Snacking and Fussy Eaters

Personally I would ban snacks on the 'they will eat their dinner when they are hungry' basis. Practically that can be very hard to do though if you have a screaming child who you feel that you are starving. So I wish good luck to anybody stuck in that situation.

I'm currently weaning my son. He isn't a fussy eater as he will try anything but there are some days where he will prefer his milk to his food. I still sit him down at breakfast, lunch and dinner time and offer him the food. If he eats it great, if not I try again in a little while and if he still refuses I know he can have a milk feed. I would stick to a routine of set meals, that way they know it is time to eat. If they don't eat lunch for example tell them they wont get anything till dinner and stick to it. If they then don't eat dinner, give them a healthy snack, like a banana or homemade banana pancakes or homemade oat biscuits. More nutritious than treats and still eating something a little substantial. It is about perseverance. Also giving them a choice of foods and getting them to help make the foods can help get them to eat it, a reward chart also works well, so for every new food they try they get a star and when they reach a certain amount they get 5 minutes extra play time or an extra bedtime story, something that will be a treat. You could also say that they are only allowed one snack a day and only if they finish 2 meals. They reason they are maybe not eating at meal times because they have snacked so aren't hungry.

It's hard because you don't want your child to be hungry but at a young age it is all about nutrients so if they have to snack try to make sure it is something healthy.

If you are worried about their eating habits because it is causing poor weight gain or fatigue, then you can request a consultation with a dietitian.

Children these days rarely feel hunger as they seem to be constantly eating, often out of boredom. I can remember going out to play all day in school holidays and coming home starving, ready to eat anything put in front of us. Snacking is a relatively new thing and is not necessary if meal times are regular.

I intend on raising a child the same way as my parents raised me.. we were allowed fruit or vegetables as a snack at any time of the day or night.. we would be allowed one packet of crisps a day and two biscuits, (we even had specific times we were allowed biscuits and crisps - crisp time was 12pm and biscuit time was 3.30pm... we were very slim and healthy our whole childhood..