Tips For Fussy Eaters

15 Practical Tips To Help Improve Fussy Eating

Here's where things often go wrong - and right.

Many well-meaning strategies (pressure, bribing, "just one more bite") can actually make fussy eating worse and increase anxiety around mealtimes.

Instead, focus on these evidence based approaches.

In this guide we'll cover:

• 15 practical tips for dealing with fussy eating in children

What Actually Helps With Fussy Eating?

It is important to mention here that not all these tips will be suitable for your child, depending where on the Spectrum of Fussy Eating they lie and their individual needs and personalities.

Tailor these tips to your child and their individual needs and abilities.

1. Take The Pressure Off

Pressuring children to eat ("just try it", "you won't get dessert") can increase their resistance to eat and make their anxiety around mealtimes worse.

Instead:

• Let your child decide whether and how much to eat
• You decide what, when and where food is offered

This is known as the Division of Responsibility and it's one of the most effective approaches for improving fussy eating. Developed by Ellyn Satter, it clearly defines roles at mealtimes.

Parents decide what, when, and where food is offered, while the child decides whether to eat and how much.

This removes pressure from both sides and helps reduce mealtime battles.

2. Keep Offering Foods (Even If They're Rejected)

It's completely normal for children to need 15 + exposures before accepting a new or unliked food.

Exposure doesn't just mean eating, it includes:

• Seeing the food
• Having it on their plate
• Touching or smelling it
• Watching others eat it
• Helping to prepare or cook the food
• Shopping for the food

The key is consistency, without pressure and finding different ways to exposure your child to that food before the even eating it.

3. Safe Foods

At each meal, include at least one food you know your child likes.

This:

• Reduces stress and anxiety at the table
• Ensures they don't leave hungry
• Makes them more likely to engage with other foods

This is something I recommend for all fussy eaters but it is particularly important for children on the more moderate or severe end of the Fussy Eating Spectrum.

For mild fussy eaters you may just include one small portion of safe foods.

For more moderate or severe fussy eaters I recommend the 80/20 rule.

4. The 80/20 Rule

For more moderate or severe fussy eaters I recommend the 80/20 Rule where you fill 80% of their plate with safe foods and use the other 20% to introduce something new.

It's ok if they reject those new foods but it helps to increase their exposure to that food over time. Even them accepting those new foods on their plate is a great step.

5. Food Combining

When offering safe foods alongside new or unliked foods, don't worry if those foods don't "match".

As adults we have set ideas of what foods belong on a plate beside eachother. But if you're trying to encourage your child for example to eat some curry and rice, and they really love cheese sandwiches, there's nothing wrong with serving both of these up together.

6. Choose Your Timing

Mid week dinners is not always the best time to be working on introducing new foods.

Because:

• Children at nursery or school are mentally and physically tired by 5 or 6pm in the evening
• They won't always have the capacity to tolerate new foods at this time

Instead choose mealtimes at the weekend to introduce some of these strategies. Children (and adults!) will be more rested and more open to trying new things.

7. Make Food Fun

Play or fun based exposure to new foods can be incredibly powerful.

Try:

• Food art like potato painting or making edible playdough
• Exploring the texture of foods, for example squishy berries
• Letting kids help prepare meals, even starting small with making a sandwich
• "No pressure" tasting games or creating a tasting plate

The goal is increasing familiarity, not forcing them to eat.

8. Divided Plates

A big plate of mixed food can be overwhelming to fussy eaters.

Separating foods or the component parts of meals gives the child more choice and control and looks more visually appealing.

When you combine this method with the 80/20 rule it is less likely that the child will reject the whole plate of food.

I created these divided plates precisely for this purpose. They separate food into sections, making it easier to serve up safe foods alongside new foods. And they look great visually to kids too.

9. Food Chaining

Food chaining is a strategy that can help children to expand the list of foods that they eat and also move a child away from one particular brand or shape of food.

Many children rely on the predictability of food, for example the shape or a branded chicken nugget or the size of a pasta shape.

Food chaining involves making very small and subtle changes to these foods with the end goal of them eating either a completely new food or a healthier homemade version of a packet food.

10. Brand Dependency

It can be very common for moderate or more severe fussy eaters to be dependent on one particular brand of food.

It is understandable as branded food is predictable. It looks, tastes and smells the same every time.

As parents it is easy to rely on these branded foods to ensure our child is eating. But problems can arise if that food is discontinued or the brand makes changes to the ingredients or to the appearance of the food or packaging.

If you notice that your child is becoming reliant on one particular brand then start by removing as much of the packaging as possible.

You can also mix that branded food up with other brand or similar foods.

11. Eat Together As A Family

Children learn by watching. When they see you:

• Eating a variety of foods
• Enjoying meals
• Trying new flavours

…it increases the chances they'll eventually do the same.

If this is difficult for you as a family start with even one meal a week all together.

12. Stick To A Routine

Regular meals and snacks (e.g. 3 meals + 2 snacks) help:

• Build appetite
• Prevent grazing
• Create predictability

Try to avoid constant snacking or grazing and too much juice or milk between meals.

13. Backup Meals

It's tempting to make a separate meal if your child refuses dinner.

But over time, this can:

• Reinforce picky eating
• Reduce motivation to try new foods

Instead:

• Serve one family meal (with at least one safe food for mild fussy eaters and more for moderate or severe fussy eaters)
• Stay calm if they choose not to eat

This way the child knows there will always be something they will eat at the table.

14. Hidden Veg

Hiding vegetables in familiar meals likes pasta sauces can be really helpful, especially for boosting nutrition. I am a big fan of hidden veg recipes!

But it shouldn't be the only strategy.

Children still need:

• Repeated exposure to whole vegetables
• Opportunities to see, touch and taste them

Think of hidden veg as a support, not a solution. By all means cook lots of hidden veg meals but just make sure your child is still getting exposure to vegetables in their whole form.

I talk more about whether we should be hiding veggies in kids food here.

15. You're Doing Great!

If you're got this far then my final tip is to just say well done, you're doing a brilliant job.

Parenting is hard enough without the guilt of food issues on top of it.

Fussy eating can feel like a daily battle but it's usually a phase, not a permanent problem.

What matters most is:

• Staying consistent
• Keeping mealtimes positive
• Trusting the process

Small, repeated exposures over time can make a huge difference. So take it one day at a time, let go of the guilt and know that you're doing a brilliant job.