Feeding your children can feel like one of the trickiest parts of being a parent, especially in a parenting world that’s full to the brim of conflicting information. Specialist children’s dietitian Lucy Upton* offers some practical advice.
Published
What to feed children, how to feed them, and how to approach feeding when you don’t feel like it’s going well are all topics that come up for me, as a children’s dietitian, on a regular basis via my clinic or social media. I hope these tips help make the journey a little easier and a lot less stressful.
Understand appetite
Did you know that babies and children have a natural ability to regulate their appetite? After the sleepy early newborn days, babies rely on well-honed signals from their bodies to let them know when they are hungry or full. As a parent, it’s important to trust these cues rather than external influences such as feeding plans on forums or apps or set portion sizes. Trusting your child’s appetite builds trust and comfort around feeding or mealtimes. Remember, all babies and children will need different amounts of milk or food, depending on their unique requirements.
Vary dietary variety
A range of different foods is one of the best tools to support your child’s health. Offering variety helps to provide key nutrients for growth and development and supports gut health, allergy prevention and confidence around food. Dietary variety in action doesn’t have to be daunting. My top tips are:
• Be wary of advice that limits exposure and experience with a wide variety of food, such as ‘one new food every three days’ during weaning.
• Consider little additions or changes for extra nutrition – for example, different fruits added to porridge or cereal in the morning or changing sandwich fillings or toast toppings across the week.
• Adapt family meals wherever you can for your baby or child. Remember, aside from choking or safety risks, most foods can be included in a child’s diet.
It may feel like second nature to us adults, but eating is actually a skill that is learnt, not innate.
Role model
Babies and young children learn through copying and modelling, and
it’s no different with food. It may feel like second nature to us
adults, but eating is actually a skill that is learnt, not innate. The
best ‘teacher’ for your little one to learn about foods and build
confidence with the unfamiliar is you. Try to eat with your baby or
child as much as possible, giving them valuable opportunities to learn
from their favourite and most trusted people.
Keep mealtimes realistic and low pressure
I find parents worry a lot about mealtime behaviours that are very
common for babies and children. Here are some common (albeit sometimes
annoying) behaviours that most parents see sometimes at mealtimes and
what to do or remember about them:
• Food throwing can be common during weaning and during the toddler
years. It can reflect developmental progress or be a sign that they’ve
had enough to eat. Try to avoid big reactions and use positive ‘can’ do
language like ‘food stays on the table’.
• Refusing foods or meals altogether is commonplace for children but
understandably worrisome for many parents. I always encourage parents to
think about mealtimes (or snack times) as an opportunity for children
to eat, not expectations about what and how much they should eat.
Children refuse foods for various reasons, from illness, to teething, to
not feeling hungry at that time, to growth changes. Try to avoid
adding pressure or expectations of extra mouthfuls. Nutrition is always
about the bigger picture, not single meals.
• Even when your child has grasped using some cutlery, it is very
typical for children to revert to using their hands to eat. This may
support further sensory exploration of that food or get it in quicker!
Remember, young children don’t know or fully understand social norms or
mealtime etiquette, and I would always tend to say leave them to it.
Play is also how children learn, so using their hands to explore can pay
off!
Know your nutrients
Babies and children are not little adults when it comes to nutrition
and have unique nutritional needs to support their growth and
development. With all the noise in the wellness world, it would be easy
to worry about your little humans getting enough nutrients like protein
– although research shows kids in the UK get more than enough protein.
But here are some nutrients you should take seriously:
• Iron - babies and young children need a lot of iron relative to their
body size. Once they are established on solids, I recommend parents
include iron-rich food sources like eggs, beans, lentils, red meat,
poultry, tofu, oily fish and fortified cereals at least 2-3 times per
day.
• Omega 3 fatty acids, specifically DHA are a powerhouse fat, crucial
for brain development. Foods rich in DHA include oily fish, like
salmon, sardines or herring, and some foods with ‘boosted’ DHA, such as
eggs and fish fingers. I’d recommend giving babies and kids at least
one portion of oily fish a week, or if they dislike oily fish and/or are
following a plant-based diet, consider a DHA supplement alongside
omega-3 plant-based foods like flaxseed oil, milled walnuts and some
seeds.
• Fibre - too much of it often flags up caution in young children, but
research shows that many UK children aren’t eating enough. Fibre is
essential not only for digestion and regular poos, but it’s also fuel
for the good bacteria in a child’s gut. Try to include a variety of
fibre sources in your child’s diet – fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils,
oats, cereals, nuts and seeds (milled or in butter form) are all great!
For more practical and science-backed advice on feeding your kids from birth to five, check out The Ultimate Guide to Children’s Nutrition by Lucy Upton, price £18.99 , published by Yellow Kite. Available at www.amazon.co.uk, price £15.39.
