of toddlers are reluctant to try new foods, or will suddenly reject things they’ve been eating perfectly happily before.

Try not to worry about how much they eat in a day – instead try to think about what they eat over a week, and you may well find it’s more than you think. You could even try keeping a food diary, to keep track of what you’ve offered them and what they’ve eaten.

But if you’ve tried every trick in the book and you still don’t feel that your toddler is eating enough, or you’re worried that they’re not getting enough variety in their diet, remember you can always talk to your health visitor or GP. Your food diary will be useful here as it’ll give health visitor or GP a good insight into how much your wee one is eating.

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Last updated: 9 Oct, 2023