So who are the kids we actually help at Mealtime Building Blocks? What are the most common issues we see?
Well, Lauren, Liz and I have come up with a list of our 5 most typical clients. If your child sounds like one (or a combination) of these kids, then please get in touch (and they don’t have to be exactly like these kids, just one issue can be enough to cause difficulties at mealtimes)!
Child number one- the ‘not keen on solid food’ bub
Frequent comments from parents:
had a difficult time with breast or bottle feeding from birth
never really put toys into their mouth
gags on new flavours or textures
clamps their mouth shut and pushes the spoon away
cries in the highchair
drops any finger foods onto the floor
spits food out or holds in their cheeks
only wants packaged purees
Child number two- the ‘I don’t want it’ toddler
Frequent comments from parents:
happily ate everything as a baby
has started to graze rather than eating meals
has stopped eating vegetables and meat
asks for the same food all the time
wants to drink rather than eat (usually milk)
won’t sit still
has to have a TV or iPad on to eat
parents have resorted to entertaining their children during a meal
Child number three- the ‘white food only’ child
Frequent comments from parents:
likes white/beige foods (e.g. bread, nuggets, biscuits, chips, yoghurt)
refuses anything mixed or with sauce
wants snack foods only (e.g. crackers)
whines for food but never really eats much
eats different food to the rest of the family at family mealtimes
cries at dinner time
gags on vegetables (if they put it to the mouth at all!)
Child number four- the ‘scared of new foods’ older child
Frequent comments from parents:
Has a small number of foods they will happily eat
takes their own food to play dates
worries about eating at other people’s houses
has to have their own special food at school camp
shuts down if someone talks about new foods
has a limited number of dinner options that you rotate through
Child number five- the ‘is this normal?’ child
This child can be any age, but the parent feels stressed about some aspect of feeding. The parent might:
be worried about limited variety
find mealtimes stressful
be worried about the amount the child eats
constantly have to encourage, coax or bribe the child to eat
be concerned about the child’s growth
resort to offering many different types of food in a meal in hope the child will eat something
have been told not to worry, but that hasn’t helped!
These are our five most common kiddies and we love working with all of them! If your child sounds like one of our common clients, and you'd like some help- please head to our bookings page us to book an appointment.
**Please also be assured that if you are worried about your child’s eating, but have been told that ‘all kids are fussy’ and ‘not to worry’; we will take you seriously. You don’t have to have the world’s worst eater to benefit from a consult. We believe that all kids can learn to enjoy food and participate happily in family meals. We also believe that parents can enjoy family mealtimes without having to cook four different meals for everyone! Check out our contact details here.
About Mealtime Building Blocks
About Mealtime Building Blocks
Dr Kyla Smith and Liz Beaton are paediatric dietitians specialising in fussy eating, feeding difficulties and childhood nutrition. Lauren Pike is an occupational therapist working in fussy eating and feeding difficulties. They have a private practice called Mealtime Building Blocks in Perth, Western Australia. You can connect with Kyla, Liz and Lauren here.
