About fussy and restrictive eating
Food refusal is a normal, although difficult phase, that many children pass through. However for some children it may take months or years, rather than weeks to resolve.
Patient information
Under 5 years of age
Under 5 years of age
Infants learn to like foods that they are given in the first year of life. They learn to accept different tastes and they learn to cope with different textures. As they move into their second year, however, all children start to show a fear of trying new foods. This fear is a normal part of development.
Fear of new foods in the second year may be a survival mechanism to prevent increasingly mobile children from poisoning themselves through eating anything and everything.
Some children find it very difficult to move through this stage. They are very worried about trying new foods and may begin to reject many of the foods that they used to accept.
These children may also find it difficult getting used to different tastes, smells and food textures. They have an inborn reluctance to move on to taking new foods. They feel safer just eating the few foods that they are used to.
This phase will normally pass without any problems but may be more evident in some children than in others.
Children often need to taste a new food, many times before they can learn to like it, so it is important to always continue to offer the previously rejected food the next time you are eating it as a family.
Young children will generally refuse extra food when they have eaten enough. Your child may eat less food than other children of the same age. If your child is growing and developing normally then they are taking the right quantity of food for their own needs.
Remember that the quantity of food that children eat may vary from day-to-day. Some parents get anxious about this and children then tend to react to parental anxiety by reducing intake.
For most children, faddy eating is simply a phase that they eventually pass through. Very occasionally, faddy eating is linked to medical problems or a memory associated with discomfort on eating. Your GP may be able to assess this and can refer your child to a paediatrician or a speech and language therapist for oral-motor dysfunction, if necessary.
Most extremely faddy eaters have nothing medically wrong with them. Such children quite often get much worse at around 18 months, although they may have had problems with lumpy foods when these were first introduced.
These children usually dislike getting their hands and face dirty, and are often sensitive to sound, touch or smells. Children generally grow out of this and start to improve their eating at around five years of age.
It is especially important that these children are not forced to eat food that they dislike as this may cause them to vomit and this may eventually affect their growth.
Children may also lose their appetite if they are:
- full from too many drinks, especially if given just before a meal or snack
- tired
- not feeling well
- shouted at
- pressured to eat more food when they have had enough
- pressured to eat food they dislike
- frequently offered foods that they dislike or find disgusting
- continually offered food and drinks throughout the day (grazing)
- rushed at mealtimes
- feeling sad, lonely, anxious or insecure
- constipated
- anaemic (low iron levels)
Messy play is a good way to help desensitize your child’s hands and encourage them to tolerate different textures. Children need to touch food before they will be willing to put it in their mouth. Try using very positive language such as ‘when you do’, and ‘then you will be able to’ rather than saying ‘if you don’t do’ and ‘then you won’t be able to’.
How to manage your child’s eating
| Do | Reason |
| Give your child up to a maximum of 1 pint of milk (or equivalent) per day. For example, the following are the equivalent of 1 third (1/3) of a pint of milk; one adult sized (or 2 small) yoghurt pots or 1oz (30g) hard cheese | This will help to meet your child’s calcium requirements as well as provide other key nutrients. However, milk is very filling and may reduce your child’s appetite for solid food. All drinks should be given in an open or non-valved cup. Aim to stop baby bottles around 12 months of age. |
| Eat with your child as often as possible and have family meals as much as possible. | Children learn by copying their parents and other children. |
| Develop a daily routine of three meals and two to three snacks around your child’s sleeping pattern and be consistent with your management of their eating. | Children don’t eat well if they become over hungry or very tired; they also become confused if their eating is managed differently by multiple childcare providers. |
| Offer two courses at meals: one savoury course followed by a sweet course. | This gives two opportunities for your child to take in the calories and nutrients needed and offers a wider variety of foods. It also makes the meal more interesting. |
| Encourage your child to eat fortified breakfast cereal at least once every day. This may be at breakfast time or as a snack before bed. Try to choose a cereal which is fortified with 8mg iron per 100g cereal. | Fortified breakfast cereal contains additional vitamins and minerals, often including iron, which will help improve the overall nutritional intake of your child’s diet. |
| Praise children when they eat well. | Children respond positively to praise. |
| Make positive comments about the food. | Parents and carers are strong role models. If you make positive comments about foods, your child will be more willing to try them. |
| Arrange for children to eat with other children as often as possible. | Some children eat better when they are with their own age group. |
| Give age appropriate portions. If these are finished, praise your child and offer more. See link below to Caroline Walker Trust, who have produced a simple guide to different meals, snacks and drinks that provide the nutrients that children require. | Children of all ages can be overwhelmed by large portions. For example, do not fill your child’s plate completely with meat and potato if they do not eat any vegetables as they will not have any appetite to try new food. |
| Do | Reason |
| Offer finger foods as often as possible. | Children enjoy having the control of feeding themselves with finger foods. |
| Eat in a calm, relaxed environment without distractions such as TV, games and toys. | Children concentrate on one thing at a time. Distractions make it more difficult to concentrate on eating. |
| Finish the meal within about 20 to 30 minutes and accept that after this time, your child is not going to eat any more. | Carrying the meal on for too long is unlikely to result in your child eating much more. It is better to wait for the next snack or meal. |
| Put a ‘pea-sized’ amount of the new food on your child’s plate. Then gently encourage them to touch it or pick it up before (eventually) putting it into their mouth. It may take a few ‘exposures’ to the new food before your child will touch or pick up or taste the new food. Non-food rewards often help. The reward generally needs to be immediate as young children do not understand time very well. | Children are more likely to be able to cope with a tiny amount of a new food rather than being faced with a whole portion. As their confidence grows, you can gradually increase the portion size. Continue to always give lots of praise and positive encouragement. |
What to do when your child shows extreme food refusal
If your child is a faddy eater you will be aware of how easily mealtimes can turn into a nightmare of refused food, tantrums and frustration (for everyone).
Learning to eat is like any other learning process – it takes time. As parents there are a number of things you can do to help to ensure that you and your child are able to enjoy food together.
| Do | Reason |
| Give small frequent meals of foods that your child accepts. | Some children become very anxious at mealtimes and are sometimes very slow eaters. Small frequent meals will help them to take in the calories that they need. |
| Remember, even children who are extremely faddy eaters usually grow and develop normally, if they are given the foods that they will accept. | It is important to keep your child growing well, and these extreme ‘food refusers’ do grow as we would expect them to if they have enough of the food that they will eat. |
| Encourage your child to experience different textures through ‘messy’ play every day. Your child may find some textures (like Playdoh) very difficult, so start with textures that they are happy to touch. This may need to be drier consistencies initially such as puffed rice or pasta. Gradually progress to more messy or wet substances allowing them to gain confidence. Have plenty of fun and get messy. If you don’t like touching certain textures yourself, or don’t feel comfortable allowing your child to make a mess, then why not take them to a playgroup in your area. | Many children who are extreme food refusers are very sensitive to touch on the hands and mouth, and so will not even pick up new foods. Messy play helps them to get used to new textures. |
How to broaden your child’s food experience
Some children simply haven’t had enough experience with solid textured foods in their first year. They may only eat pureed food or ‘easy’ bite and dissolve foods like Skips or Quavers. This is because they have not learnt to move food around in their mouth, and they are frightened by food that needs to be chewed.
Some children are wary of putting anything with a different texture into their mouth.
There are a number of things that you can do to broaden your child’s experience of food textures.
| Do | Reason |
| For babies or very young children, continue to give the pureed or soft food that your child likes. | This will ensure that your child takes the calories needed for growth. |
| Then, gradually introduce more ‘experiences’ of slightly more solid foods. Children only need small amounts of these foods so that they can learn how the food feels in their mouth, and how to move the food around in their mouth. | This will enable your child to learn the chewing skills needed for more solid textured foods. |
| Start by introducing bite and dissolve foods. As your child begins to accept some bite and dissolve foods, replace one of the spoon-fed pureed meals with bite and dissolve foods. | These are foods that quickly dissolve in your mouth if you hold them there; like Quavers, Skips, Wotsits, meringue, and wafer biscuits. |
| Gradually increase the firmness of the foods offered as your child becomes more used to them. Remember that your child will still need some soft textured foods, such as yogurts or fromage frais. | This will give your child confidence about having lumps in the mouth; these foods quickly become soft and they are less likely to cause a choke and gag reaction. |
You need to balance your child’s calorie needs with their need to learn new chewing skills. This is to make sure that your child continues to take enough calories to grow.
If the problem persists see your GP or health visitor who may refer your child to a specialist speech and language therapist for help with the transition to firmer textured food or a community paediatrician who may be able to identify the cause of your child’s inability to cope with firmer textured food.
It can be extremely worrying if your child constantly refuses to eat anything but a small number of different foods. At this stage, calorie intake is more important than a varied diet. However, there are a number of ways you can improve your child’s diet.
| Don’t | Reason |
| Give very difficult solid foods at this stage. Avoid foods like meat, bread and uncooked apple. | Your child may not be able to cope with these textures. They may feel that they are choking when they try to swallow these foods, and be fearful of trying more difficult textures in the future. |
| Worry about dietary balance at this stage. | It is more important at this stage to make sure that your child has enough calories to grow well. Dietary balance can come later. |
| Refuse to give high-energy foods, like ice cream, cakes, biscuits and chocolate, in the hope that your child will eat ‘proper’ meals and ‘healthy’ foods. | This is not a good way to get your child to eat new foods, and your child might lose weight if you withhold all their ‘safe’ foods. |
| Try to force your child to eat food. | This will make your child even more anxious at mealtimes, and may cause your child to vomit the food back up. |
| Leave long gaps between meals to try to make your child hungrier. | This will make your child less hungry over time, and may lead to weight loss. |
| Hide new foods inside foods that your child already likes. Your child may just stop eating the liked foods. | Some children can very easily detect new tastes and smells, even when hidden in other foods. |
For further advice on managing your child’s fussy eating, please visit the following web page:
Over 5 years of age
Over 5 years of age
While this phase will normally pass without any problems, it may be more evident in some children than in others. This will also become more evident as your child gets older and refuses to eat a wider variety of food than their friends.
Older children who refuse new foods have generally been fussy toddlers.
They tend to have become very familiar with frequently given foods and it may be difficult to encourage them to eat a greater variety of food. They may not like to deviate from their ‘safe foods’.
The quantity of food that children eat generally varies from day-to-day. Some parents get anxious about this and children then tend to react to parental anxiety by further reducing their intake.
Older children may also be very anxious about trying new foods.
It is important to recognize that children may lose their appetite if they are:
- full from too many drinks, especially if given just before a meal or snack
- tired
- not feeling well
- shouted at
- pressured to eat more food when they have had enough
- pressured to eat food they dislike
- frequently offered foods that they dislike or find disgusting
- continually offered food and drinks throughout the day (grazing)
- rushed at mealtimes
- feeling sad, lonely, anxious or insecure
- constipated
- anaemic (low iron levels)
Very occasionally, faddy eating is linked to medical problems or a memory associated with discomfort on eating. Your GP may be able to assess this and can refer your child to a paediatrician or a speech and language therapist for oral-motor dysfunction, if necessary.
Most extremely faddy eaters have nothing medically wrong with them. Often fussy feeders had problems with lumpy foods when these were first introduced. These children often dislike getting their hands and face dirty, and are often sensitive to sound, touch or smells.
Cooking and baking are good ways to help desensitize your child’s hands and encourage them to tolerate different textures. Children need to touch and smell food before they will be willing to put it in their mouth. Try baking bread or scones with your child, encouraging them to put their hands into ‘messy or sticky’ dough. Always use positive language such as ‘isn’t this fun’ or ‘won’t this taste yummy’.
How to manage your child’s eating
| Do | Reason |
| Give your child up to a maximum of 1 pint of milk (or equivalent) per day. For example, the following are the equivalent of 1 third (1/3) of a pint of milk; one adult sized (or 2 small) yoghurt pots or 1oz (30g) hard cheese. | This will help to meet your child’s calcium requirements as well as provide other key nutrients. However, milk is very filling and may reduce your child’s appetite for solid food. All drinks should be given in an open or non-valved cup. |
| Eat with your child as often as possible and have family meals as much as possible.
Develop a daily routine of three meals and two or three snacks. Offer two courses at meals: one savoury course followed by a sweet course. |
Children learn by copying their parents and other children. Children don’t eat well if they become over hungry or very tired. It also gives your child different opportunities to eat.This gives two opportunities for your child to take in the calories and nutrients needed and offers a wider variety of foods. It also makes the meal more interesting. |
| Encourage your child to eat fortified breakfast cereal at least once every day. This may be at breakfast time or as a snack before bed. Try to choose a cereal which is fortified with 8mg iron per 100g cereal. | Fortified breakfast cereal contains additional vitamins and minerals, often including iron, which will help improve the overall nutritional intake of your child’s diet. |
| Praise children when they eat well. | Children respond positively to praise. |
| Make positive comments about the food. | Parents and carers are strong role models. If you make positive comments about foods, your child will be more willing to try them. |
| Do | Reason |
| Arrange for your child to eat with other children as often as possible and encourage school dinners, even if it is only once a week. | Some children eat better when they are with their own age group. |
| Give age appropriate portions. If these are finished, praise your child and offer more. Visit Caroline Walker Trust, who have produced a simple guide to different meals, snacks and drinks that provide the nutrients that children require. | Children of all ages can be overwhelmed by large portions. Do not fill your child’s plate completely with meat and potato if they do not eat any vegetables as they will not have any appetite to try new food. |
| Finish the meal within about 20-30 minutes and accept that after this your child is not going to eat any more. | Carrying the meal on for too long is unlikely to result in your child eating much more. It is better to wait for the next snack or meal. |
| Learn to recognise the signs that your child has had enough and remove the uneaten food without comment. | Children are saying they have had enough food when they:
|
| Encourage your child to try a new food by putting a ‘pea-sized’ amount of the new food on your child’s plate. Then gently encourage them to touch it or pick it up before (eventually) putting it into their mouth. It may take a few or many ‘exposures’ to the new food before your child will touch or pick up or taste the new food. Non-food rewards often help such as negotiated time on a computer game. | Children are more likely to be able to cope with a tiny amount of a new food rather than being faced with a whole portion. As their confidence grows, you can gradually increase the portion size. Continue to always give lots of praise and positive encouragement. |
| Eat in a calm, relaxed environment without distractions such as TV, games and toys. | Children concentrate on one thing at a time. Distractions can make it more difficult to concentrate on eating. |
| If your child is unable to tolerate a new food on their own plate, try a separate ‘taste plate’, which sits beside their main meal.Encourage your child to choose which new food they would like to try and record this in a note book. | This will encourage your child to get used to seeing different foods without too much pressure on eating the new food.Your child will be able to see how much progress they have made and this will encourage and motivate them. |
What to do when your child shows extreme food refusal
If your child is a faddy eater you will be aware of how easily mealtimes can turn into a nightmare of refused food, tantrums and frustration (for everyone). Learning to eat is like any other learning process, it takes time. As parents there are a number of things you can do to help to ensure that you and your child are able to enjoy food together.
| Do | Reason |
| Remember, even children who are extremely faddy eaters usually grow and develop normally, if they are given the foods that they will accept. | It is important to keep your child growing well. It is reassuring to know that even extreme ‘food refusers’ do grow as we would expect them to if they have enough of the food that they will eat. |
| Where possible, give small frequent meals of foods that your child accepts. | Some children become very anxious at mealtimes and are sometimes very slow eaters. Small frequent meals will help them to take in the calories that they need. |
| Encourage your child to experience different textures through ‘messy play’, baking and cooking most days. Your child may find some textures (like dough) very difficult, so start with textures that they are happy to touch. This may need to be drier consistencies initially such as puffed rice or pasta. Gradually progress to more messy or wet substances, allowing them to gain confidence. | Many children who are extreme food refusers are very sensitive to touch on the hands and mouth, and so will not even pick up new foods. Messy play helps them to get used to new textures in a non-threatening environment. |
Some children feel safer just eating the same, few foods that they are used to (safe foods). It can be extremely worrying if your child constantly refuses to eat anything but a small number of different foods. Calorie intake is just as important as a varied diet.
Ways you can improve your child’s diet
| Don’t | Reason |
| Refuse to give high-energy foods, like ice cream, cakes, biscuits and chocolate, in the hope that your child will eat ‘proper’ meals and ‘healthy’ foods.
Try to force your child to eat food. |
This is not a good way to get your child to eat new foods, and your child might lose weight if you withhold all their ‘safe’ foods.
This will make your child even more anxious at mealtimes and may cause your child to vomit the food back up. |
| Leave long gaps between meals to try to make your child hungrier.
Hide new foods inside foods that your child already likes. Your child may just stop eating the liked foods. |
This will make your child less hungry over time, and may lead to weight loss.
Some children can very easily detect new tastes and smells, even when hidden in other foods. |
Fortified foods
Fortified foods
The below factsheet contains some examples of common foods, available in your local supermarkets, which are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals. Some of these foods may be similar to the foods your child currently accepts. If so, we recommend trying to encourage your child to take a fortified alternative, to ensure they are receiving an adequate micronutrient intake.
For further advice on how to introduce new foods, similar to your child’s current accepted foods, please visit: Advice on food chaining
There will likely be more foods available with added vitamins and minerals, including some supermarket own brands, that have not been included in this resource. The examples used in this resource offer suggestions of some suitable products. Please check the labels of the foods your child eats, as they may already be fortified with additional nutrients.
For more information regarding specific nutrients, please see: BDA: Nutrients food fact
Cereals
| Product | Flavour or brand | Additional nutrients |
| Shreddies | Nestle (Including Shreddies Original, Shreddies Coco and Shreddies Frosted) |
|
| Cookie crisp | Nestle |
Vitamin B6 |
| Golden Nuggets | Nestle |
|
| Cheerios | Nestle (including Cheerios Multigrain and Cheerios Honey) |
|
| Coco Pops | Kellogg’s (Including Coco Pops original and Coco Pops Rocks) |
|
| Rice Krispies | Kellogg’s |
|
| Weetabix | Weetabix Original, Weetabix Chocolate and Weetabix Crispy minis chocolate chip |
|
| Cornflakes | Kellogg’s (Including Cornflakes original and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes) |
|
Breads
By law, any wheat flour that is milled in the UK has to have calcium, iron, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B3 added in. Therefore, any bread/ bread product (for example, crumpets, bread buns/baps), made with UK milled flour, will contain a level of calcium, iron, thiamine and niacin.
Furthermore, any seeded breads, particularly those containing linseeds and (or) flaxseeds, will also be a small source of omega-3 (typically found in fish).
The below table will cover additional products:
| Product | Flavour and brand | Additional nutrients |
| 50/50 Vitamin Boost | Kingsmill |
|
Milk
| Product | Flavour and brand | Additional nutrients |
| Big milk (cow’s milk) | Arla |
|
| Soya Growing Up drink | Alpro |
|
| Oat Growing Up Drink | Alpro |
|
Yogurts
| Product | Flavour and brand | Additional nutrients |
| Yogurt drink | Actimel Kids (Strawberry banana plus peach flavours) |
|
| Fromage Frais | Petits Filous (Including strawberry, raspberry and apricot flavours) | Calcium
|
| Fromage Frais | Yoplait (Wildlife range, strawberry & peach plus strawberry, raspberry and apricot choobs) |
|
| Munch Bunch | Nestle |
|
| Frubes | Yoplait |
|
| Fromage Frais: Almond-based | Petits Filous (Including raspberry) |
|
| Soya yogurt, 125g individual pots | Alpro (cherry, blueberry, raspberry-cranberry and blackberry flavours) |
|
| Soya yogurt, no bits, 125g individual pots | Alpro (strawberry banana plus peach-pear flavours) |
|
| Yogurt drink, milk-free | Actimel (mango and passionfruit flavour) |
|
| Coconut yogurt, 125g individual pots | KOKO (peach and passionfruit flavour) |
|
Multivitamin factsheet
Multivitamin factsheet
Babies and young children
It is recommended that all children aged 6 months to 5 years are given a daily multivitamin, containing at least vitamins A, C and D. This is especially important if your child is a fussy or restrictive eater, as they may not be getting sufficient micronutrients from their diet alone (vitamin D, for example, can be very difficult to get from food).
Babies who are having more than 500ml of infant formula a day should not be given vitamin supplements, as their formula milk will contain added vitamins and minerals. Babies who are being breastfed should be given a daily vitamin D supplement from birth
Below is a table covering suitable multivitamins for babies and young children, up to 5 years old:
| Multivitamin | Format | Nutritional information |
| Abidec Children under 1 year: One 0.3ml dose taken daily. Maximum daily dose is 0.3ml. Children aged 1 to 12 years: One 0.6ml dose taken daily. Maximum daily dose is 0.6ml Allergens: Contains peanut oil |
Liquid or drops | Per 0.6ml
|
| Abidec advanced multivitamin syrup plus omega 6 and 9Suitable for children aged 1 to 5 years.
Children 1 to 5 years: 2 teaspoons (10ml) a day. |
Syrup | Per 10ml
|
| DalivitInfants from 6 weeks to one year: 0.3 ml daily (7 drops).
Older children, adults and elderly: 0.6 ml daily (14 drops) or as directed by the physician. Free from peanut oil and soya |
Liquid or drops | Per 0.6 ml
|
| Natures aid: Mini drops multivitamin Suitable for infants and children aged 3 months to 5 years old. Dosage: 1ml per day |
Drops | Per 1ml
|
| WellBaby liquid Babies (from 3 to 6 months): 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) daily. Infants (7 months to 5 years): 5ml (1 teaspoon) daily. Allergens: Barley |
Liquid | Average per 5ml
|
| WellBaby multivitamin drops Suitable for babies aged 4 to 12 months Babies (from 4 to 12 months): 0.5 ml twice daily Allergens: Barley |
Drops | Average per 1ml
|
Children and teenagers
Even as children get older, they may still require an additional vitamin supplementation for their diet. Fussy eaters may start avoiding foods containing calcium, iron and vitamin D, for example.
Below is a table covering suitable multivitamins for children, ranging from 3 to 18 years old:
| Multivitamin | Format | Nutritional information |
| BetterYou: Children’s health oral spray Use 2 to 4 sprays a day, taken together or separately 1 to 3 years old: 2 sprays 4 to 8 years: 3 sprays 9 to 13 years upwards: 4 sprays |
Mouth Spray | per 4 sprays
|
| Boots kids daily health multivitamins plus omega 3 Suitable for children aged 3 years and above: One gummy daily |
Gummy | per Daily Dose
|
| Boots kids daily health multivitamins Suitable for children aged 3 years and above: One gummy daily. |
Gummy | per Daily Dose
|
| Boots kids daily health multivitamins Suitable for children aged 6 months+ For children from 6 months old: Take one 5ml spoonful daily. |
Liquid or syrup | per 5 ml
|
| Multivitamin | Format | Nutritional information |
| Boots kids daily health A to Z multivitamin plus minerals Suitable for children aged 3 to 12: Chew one tablet daily |
Chewable tablets | per Tablet
|
| Boots teen multivitamin plus omega 3 gummies Suitable for children aged 12 years+: Chew one gummy daily Contains soya |
Gummy | per Daily Dose
|
| Chewy vites kids multivitamin advance Suitable for children aged 3+ |
Gummy | per 1 Chew
|
| Multivitamin | Format | Nutritional information |
| Floradix Children over 12 years: 10ml twice daily Children aged 6 to 12 years: 10ml once daily Children aged 3 to 5 years: 5ml once dailyContains wheat germ extract |
Liquid | per 20ml
|
| Haliborange 3 to 12 years omega-3 and multivitamins Suitable for children aged 3 to 12 years Children over 3 years take 1 to 2 fruit softies daily. |
Gummy | per 1 Softie
|
| Haliborange multivitamin liquid Infants, 1 month to 4 months: Half a 5ml teaspoon daily. Infants, 4 months to 4 years: One 5ml teaspoon daily. Children 4 years and over: Two 5ml teaspoons daily For children under 6 months the syrup can be mixed with milk or water. |
Liquid | per 5ml
|
| Holland & Barrett teen brain health with omega Suitable only for children aged 13 years+: Take 2 capsules per day, preferably with a meal |
Softgel capsule | per serving
|
| Multivitamin | Format | Nutritional information |
| Holland & Barrett Kids multivits and iron Suitable for children aged 4 years+ Take 1 Tablet per day, preferably with a meal. |
Chewable Tablets | per Serving
|
| Holland & Barrett teen fizz Suitable only for children aged 13 years+ Take one tablet daily, dissolved in 200ml of water. |
Effervescent tablets | per Capsule
|
| Nutrigen Vitamixin sprinkles Suitable only for children aged 13 years+ One sachet daily; can be added to food after it has been cooked and is at a temperature acceptable to eat. Consume in 30 minutes. |
Dissolvable sprinkles | per Sachet:
|
| Multivitamin | Format | Nutritional information |
| Vitabiotics Wellkid multivitamin liquid Suitable for children aged 4 to 12 years 4 to 10 years: 1 teaspoonful (5ml) daily 11 to 12 years: 2 teaspoonfuls (10ml) daily |
Liquid | per 5ml
|
| Vitabiotics WellKid multivitamin smart Suitable for children aged 4 to 12 years: Chew one tablet daily |
Chewable tablets | per tablet
|
Messy play activities
Messy play activities
Let’s get messy!
Getting messy is an important part of your child’s development. Touch is the best way for kids to learn about their environment. Allow your child to explore these textures as he or she feels comfortable.
Finger paint
Items
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 0.5 cup corn starch
- 2 cups of cold water
- Food colouring
Instruction
Learning can be fun!
- Mix all ingredients and allow child to use fingers to make a picture.
Jell-O Finger Paint Jell-O mix
- Boiling water
- Add water slowly to Jell-O to make goo consistency.
- Allow child to use like finger paints.
- Make sure your child understands this is a playtime not an eating time.
Nutty butter play dough
Items
- 1 cup of peanut butter
- 1 cup of powdered milk
- 1 cup of honey
- 1 cup of oatmeal (optional)
Instruction
- Mix together and use like regular play dough.
Pud
- Mix corn starch and water together slowly at a 2:1 ratio.
- Consistency should allow a ball that melts quickly. Can add food colouring.
Clown paint
Items
- 1/8 cup baby lotion
- Teaspoon of tempera paint powder
- 1 squirt of liquid soap
Instruction
- Mix together and finger or face paint.
Soap slime
Items
- Bucket
- Soap flakes water
Instruction
- Mix together and allow to sit overnight in the bucket. Then play with the slime that formed.
Goblin Goo
Items
- 1 cup corn starch
- Cup of water
- Food colouring
Instruction
- Use your fingers or a spoon to combine them. Goo will be consistency of syrup. When you roll the mixture into a ball, it will act like a solid. When you run it through your fingers, it will act like a liquid.
Kool-Aid finger paint
Items
- 2 cups flour
- 2 packs Kool-Aid
- cup of salt
- 3 cups of boiling water
- 3 tablespoons of oil
Instruction
-
- Mix wet into dry ingredients. Then finger paint.
Oatmeal dough
Items
-
-
- 1 cup of flour
- 2 cups of oatmeal
- 1 cup of water
-
Instruction
-
-
- Gradually add water to flour and oatmeal. Use like regular play dough.
-
Simple clay
Items
-
-
- 3 cups flour
- cup of salt
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon oil
-
Instruction
-
-
- Mix flour and salt.
- Then add water and oil.
- Add more water if too stiff and more flour if too sticky.
- Can add tablespoon of alum for a preservative.
-
Silly putty
Items
-
-
- 2 parts white glue
- 1 part Sta-Flo liquid starch
-
Instruction
-
-
- Mix together well.
-
Soap crayons
Items
-
-
- 1.2 cup soap flakes
- 50 drops food colouring
- Cup of water
-
Instruction
-
-
-
-
- Place in ice cube tray and allow to harden. Then use to colour.
-
-
-
Bubbles
Items
-
-
-
-
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of light Karo syrup
- 4 tablespoons of dish washing liquid
-
-
-
Instruction
-
-
-
-
- Combine ingredients and blow bubbles using a wand or string tied in a circle.
-
-
-
Wiggly worms
Items
-
-
-
-
- Gummy worms, cut into thin, long strips
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 cup of water
- Cup of vinegar
-
-
-
Instruction
-
-
-
-
- Soak gummy worms in baking soda and water mixture for about 15 minutes.
- Take the worms out of this mix and drop them in a container of vinegar. There will be a chemical reaction that will cause the worms to wiggle.
-
-
-
Food chaining
Food chaining
A way to expand the diet of your child Food chaining is a way of taking a food which is liked and accepted by your child and slowly adding subtle variations to this food to allow your child to make the bridge to new foods.
The idea behind food chaining is that you start with a food your child already likes and accepts and look for links between this food and the new food you are going to offer. These steps need to be small and the pace of the food chain needs to be dictated by the child. There is no hiding of food, switching packets or force feeding your child, all food chains happen with your child’s knowledge and consent.
For example, if McDonald’s French fries are accepted and nothing else a food chain might look a little like this:
McDonald’s French fries -> French fries from other fast food restaurants (Burger King, KFC) -> French Fries cooked at home from a packet (McCain’s, Supermarket own brand, etc) -> Homemade French fries -> Different shaped French fries ( potato smiles, alphabet shapes, potato waffles) -> Fried slices of potato -> Roast potato -> Mashed potato
A food chain is not a linear thing. At any point you can branch off and start a new chain toward a new food. Different shaped French fries might lead on to potato skins and from here the addition of different toppings, maybe even a meat or vegetable.
Another example would be to go from French fries to sweet potato fries and then on to sweet potato. In time this process has some serious potential to increase the number of foods your child will eat!
Food chaining is not force feeding. The child leads, the team guides. If a child makes a bold leap from homemade fries to broccoli, our role is to encourage, support and get busy working on a whole new chain. If he doesn’t want to move past French fries, we focus on another chain, maybe the one that starts with another preferred food such as pancakes or apple. There is never to be any pressure to eat anything and preferred foods should always be offered alongside new foods which are being tried.
If your child is really struggling to make the transition from one food to another look at the size of the step you are asking them to make. If it is too big see if you can make some smaller links. You may be able to start with changing the way you present the child’s preferred food as a way of getting them used to small changes. For example you could:
- Cut their sandwiches into different shapes- squares, soldiers, triangles, cookie cutters.
- Present their food on a different plate, sit them at a different place at the table, encourage them to pour their packet of crisps into a bowl or eat their yoghurt tube with a spoon.
- Put a sticker on their favourite cup they use to drink from.
- Change the temperature of the food: Can you eat the yoghurt tube as an ice lolly or heat up the milk on their breakfast cereal?
Points to remember when food chaining
- Keep the steps small and try and link the new food to the existing accepted food as much as possible.
- Offer the new food alongside the existing food. Your child may start by having one McDonald’s chip followed by one ‘new’ chip and then go back to McDonalds chips for the rest of the meal. Gradually increase the amount of the new food the child is offered and is eating.
- Once the child is regularly eating a reasonable amount of this new food, it must become a regular part of their diet alongside the other foods. Continue to offer the old foods and the new foods regularly to ensure they remain in your child’s diet.
- Use visual supports to show your child all the foods they like and have tried. If you can, included pictures of your child eating and enjoying the foods. This can be useful for the days when your child refuses a preferred food.
- If your child refuses a food, try not to comment and make a fuss. Simply offer the food again another day and keep offering other preferred foods on rotation as well.
- It may take children 10 to 20 exposures of a new food to accept it into their diet. Keep going and try and keep mealtimes relaxed and stress free. Your job as a parent is to offer foods (both accepted foods and new foods) and it is your child’s job to decide what they eat and how much.
Food chaining is a way of rapidly increasing the number of foods your child eats but it does take time and patience.
More resources
More resources
Online parental workshop:
