10 Activities You Can Do to Help “Fussy Eaters”

No doubt you have heard that all kids go through fussy eating phases and that it is developmentally normal. This is true!

But did you know that for 30-50% of children who are considered "fussy eaters" they won't just grow out of it?

The good news is that there are lots of things we can do to support them to feel more confident with new and different foods. 

Firstly- if you are worried about your child's eating we absolutely recommend booking a consult here with one of our dietitians to give you individualised advice and a plan that is tailored to you! They will also assess your child's growth, look for underlying causes of picky eating and ensure there are no nutritional deficiencies (if there are we will fill those gaps too!).

Outside of this:

• Keep meal times pressure free
• Offer a wide variety of family foods but also ensure there are 1-2 foods you know your child likes/will eat
• Look at milk intake-more on this here
• No comments about food or rewards for eating
• Keep mealtimes short
• Avoid grazing between meals and work towards a consistent meal/snack routine

But what else can you do? We know that it is easier for kids to feel more adventurous and keen to engage with food away from the diner table. Why? Because there is no expectation to EAT the food away from the table. So we have compiled a list of 10 great activities you can do with your kids to help them to feel more confident with food.

1.Take them shopping

A simple activity that is also something you need to do anyway! Getting them to help you to write a shopping list, when you get there asking them to help you find things, asking them if they can name different foods you see, crossing things off the shopping list. Giving them their own bag/basket to collect a few things in, is also great. This might not seem like much but you are teaching them about different foods here and exposing them to new things without the pressure to eat. 

2.Mystery Seeds

Another favourite! Giving your little ones some seeds to plant and then the responsibility to water and care for their plant as a it grows. They have a lot of fun guessing what it will be too! Once it starts growing some fruit or vegetables (tomato, capsicum, strawberries and carrot are all good ones!) then finding a recipe you can make together with that ingredient is the next step!  You're teaching your kids where food comes from, but also giving them responsibility here- so they are in control! 

3. Painting with Food

This is a great one for kids who struggle getting messy and don't love touching food. You can try yogurt (add some food colouring!), pudding (chia is great for this), pasta sauce and puree fruit. If your little one is feeling up to it, you can ask them to paint with their hands- they may even lick them!  If they are unsure about getting hands on, you can use a paintbrush or cut up some vegetables to use as stamps. 

4.  Car Wash 

If you have little ones that are car, train or truck obsessed this activity might be good to try! You can drive your cars through "mud", "swamps", "snow storms" - think chocolate mousse, puree fruit, yoghurt, desiccated coconut in baking trays. You can then use a spray bottle filled with water to hose them off or a bucket with warm bubbly water to wash them. 

5. Restaurant at Home

Setting up a restaurant at home takes cooking with kids one step further.  Setting the table, dressing up in "fancy" clothes, writing menus and naming the cafe! Making it a real experience where you (as the parents) are visiting your kids restaurant and they are in charge. You have to wait to be seated, order and "pay".

6. Play Kitchen 

Another great way (without any mess!) to get kids feeling more comfortable with different foods. Buying food play sets with a variety of different foods can help kids learn what different foods are, and make them less strange or scary. The lack of smell and different textures with play food make it a great option for kids that are particularly sensitive and find new foods overwhelming. This set is great because you can peel the foods and see what they look like inside.

7. Becoming a Food Scientist

There are SO many different experiments you can do with your kids and finding one that they want to do and are excited about it key. Remember the goal isn't to try and get them to have a bite or try the food, it is just to explore.

Ask them questions: what do you think will happen?

Get them involved: can you read the instructions out to them, but they get do all the hands on fun? Or they tell you want to do. 

One example could be: adding a few drops of food colouring to the inside of a lemon. You then put some baking soda on top....then sit back and watch your volcano erupt! Wearing a "scientist jacket and googles" can make it more fun too. 

Another good one is a guessing game with different foods. Getting them to cut them open (with kid safe knives and supervision) then guessing:

• What do you think it will smell like?
• Will it have seeds in it?
• What colour do you think the inside will be?
• Which food will feel the most sticky? 
• Which is the hardest? 
• Which one has the biggest smell? 
• Which is the easiest to cut? 
• Can you describe what it feels like, is it smooth or bumpy?

8.  At Home Sushi Train 

If you have an electric train set at home, this can be a fun one! It doesn't have to be with sushi either! 

9. Food Play with Favourite Characters or Jelly Swamps

Using figurines/action figures to create a food scene can be great and you can use any characters your kids are loving at the moment. For example feeding the Paw Patrol puppies or making real life version of the foods from Minecraft or Harry Potter. For younger kids using jelly to create animal swamps can be fun too. Setting green or blue jelly with alligators, fish and snakes can create a lot of fun! Broccoli can make great trees and rice the sand. 

10. Teddy Bear Picnic

A teddy bear picnic with real food is often a hit! Asking your little one to feed their bears or dolls and getting their toys to try new foods and describe them is a great activity to empower your child and explore new foods. We are also big fans of family picnic dinners. Mixing up the way and where you serve dinner can make kids feels more relaxed and excited to engage with new/tricky foods.