Fussy eating is a relatively common phenomenon in children and it is widely agreed to be a part of normal toddler development. It tends to start between 12-18 months, peak at around 3 years and then gradually improve for the majority of children.

There is so much learning that can happen when children are given opportunities to explore and play with food. When I say ‘food’ I am covering both edible and dried food options too. It’s so important to give children the time and space to explore the sensory properties of different foods and become more comfortable with how it will eventually feel in their mouths. It gives them a context to play with food outside the regular meal times, which I have personally found, eases the pressure and gives my daughter the responsibility to decide whether she wants to have a taste or not.

I support families of children who have feeding difficulties, I also support many parents, usually mothers, who feel low and isolated and who tell me they feel they feel helpless or that they are failing. It is important to me to always talk to families about how they are feeling and the journey they have been are on as I strongly believe that families can be traumatised by challenging early feeding experiences and that part of my role is to listen and help.

I met Sam during my time studying for my IBCLC lactation consultant qualification. Sam was pregnant at the time. She gave birth to her gorgeous daughter Roisin in 2019. Roisin has Down syndrome. In order to raise awareness of Down's syndrome on World Down syndrome day 2020, Sam is sharing her feeding journey.

Introducing snacks for weaning and then managing them for toddlers can be a bit of minefield. When I do my social media Q&A’s snacking one of the most common question themes that comes up.

By Julia Wolman Registered Nutritionist

From the day your baby is born, it’s all about the milk. Are they feeding often enough? Should they be having more? Are they having too much?

After the first few months, when some semblance of routine is (finally) beginning to emerge, it’s time for something new – solids! To start with, milk feeds continue as usual whilst baby gets used to new tastes and textures. Some time between 6-12 months