The drink supplement trap for fussy eaters

One thing that comes up regularly when I speak to parents is advice to supplement their fussy eater’s diet with formula or Pediasure. This advice is generally to increase calories or nutritional intake, or both.

If a child is young and not eating well parents may be told to add in some formula. For reference, children over one year old do not generally need milk in their diet as all the nutrients and calories can be found in the foods we eat.

Formula is an easy way to supply extra calories. It is also very easy to consume and contains all those lovely connections to babyhood, particularly when served in a bottle.

If the child is older the recommendation is more likely to be Pediasure. Again, the philosophy is the same, a child is not gaining weight or missing out on nutrient so Pediasure steps in to cover that gap.

There are of course situations where a medical need necessitates supplementary feeding. For children with very low weight or who are struggling to grow as they are not taking in enough calories this could be absolutely necessary.

I am certainly not advocating going against the advice of your medical professional. However, I seem to be coming across a growing number of families who have a child whose food challenges have not improved — even across several…