10 Fussy eating red flags for babies & toddlers

I frequently speak to parents who have children whose eating challenges started when they were really little. Not the typical toddler fussies, but when they were first starting to eat as babies.

These are often parents not 2 or 3-year-olds, but children already at school or even college. Eating challenges that start very early on are almost always due to an underlying problem. If this is not addressed, it stands to reason that eating may not improve.

Similarly, if eating is difficult right from the start, it does not build comfort or joy around food and mealtimes. Again, and logically, this can make for ongoing feeding challenges.

Knowing what to look for if you do have a little one is important. * WARNING* some of this probably flies in the face of ‘food is just for fun under 12 months’ advice.

If you have an older child who is not eating well, and when they were younger they had some of these issues, it probably explains why they are still struggling, and why many of the usual strategies for helping children to eat don’t work.

Feeding red flags for babies & toddlers

1. Medical or oral motor challenges:

i) Issues coordinating eating and breathing.