The Fussy Foodie

You’ve done everything right. Exclusively breastfed your child until they are ready for college. Fed them fresh, organic seasonal vegetables, never once buying the easy store bought prepared food that boasted being organic. Disappointed grandparents with your homebaked hockey pucks or those sugar, gluten and dairy free cupcakes you served at your little one’s first birthday. You’ve made everything yourself. Let your baby make a mess at meal times to encourage eating on their own and asserting their independence. And then it happens. Your adventurous foodie suddenly refuses to eat all their healthy favorites. And, nothing healthy seems to please them. That precious tiny hand pushes the food away as if to say “No.” Ever been there?

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Well, if you haven’t yet…you’re lucky. Or, that first refusal might just be around the corner. Like most phases in your child’s life this one too shall pass. What matters here are the choices you make and how you react in the moment. This phase is temporary, but how you respond can have lifelong effects on your child’s diet, eating habits, and tastes. Signs of refusal from our children and our anxieties about our children not eating enough can lead to reaching for bread, processed sugary foods, and a life without those precious greens.

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To help you through this period, WeeMunch has come up with a range of questions and ideas to consider before radically altering your child’s diet.

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1. Is your child teething? That’s often a difficult one to know for sure and can often become an excuse for everything, but is also a valid explanation for fussiness. There are times when their sore mouth may show in a loss of appetite or a desire for liquids over solids. This usually doesn’t last more than a day or two.
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2. Are you serving the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Or the same foods regularly? There does come a point when our children notice. And, what seems like a disinterest in broccoli is really an interest in more variety!
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3. Phases: There are many of these in your child’s life. When it comes to foods there are many colours under the rainbow. Picasso went through a blue period, then a rose period. Children sometimes want orange, or green, or red only. Don’t fret. Perhaps this is their way of telling you what their body needs. Just try to keep offering a variety.
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4. Give up control. Some parents are really afraid of a mess. And, sadly the best way to encourage healthy eating is to allow our children to play and experiment with their food. This isn’t always comfortable for us, and we may worry about “teaching” our children bad manners. But my son has proven time and again that his food refusal is often his way of asserting his independence about wanting to lead the eating process. This doesn’t mean letting them play with food that they are clearly finished eating—that’s different.  It’s about striking a balance and teaching respect for food.
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5. We don’t encourage “hiding” or “disguising” the veggies, so to speak, at WeeMunch. But the first years are foundational for brain, bone and immune system development. We also don’t encourage the use of supplements…but there are some good whole food supplements that can enhance your little one’s diet during prolonged periods of fussiness. Read More…
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6. Never give up. Find healthy alternatives. Don’t make a fuss. If they’re not interested…let it go. Don’t get into preparing a new meal…that will go on forever and encourage fussiness in the long run. They’ll eat a bigger dinner or snack later.
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Believe it or not, we don’t have all of the answers. So we’ve interviewed some of our favorite foodie mothers for their stories about working through the fussy phase. Send us your stories to weemunch@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

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Leslie Sarracino & Heather Jacobs’s Story

Owners / Founders of Graze Organic

Not serving your child new and different foods can lead to food fussiness.  Don’t give them just chicken fingers and cheese quesadillas.  Lead by example.  They’ll eat what you’re eating.  You don’t have to wait until they’re older to offer them a variety of foods and tastes.   Start right away — when they begin eating solids.

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We always include the kids in the preparation and cooking of something new and exotic.  They can help with cutting, measuring, even setting the table.

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We also have a small vegetable garden and we try to plant something new (not the usual tomatoes & cucumbers).  Throw in some kale, beets, etc.   If they grow it, they will try it. We promise!

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WeeMunch: Your Guide to Real Food for Kids is all about the exciting world of children and nutrition. Lisa Marie and Karen are two friends, who have toddler sons that they make food choices for everyday. Lisa Marie is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Karen has an MA in Museum/Art education. WeeMunch is a way to share their conversations and thoughts on how to navigate the increasingly complex world of children and food with you.

The Power of Play

Ahhh parenting… so many jobs, so little time. Parents are caregivers, teachers, cooks, waiters, housekeepers, personal shoppers, healers, all in one day. With all of these jobs it’s often hard to find the time to really play with our kids. Play is how children learn and it’s an essential part of their development. Taking the time out of our million and one jobs as parents to play with our kids can have some really big returns!



Research has shown that as little as 5 to 10 minutes a day of one-on-one child-led play can have a huge positive impact on many areas of a young child’s development. It has been found to improve language skills, decrease behaviour problems, lengthen attention span, increase self-esteem and confidence, reduce sibling rivalry, and nurture close parent-child relationships. Stronger parent-child relationships often mean more compliance and respect. Playing with your child can ease the stress of parenting – we are actually making the time to have fun!



Playing with our kids seems so easy, and yet when many parents sit down to do it, they realize that they aren’t quite sure what to do. The following tips may be helpful in creating a positive experience:

• Schedule specific time every day to play with child (5-10 minutes is usually plenty!)
• Choose toys that encourage creativity (e.g., blocks, pretend food, etc.) Skip the toys that have preset rules (e.g.,board games) or may require limits (e.g., swords).
• Be fully present – give your child your undivided attention. Put aside the day’s problems for these few minutes and allow yourself to connect, engage, and interact with your child.
• Follow your child’s lead. Allow your child to direct the play activity. Avoid telling your child what to do and how to do it. There are many opportunities during the day to teach your child. Try to avoid explicit teaching during these play periods. Describe what you see your child doing to let them know you are really present (e.g., “You are putting the red block on the green block. It looks like you are building a tower.”).
• Find many opportunities to praise appropriate behaviours that you see during the play. By telling kids exactly what you like, you increase the likelihood of your children doing these behaviours again (e.g., “I like the way you are playing so gently with the toys.”).
• Have fun!

Dr. Annie Simpson, R. Psych
Registered Psychologist
nssac.ca



Dr. Annie Simpson is a registered psychologist at the North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic and specializes in assessment and treatment of emotional and behavioural problems in childhood.