Feeding toddlers and fussiness

Changes in our toddler’s eating after they turn one

‘I can’t believe they won’t eat that now’

Changes in eating patterns as your baby moves into toddlerhood can catch us by surprise. Food that was nearly always accepted in baby’s first year can now be regularly rejected. This can cause confusion and stress for new parents who become worried they are not getting enough or the right types of food for them to grow and develop. 

Increase in food rejection is normal 

Toddlers and children being cautious and not accepting new foods straight away is thought to originate with our ancestors. Bitterness in foods and strong flavours may have indicated the food was not safe to eat, either being poisonous or had gone off. The strong smells, bitter tastes of vegetables and meat, or the look of foods can make children wary.

Being wary of new foods is important for survival. It’s good that our children are cautious. Growth also slows in the second year in comparison to an infant’s first year of life. The amount they eat can reduce which can look like fussy eating.

The experts say that toddler’s increased fussiness and food rejection after 12 months is because they’re starting to walk and spend more time away from their parents. They would have been more likely to eat something poisonous when eating foods away from their mother. The extra sensitivity of taste buds and caution were important for survival.

Feeding infants and children has been reported as one of parent’s biggest worries. But when parents realise food rejection is normal in healthy toddlers and can be an important sign of ‘being full’, it can reduce feeding anxiety and increase confidence. Eating new foods is a skill infants and children learn gradually, so a lot of learning to eat new foods looks like food rejection. You may not recognise the improvement. Children have a way of sneaking up on a food and learning to like it.

You can’t make them eat or like something, you can just offer it without pressure

How children eat 

Our toddler’s eating will be unpredictable, up and down, meal to meal, day to day, week to week. That’s one thing we can count on. Things they liked at one meal will be rejected the next, things you think they won’t eat, they will, when you think they might be hungry, they’re not, when you don’t think they are… you guessed it, they are!

Fussy or not?

Up to 50% of parents report their child is a ‘fussy eater’, But there is no agreed definition for what a fussy eater is. A lot of the ‘fussy eating’ labelling can be viewed as children’s natural caution with new food and the time required to learn to eat.

Toddlers being labelled fussy can be influenced by friends, family and parents’ expectations, children who appear to eat small amounts or children taking longer accepting new foods. There are lots of things that can contribute to whether a child is labelled fussy and most of these are normal. 

If we think they are fussy, we are more likely to feed in a way that causes problems, adding stress to mealtimes, creating battles and making the meal feel unsafe for children.  

 

How we feed toddlers

The pages within this age range (and overall site) provide suggestions and support for parents and carers on ‘HOW’ to feed. Links within this section will take you to more detailed information on specific topics.

Our feeding needs to be the same whether we think a toddler is fussy or not. We can become anxious when we feel they are not eating enough or not eating the right variety for healthy growth. We need to stick to our own feeding roles, where we provide food, they decide if they eat or not and not pressuring them to eat.  

Increasing variety in our toddler’s diet occurs by providing foods they are familiar with and eat regularly and new foods they are getting used to seeing. We learn to eat new foods when we see them again and again and they become safe and familiar.

Provide your toddler with structure to learn within, by providing regular mealtimes. Providing a safe place to learn to eat and become familiar with new foods is important. It makes the feeding practices we discuss on this site easier. 

When to get more support 

There are some toddlers or children whose feeding may require the support of health professionals. Some children may experience feeding difficulties which can affect their weight gain, development and nutrition status. For more information go to the When you need more support page.

 

References