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 will grow out of this phase, it can be a huge source of stress for families, and get in the way of enjoying mealtimes. Building confidence in nutrition and mealtime practices can help families turn stressful mealtimes into successful mealtimes. Learning some strategies to create a calm environment, offering gentle encouragement, giving positive feedback, all help to expand a child’s acceptance, build confidence and help your child learn to love real food.
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extreme selectivity or dietary restriction

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a complex eating difficulty that is not associated with typical toddler food refusal. Young children with ARFID may show:

  • Sensory sensitivities to taste, smell, or texture
  • Heightened anxiety or distress around eating
  • Lack of interest in food
  • Poor weight gain or nutritional deficiencies

ARFID is more commonly diagnosed in older children with neuro-atypical presentation, and is not a common feature of the toddler years. Although sensory processing differences can affect the way young children experience food, emphasis is on supporting the how, when and what of eating, feeding and nutrition. A narrow diet puts children at risk of nutritional deficiencies and growth faltering; nutritional assessment can help find the best approach to support better nutrition in this group of children. This includes a range of strategies including food fortification, supplementation, and behavioural strategies to gently expand food acceptance, and develop positive attitudes to 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 iron deficiency anaemia
  • Limited or delayed feeding skills
  • Lack of progress with solids
  • Stressful mealtimes
  • How to talk 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 such as calcium and iron
  • Review supplements
  • Build feeding skills to support a healthy, varied diet
  • Strengthen your own confidence and skills as a parent
Extended assessment info