I had a love/hate relationship with meal times when my children were young. I absolutely loved it as it was a chance to spend uninterrupted quality time with my precious family. I also loathed it because I could never predict how feeding time would pan out - would it be clean plates or teatime tantrums?
Having to contend with a fussy eater can be a stressful business, but early years practitioners can help turn things around. I became locked in a battle of wills more times than I care to remember - especially with my son.
But from running a playgroup myself when my son was young, I believe there is huge scope to help children overcome fussy eating. Even more so, childcare providers have the opportunity to establish themselves as an expert resource for guidance and help on food.
Most children go through a phase of fussy eating, whether it's picking at their food before pushing their plate away, eating a few favourite foods, or flatly refusing to eat at meal times.
It's so easy to feel frustrated and powerless when a child simply refuses to eat certain foods. But the key is not to give in or give up.
Day in, day out, I persisted with new foods, new recipes and creative ways to hide the good bits that often get discarded.
In fact, it was coming up with these new and novel recipes that inspired me to create my very first book - Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner.
Truth be told, 90 per cent of children go through at least one lengthy stage of fussy eating. While it can be frustrating when a child rejects the food we give them, it's actually the way that we deal with the situation that impacts on their eating habits. Recent studies suggest that a large number of mums let their toddler get away with not eating certain foods in order to keep the peace. However, limiting foods will only escalate their fussiness, and deprive them of the essential nutrients they need to grow and develop.
I also used to disguise vegetables with tasty sauces and finely minced beef or chicken to make a pureed Bolognese. If I am honest, hiding the good bits in a meal didn't always get past my children, but I found it really important to hide any frustrations. Instead, I gave them lots of praise when they ate well or tried something new. Yes, this may mean that you have to ignore some of their bad behaviour and instead focus your attention on their good behaviour, but by doing this, mealtimes are likely to be less stressful and more enjoyable.
The relaxed, sociable environment of a nursery is the ideal place to test out new foods and similarly eating at home needs to feel social, with parents talking to the child and helping them to feel relaxed. If a child only receives attention when they don't eat, a pattern soon begins to form.
Routine is also important and something childcare providers are perfectly positioned to help manage. Outside of their main lunch, set specific times for healthy snacks and stick to it. Children like familiarity.
Here are my tips for coping with fussy eaters:
1. If a child refuses to eat specific foods, don't worry. They will soon find there's not much point making a fuss if you don't react.
2. Keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand -and offer suggestions to parents on what they could send their child in with.
3. Without going to unnecessary lengths, try to make the food not only taste good but look good too. Children eat with their eyes, so it needs to look appealing.
4. The sooner children are introduced to cooking and baking the better. Being involved in the planning and preparation of a food can stimulate a child's willingness to try new things.
Quick & Easy Toddler Recipes, by Annabel Karmel, is published in June. For more information, visit www.annabelkarmel.com