Are your kids fussy eaters? Dr Pixie McKenna shares her top tips for surviving meal times

AS A DOCTOR with more than 20 years experience, Dr Pixie McKenna thought she had seen it all.

 

As many as one in three children will go through a fussy eating phase, according to research

 

Whether faced with fungal toes or oozing boils in her surgery or while filming for Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, there are few situations the Cambridge-based GP has found daunting. 

Yet when her 18-month-old daughter refused to eat nothing but sweetcorn and grapes, Irish-born Dr Pixie, 44, was stumped.

“You would probably assume that I’d know how to get my child to eat everything she should and the right amount at the right times but my goodness she was fussy,” says Dr Pixie, best known for the BAFTA-winning show she presents with Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Christian Jessen and Food Hospital on the same channel. 

And Pixie’s daughter Darcy, now three, is not unusual. As many as one in three children will go through a fussy eating phase, according to research. One in four parents will give up trying to get their children to eat healthily, although most start to try new foods after several months. 

“It seemed to last for ever though and I became obsessed with documenting what Darcy had for dinner,” says Dr Pixie, whose media career began in 2006 when she was asked to be the on-screen doctor in BBC Three’s Freaky Eaters. 

“Some days she would eat nothing but cheese. My mum used to say, ‘Look at all that cheese, she’s going to be a big ball of lard.’” 

 

To help parents steer their way through this tricky phase, Dr Pixie has joined PaediaSure Shake nutritional supplement drinks for children who are reluctant eaters. 

“As a parent you go through all these different milestones. You may have perceived the pregnancy to be difficult, like a constant exam but when you have your baby, then the work really starts,” she says. 

“And just when you’ve nailed one thing, along comes something else.” 

“Something as simple as eating, weaning your baby from liquids to solids, you think would be quite straightforward. It’s natural to want to eat, isn’t it? Yet it’s not. It can be a battle.” 

Dr Pixie, who has worked in paediatrics, says: “As a doctor I can easily spot a child who is unwell as a result of being nutritionally unbalanced. Or they might have a physical problem caused by not eating but I never realised fussy eating is a milestone in itself,” she says. 

“It’s very frustrating. If your child is teething, it’s not your fault and you can’t do anything about it. If they have colic, you can’t do much about it either. Yet eating is such a basic biological principle, it should be a no-brainer but it’s actually very complicated.” 

A child’s fussy eating phase tends to begin when they are one to two years old. 

 

Pixie's daughter, Darcy, refused to eat nothing but sweetcorn and grapes as a child

 

It is a pivotal time in a child’s life for many reasons. 

Some days she [my daughter] would eat nothing but cheese

Dr Pixie McKenna

 

“This is around the time the growth spurt slumps, as children grow the most they will ever grow between birth and a year old,” she explains.

“Their assertiveness also increases which is why fussy eating often leads to rows at dinner. 

“Our family are very much into sitting down together at meal times. I think it’s very important for kids to learn from their parents and also their siblings if they have them. My partner Mitch is much more practical than me. We play ‘good cop, bad cop’. I give in easily but if she hasn’t eaten a food, he will just take it away.”

Often a child’s fussy eating is put down to a fear of trying new foods. 

“Evolution dictates if you eat poison berries, they won’t taste nice. So children don’t like anything that tastes sour, bitter or more savoury as they often think it might be poisonous,” says Dr Pixie. 

“There’s something within our evolutionary make-up that makes us not want to try new foods and choose sweet things instead. All kids intrinsically have a sweet tooth. That’s how they are hard wired.” 

 

A child’s fussy eating phase tends to begin when they are one to two years old

 

Children also love routine and a further reason for fussy eating is as a result of that being disrupted. “When the child is around one, this is the time when parents tend to go back to work,” explains Dr Pixie. 

“They begin to understand that, if they make a hullaballoo at the dinner table, they’ll get a bit of attention.” 

As a first-time mum, Dr Pixie found herself preparing hundreds of extra meals in the hope something would take Darcy’s fancy. 

“I stopped doing that after a while, though, because I realised that you have to be a one-dish diner,” she says.

“A child will always eat if they are really hungry.” 

Dr Pixie found comfort in advice she received from other parents. 

She says: “Once you get talking about it, you’ll see just how common it is,” she says. 

“You always think you’re on your own and that nobody else has a similar problem but they do.” 

They still have the odd battle at dinner time but Dr Pixie is hopeful she is now out of the woods. 

“As a parent you can’t always see the end of a bad situation but it will get better,” she says. 

“There were times I thought she’d spend the rest of her life eating baked beans but now Darcy loves potatoes and spaghetti Bolognese. Avocado may still be off limits but we’re getting there.” 

 

   

Research has shown children often need to be offered something 10-15 times before they like it

 

DR PIXIE’S TIPS FOR STAYING CALM AT MEALTIMES 

? Persevere: If you offer your child something and they don’t like it, there is no need to worry. Research has shown children often need to be offered something 10-15 times before they decide they like it. 

? Lead by example: If you don’t like something, don’t expect your child to like it either. You can’t expect them to eat something you yourself have turned your nose up at. 

? Avoid trickery: Don’t try to feed them vegetables by stealth, by putting them into pasta or soups. They’re not stupid. By hiding food they don’t like, you might jeopardise the food they actually will eat.

? Eat with them: Children are chaotic but they do love a routine and having them sit at the table with you is good as they will see there is a social aspect to eating. 

? Keep calm: If there is a tantrum, a drama or the food is thrown, pick it up, swallow your pride and walk away. Even if it is your best effort. Don’t create a negative situation. 

Dr Pixie works with PaediaSure Shake to highlight the need for more realistic support for parents of fussy eaters. 

Visit fussyeaters.co.uk for more information.