Waiting for your child’s fussy eating to get better may unfortunately mean that your child’s eating actually gets worse over time
Mealtimes are often stressful with a fussy eater
Have you concerns about your child(ren)’s eating in terms of
- The same foods being repeatedly eaten;
- An unbalanced diet usually with lots of carbohydrates;
- Missing food groups usually with little or no vegetables and
- Stressful meal times?
Yet have you been told the following:
- Your child is growing fine
- Your child seems fine, such as lots of energy
- Your child looks fine, and isn’t pale
- There doesn’t seem to be any effects of their limited eating, such as constipation.
- It’s a phase that they will grow out of.
For a significant number of fussy eaters, their eating gets worse over time because they are eating the same limited number of foods so often, that they get so tired of them and want to stop eating them altogether. This often includes their favourite foods. This is further exaggerated by the fact that they are not open to other foods.
What are you been given this advice?
Well sometimes even health professionals don’t want to further worry parents and
they may not genuinely know what else to say.
While their advice is well-intentioned; it may result in poorer outcomes such as with Orla, a Mum of 2 girls, 5 & almost 7 years old
“I contacted Colette after seeking help from another professional who recommended I ‘starve my child into submission and not offer any food until she gave in’. I did try this but found it hugely traumatic and it actually made things worse”.
I am often told by parents that contact me that they regret not seeking help sooner. And in the vast majority of cases, the following has happened:
- their child’s eating has not improved
- their child’s eating has not stayed the same
- in fact, their child’s eating has got worse over time
How long are we talking about? My advice is if your child’s fussy eating is continuing for the last 6 months, then unfortunately it may not improve by itself.
Would you like to be more like these Mums who reported:
“Despite being told repeatedly that it was just a phase and my toddler would grow out of fussy eating; I’m so glad that I contacted Colette when I did rather than leaving it” Ann
“I was so stressed with my 3 year old’s eating (or lack of eating). So many people told me she’d grow out of it but things were not getting better. I was certainly relieved I started with Colette and didn’t put it off any longer”. Gemma
As more and more time passes, often many parents tell me that they feel that they have waited too long and their child is too old to help.
I certainly see fewer children as they get older, especially over the age of 8. Unfortunately it’s not the case that fussy eating disappears once they’re older, as there are fussy teenagers and adults as well.
Do you want to be like this dad (let’s call him Charlie) who contacted me a while back and that told me he felt his 6 year old girl was now too old to help with her eating?.