Fussy eating: when it is a phase and when to ask for help

Almost every child narrows their food list at some point, usually somewhere between two and five years old. That is developmentally normal and it often passes.

Some patterns are worth a closer look. If your child eats fewer than around fifteen to twenty foods, drops foods without adding new ones, gags or vomits at the sight or smell of food, cannot sit at the table with the family, or mealtimes have become distressing for everyone, support can make a real difference.

Feeding is a whole body skill. It involves sensory processing, oral motor strength, posture, attention and, importantly, felt safety. Pressure tends to shrink a child's food list rather than grow it.

What we do instead. We build tolerance in small, low pressure steps. Looking, touching, smelling, licking, then tasting, always at your child's pace, and always with the goal of making the table a calm place again.

If any of this sounds like your family, an assessment is a reasonable first step. There is no need to wait until mealtimes are unmanageable.