Feeding in the Early Years

 food is designed for pleasure

Not only is food life giving, health enhancing and grown by nature; it is designed for our growth, our pleasure and our vitality. Remember, food should be a joy for little ones, as they explore all their senses. Food and eating has a strong impact on body signals, and the senses discern the smell, flavour and texture of food. Our brain and nervous system produce feel-good hormones when we eat a diverse diet, but also when we eat sweet and creamy ultra-processed foods, which we know are bad for our health. On average, two thirds of children’s diets are derived from ultra-processed foods. This is shocking news for the next generation and so this is why, transforming their feeding journey now, and supporting you with knowledge and confidence is my mission
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limited experience with foods and texture

For toddlers who’ve had limited experience with varied textures, tastes and practice self-feeding during weaning, the fussy phase is likely to be more pronounced. There can be many reasons for this such as illness, allergies, or early feeding difficulties. Toddlers with limited feeding practice during the sensitive window will have limited feeding skills like chewing, organising food in the mouth and self-feeding. And because their developmental focus is now on play and movement, they tend to keep to a narrow range of foods and textures. Having clear feeding times, to practice feeding skills, a range of familiar foods, offering smiles, praise and attention all help. Offering purees pouches, whilst ok occasionally, does little to help develop feeding skills or help a toddler understand what real food looks like.
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most children grow out of this phase 

Whilst it’s reassuring to know that most children grow out of this phase, it can depend very much the strategies you use to manage this natural developmental stage. Building confidence in mealtime practices helps families turn mealtimes into positive and fun times to remember, for your child and family. This stage takes time, maybe 3-5 years, so it's good to know you can take your time, and consider what aspects of mealtimes matter most to you. Invest in learning some go-to strategies that help create the right learning environment, helping little ones balance and regulate  food intake, attention and boundaries. The focus being to gently, gradually help your child expand their experience and develop confidence,  helping your child learn to love real food as they grow up.
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extreme selectivity or dietary restriction

Children can be extremely fussy or highly selective about food for many reasons. It is associated with so-called near-developmental conditions such as autism, ADHD or learning difficulties. It may be vase by fear, anxiety or previous trauma. Children affected in these ways may experience

  • Sensory sensitivities to taste, smell, texture, look, temperature
  • Heightened anxiety or distress around eating
  • Lack of interest in food or limited feeling hunger and thirst
  • Growth difficulties or nutritional deficiencies

ARFID  stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and is considered to be an eating disorder, in children and young people, with a  range of characteristics. Some of the symtoms are similar to very natural development phases or behaviours that many children experience eg. highly selective or sensory sensitivity. This does not mean they have ARFID.  A narrow diet puts any child at risk of nutritional deficiencies and growth faltering; and nutritional assessment can help find the best approach to support nutrition in this group of children. Strategies may food fortification, key nutrient supplementation, and behavioural strategies to alleviate anxiety, expand food acceptance, and develop agency with food and eating.

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 my support 

I can support challenges such as: 

  • Food aversion
  • Cow’s milk allergy and food allergies
  • Food refusal or reluctance to eat solids
  • Growth faltering or nutritional deficiencies
  • Iron deficiency anaemia
  • Limited or delayed feeding skills
  • Challenging mealtimes
  • Talking to your child about food

Together we will: 

  • Explore your challenges and goals
  • Create a practical, step-by-step treatment plan
  • Focus on key nutrients that may be lacking
  • Identify foods what are most likely to be accepted
  • Build feeding skills to support a healthy, varied diet
  • Strengthen your confidence and skills as a parent
Extended assessment info