Fussy eating is a relatively common phenomenon in children and it is widely agreed to be a part of normal toddler development. It tends to start between 12-18 months, peak at around 3 years and then gradually improve for the majority of children.

When it comes to knowing how much to food to prepare for your weaning infant, or how much they ‘should’ be eating, many of us are lost. We scour the internet for guidance on portion sizes but can’t find the information. This is because there are no agreed portion sizes for infants.

So what influences how much a weaning baby may eat?

A variety of questions come up, when parents are first thinking about starting solid foods with their infants. Lucy has written a very helpful frequently asked questions style blog to address all the things you need know!

I find myself talking about iron to parents a lot of the time in my nutrition practice, but that is because it is such an important nutrient for babies and young children! In this blog I will explain why iron is such a critical nutrient and how to provide enough iron in your baby’s diet.

I support families of children who have feeding difficulties, I also support many parents, usually mothers, who feel low and isolated and who tell me they feel they feel helpless or that they are failing. It is important to me to always talk to families about how they are feeling and the journey they have been are on as I strongly believe that families can be traumatised by challenging early feeding experiences and that part of my role is to listen and help.

Gagging is a reflex that is present from birth and remains with us for our whole lives. It’s purpose is to protect our airways and stop foreign objects and foods from ‘going down the wrong way’ and reduces the risk of us choking.

In babies the gag reflex is further forward in the mouth than it is in adults. By the age of 4-6 months your baby will begin to have some more control of this reflex, which coincides with being ready for weaning at around 6 months.

For many families, moving on from pureed solids can seem like a daunting task, when thinking about what textures to introduce, how to know if your baby is managing and what to do if they gag or choke as you progress through solid foods. This article will help you progress through textures and gives hints and tips to help if you get stuck on pureed foods.

Beginning the weaning journey with your little one is such an exciting time for so many reasons, but there is so much to prepare for! Between deciding when your baby is ready, choosing a highchair, first foods, baby led weaning or purees and so much more, it’s important not to forget that above all, any food you serve needs to be safe!

What is a tongue tie?

A tongue tie, also known as ankylogossia is where the small strip of tissue known as the lingual frenulum, which connects the tongue to the floor of mouth, is too short, too tight or too close to the gum ridge.

When this occurs, it can impact on tongue movement, which in turn can impact on the feeding process.

There are two types of tongue tie, anterior and posterior

I met Sam during my time studying for my IBCLC lactation consultant qualification. Sam was pregnant at the time. She gave birth to her gorgeous daughter Roisin in 2019. Roisin has Down syndrome. In order to raise awareness of Down's syndrome on World Down syndrome day 2020, Sam is sharing her feeding journey.

ow's milk allergy (CMA) is the leading cause of food allergy in children under 3 years of age. It is thought to peak in the first year of life, with true CMA affecting 2-3% of the infant population.

CMA can be IgE or Non-IgE mediated or a mixture of both. IgE mediated allergy will present as an immediate reaction to the milk protein and your child may develop hives or breathing difficulties

Introducing snacks for weaning and then managing them for toddlers can be a bit of minefield. When I do my social media Q&A’s snacking one of the most common question themes that comes up.

Starting weaning is an exciting milestone for you and your baby. However, if your child has a cow’s milk allergy, you may be worried about dairy free weaning. You may have questions like: what should a dairy free baby eat, what if they are allergic to something else, and how do I ensure they get enough calcium?

Selecting a highchair for your baby is a rite of passage. As parents we usually consider affordability, size, style and practicality when making our choice. But do we consider how it may help our babies eating?

Eating requires a number of finely tuned movements known as oral motor skills and they develop both with time - as our babies get older and with experience and practice with eating. The oral motor movements for eating are finely graded movements. They are aided by core or central stability

By Julia Wolman Registered Nutritionist

From the day your baby is born, it’s all about the milk. Are they feeding often enough? Should they be having more? Are they having too much?

After the first few months, when some semblance of routine is (finally) beginning to emerge, it’s time for something new – solids! To start with, milk feeds continue as usual whilst baby gets used to new tastes and textures. Some time between 6-12 months

Introducing solid foods to your baby is an exciting time. However, for some of the parents I work with it can also be worrying for fear of gagging and choking. Below is some useful information to help you feel more confident when weaning your baby to solid foods.

Gagging is a normal protective reflex that is highly sensitive when weaning starts. This is because its designed to stop your baby from choking

I was invited by Victoria Rose, Founder at Allaboutbabies to write about every parents nightmare (and often reality) fussy eating. There's nothing worse than spending time and energy preparing yummy meals only to have your toddler refuse to eat them. Take a look at my facts and fixes.