Fussy eaters

I was asked to go on Fred MacAulay’s Radio Scotland show this week; He is easy to blether with but incredibly sharp and very funny. No1 son (feart of being thought boring) can relax because Fred too, started life as an accountant.
Last time his researchers invited me to participate on the programme, No6 child accompanied me and we cooked up a storm - as far as you can cook on radio. We met Miss Scotland who, at 22, is not only stunning but a fabulous tennis player. She was up for putting an arm around my wee boy but he was rather bashful. His older brothers would have needed no encouragement.




This week, when the call came, I was running short on energy, the tax return had been done but we still hadn’t had the results of Only Girl’s MRI; the worry continues to blight possible moments of perfect happiness.
I’m always chuffed when a researcher calls, but I dream of joining the ranks of feather plumpers and remain firmly with the self-depreciating squad. Fred’s live show, is produced in Glasgow and involves my getting up at 5.00a.m and driving, or rather sitting in traffic, in the central belt for hours. However, a Woman’s Hour experience, prompted me to suggest that I could participate from my local BBC studio, in the capital of the three Js (Jam, Jute and Journalism); the idea was a winner.

The programme brief was on fussy eaters (children) and having twittered about it, I thought that I’d share some thoughts, that didn’t reach the Scottish nation. If you’d like to listen to my 7 minutes on Fred’s show the audioboo link is here.


Many parents don’t have the opportunity to relax into parenting (the joy of having six children) but confrontation over food is often more a parent than child problem. A toddler may not need as much food as a baby; growth isn’t as rapid and, as I mentioned on the show, snacking breaks food routine. It often starts when a toddler is gaining independence. Food can be used by them as a means to push the boundaries. Often, a toddler has snacked at playschool unbeknown to the worrying mother; small wonder lunch is pushed aside. What about the child that enjoys peanut butter sandwiches and little else? One can hope that boredom will set in but unfortunately, this is rarely the case. My solution is to ring the changes, initially, with small variations to the preferred food: in this case half white and brown bread and then, a move to eggy bread with peanut butter spread. If a child will eat raw carrots but nothing else, slowly change the way you serve and then cook carrots, eventually a honey roasted carrot - yippee.

An effective test of fussy eating in children is to check what they eat when away from home - at nursery or school, at granny’s or with friends. You might be surprised by the answer.
Picnics are a good opportunity to introduce new foods; a break in the normal routine with bite sized samples and a general spirit of adventure – a child might well try new foods. Research says that a child may taste a food 10 times or more before eventually accepting it, so be patient. (That’s a lot of picnics.)
I don’t believe that making smiley faces with food is time well spent, but encouraging a child in the whole food experience from garden, shopping, cooking to eating around the table is a good habit. Play using food – e.g. food noughts and crosses on a highchair table or allowing an older child to help prepare foods e.g. sprinkling cheese, worked for us. Food stories are useful too, although the adventures of Peter Rabbit in Mr McGregor’s garden may take a few sittings to re-enact. Cinderella’s pumpkin is a good alternative – quite sweet but not everyone is guaranteed to live happily ever after. Well sealed spices make good rattles and pots and pans excellent drums if you can bear the noise.

My G.P. husband says, no healthy child voluntarily dies of starvation – a reassuring starting point but then, parents must lead by example. If parents are picky about their own food they will have an uphill battle encouraging their children to eat everything on the plate. Food mustn’t become a battlefield and sometimes, as adults, we forget how distressing the fear of an unknown taste can be. When presented with a sheep’s eye for the first time, would an adult open his or her mouth wide? The agendas are different too: a parent is anxious over time, cost, waste and perhaps noise; the child worries over interrupted play, hunger and parent mood. It can be hard work but if, a parent can establish some routine to persistent food tantrums, it is helpful. (Parental tantrums aren’t very pretty either.)

My advice is to say little, and avoid food crabbiness by removing the child from the table, and persevering at another, less stressful time. A child will eat when he or she is hungry. Directing the choice helps to develop familiarity with ‘better’ options.
Tip of the day: keep fruit in reach but the biscuit tin, out of reach.