When does picky eating become a threat to a toddler's health? Raisingkids.co.uk's paediatric dietitian, David Swain, deals with a common problem for many parents.

Raisingkids member's query
Our 15 mth-old toddler won't eat any textured food such as meat or any thing with chunks of food in it. He eats crackers, apple sauce, yogurt with no fruit chunks, Cheerios and oatmeal, and drinks milk and juice regularly. He's not starving by any means but won't eat other foods.

We recently took him to the GP, who told us he has a food aversion problem and needs to see a counsellor. Do you think this is just a phase or does this problem mean counselling is necessary?

David's advice
Refusing to eat lumps is quite a common problem in infants. Futhermore, toddlers and small children often dislike certain textures such as some meat or stringy vegetables.

However, this problem is clearly worrying you enough for you to go to your GP and it may be that your child does have a food aversion problem. I expect the doctor has referred your son to a clinical psychologist who specialises in childrens behaviour. This should be seen as a positive step and not as something you should be afraid of.

Understanding the reasons behind your son not taking different textured foods could help. I noted he does have some variety of foods but if you're worried about the adequacy of his diet or if he's failing to thrive I would recommend asking your GP for a referral to a paediatric dietitian. To conclude, you've done the right thing by going to your GP, and you now need to wait and see what advice the counsellor has to give. Good luck and let us know how you get on!

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