Fussy Eater
My daughter is 2-years-old and a very fussy eater. She does eat fruit and yogurts but vegetables are very limited. All she seems to like is wholemeal pasta. She rarely eats meat and this is making me very worried. I try to have a stable eating regime but I'm a working mum and sometimes don't get home until 6.00pm. My home is not big enough to have a dining table for us to eat at so she mainly eats her lunch and dinner in her high chair with me on the sofa. Are there any suggestions?
Vardit Kohn replies:
Beware of falling into the common trap of bringing up children predominantly on wheat (pasta) and dairy (yoghurt, and presumably a milky drink, too). You are right to be worried, because your daughter's diet should be varied - within reason, of course, for a 2-year-old. Food refusals at the age of 2 are not likely to resolve themselves miraculously at 5, so giving in to your child now will only store up trouble for later on.
The most important eating skill you can teach your child is to eat vegetables, the mainstay of a healthy diet. You wouldn't give in if your daughter threw a tantrum over a toy, would you? So don't give in when she refuses her veg. After all, a 2-year-old does not know what's best for her.
There's no need to have a War of the Worlds, though. Some clever tricks from mum can resolve this issue quite easily. Offer her the pasta dressed in a blended veg sauce (a thick soup is an excellent option). Make carrot juice in minutes, and if she likes it, throw in a bit of celery or tomato next time. Give her veggie pieces to dunk in a yoghurt-based dip, or grate some vegetables (such as cucumber, tomato or carrot) into yoghurt and mix. Send her to her day carers with a small packet of mini veg - kids seem to like these. Insist that she has at least one piece before she's allowed something else.
On the issue of meat, remember it can be substituted by eggs, fish or tofu. There are many tofu varieties in health shops nowadays, many of which are flavoured, and it's an easy food to serve to children in little cubes - you don't even have to cook it.
I don't see the lack of a dining table as a real problem (unless you're worried about the mess). The most important thing is that you're eating with your child. Tuck into your own plateful of delicious veg whilst your child is eating, so the message comes out loud and clear in this way, too.
