mealtimes with a fussy eater can be challenging and mothers often bear the brunt of it fussy eating toddlers have strong likes and dislikes and will resort to tantrums if their favourite food is not on the table for right growth they require a good mix of macro and micro nutrients that comes from five food groups vegetables fruits protein dairy and cereals the age from two to six is the prime time for children to get the right amount of nutrients that lay the foundations to help them grow to their maximum potential however fussy eating behaviours which commonly manifest in toddlers affect nutritional intake that can have a longterm impact on overall growth and development of childrenso how can mothers with toddlers who are fussy eaters ensure their kids are getting the right nutrition for right growthdr harish shetty psychiatrist at nityan and clinic mumbai says food consumption patterns and preferences are formed very early in life toddlers eating behaviour is determined by food habits of parents and how they perceive food the ecosystem around the child plays a critical role in establishing and promoting behaviours that will persist throughout his or her life dietary habits are shaped at a young age and maintained during later life with tracking over timeidentifying types of fussy eating behaviorsfirst it is important to define and understand what constitutes picky eating toddlers are classified as picky eaters if they display at least two of the following behaviourseating only a limited number of foodsunwilling to try new foodsrefusing to eat vegetables andor foods from other food groupsshowing strong food likes and dislikesdisplaying behaviour that disrupts mealtimesspeaking on the types of fussy eaters dr irfan a shaikh head scientific medical affairs abbotts nutrition business says by the time children turn three most of them have tried about 70 foods and they like 4050 of those typically consuming 1114 solids and liquids in a day however food selectivity is when a child refuses to eat foods of particular colours tastes sweet salty bitter or sourtextures soft crunchy pureed or lumpy or consistencies solid or liquidaddressing fussy eating in toddlerseven as toddlers children are able to decide what they want to eat and getting them to eat something which they dont like has to be a conversation or sometimes even a bargain and that means force feeding is not a solution in fact the habit of force feeding can itself be the cause of resistance in the child parents worried about their childs fussy eating behaviours can address it with rigour and tacthere are some proven ways to ensure that toddlers form the right feeding habits and get the right nutritionmaintain a food diary make a list and track what they routinely eat and drink on an average day next keep a watch on what they eat or drink when variety is offered while noting which foods they refuse do they hate certain textures flavours colours or consistencycreate a food chain foodchaining is a