Is it normal…..

for my child to refuse food?

It’s frustrating when you try to serve new foods, or worse, when you serve something your child has eaten before like their beloved chicken nuggets or jam sandwich and they refuse to eat. Most children will do this occasionally, but some children will refuse to eat on a regular basis and this can become a very stressful situation. The first thing we need to establish is what the reason might be……..

 Medical Issues

Although this may seem like the most obvious reason children don’t eat, it is often the most overlooked, or isn’t explored thoroughly. When children have a well documented medical condition or are visibly sick, it is obvious that their eating is affected. But, sometimes there are more subtle signs that are incredibly easy to miss. Two of the biggest culprits are silent acid reflux and constipation. Both of these very common problems for children and can put a halt to eating. If you suspect there is a medical reason it always best to seek advice from your GP.

 Sensory Processing

 For many picky eaters, sensory processing plays a big role in their refusal to eat foods. Simply put, if something feels odd in their mouth or on their hands, they aren’t going to eat it. Clues that your child may be refusing foods because of sensory input are: gagging, squirming, or seeming frightened by the sight, smell, touch, or taste of a particular food.

 Routine and the Typical Picky Eating Phase

 Structure and routine around food and meal time is critical to children eating well, because for some children with average picky eating, changes to the meal time routine can help your child reduce “junk food”, come to the dinner table easily, and eat more of what we often consider “healthy” meals. With parents just wanting their children to eat anything or at least some healthy snacks, short order cooking is ushered in, among numerous and otherwise well-meaning, but sabotaging techniques, and parents are left with a picky eater months or years later. Although the intention was in the right place, the lack of routine can lead to long term eating refusal and difficulties.

 It is very important to remain consistent with your child, offer new foods even if you think your child is not going to like them. Make meal times an important part of your daily routine where your child can imitate behaviours from parents and older siblings. Involving your child in cooking with you is an excellent tool to make them enthusiastic about the food they are eating, little tries of things you are making in the kitchen may seem a lot less pressurised environment for your child. You can even involve them in meal planning and shopping so they feel they have made choices in the meals they are going to eat.

At First Steps Nursery, we serve delicious wholesome food for the children to try and we encourage them to try a little of everything. As they are eating with their peers, this can often encourage even the pickiest of eaters to try a little of the food. Our meals are served at regular times, with a routine worked around mealtimes, so that the children soon get to know the Nursery routine and what is expected of them. From an early age, they sit around the table, only leaving when everyone has finished eating and the mealtime is a social event. The older children in the Nursery get involved with setting the table, serving up the food and even tidying away afterwards!