Psychologists reveal their six top tips for combating fussy eaters this Christmas.
From eating as a family to hiding tempting foods and praising children for trying something new, these simple hacks could save table-time tantrums.
To coincide with the festive season, Dr Emma Haycraft from Loughborough University, exclusively told MailOnline: ‘When faced with a child who is eating a limited diet, refusing foods, including previously liked foods, and showing preferences only for unhealthy foods, many parents feel unsure how to manage each meal.
‘And, in some cases, the tactics that parents fall back on can inadvertently exacerbate the problem.
‘But, hopefully, by following these simple pointers you can encourage your youngster improve their diet and they might even enjoy it.’
Eating as a family, hiding tempting foods and offering praise can overcome fussy eating (stock)
Six tips to combat fussy eating over Christmas
Dr Haycraft and Dr Gemma Witcomb, also from Loughborough University, recommend parents do not pressure children into eating vegetables they strongly dislike as this will discourage them from trying new foods in the future.
Families should also sit down to eat the same meal together as youngsters are more likely to try new foods if they see others enjoying them.
They also recommend parents be careful about children’s portion sizes as they will not realistically eat everything if they are served too much.
Even if they do eat just a little bit, parents should praise them for trying something new as this will motivate them to do it again in the future.
Dr Haycraft and Dr Witcomb also recommend parents hide tempting foods they do not want children eating until after they are put to bed or pre-portion them into amounts they are happy for them to eat.
Finally, the experts add parents should not be too strict this festive season as a little indulgence alongside a healthy diet will do children no harm.
Psychologists recommend parents do not put too much pressure on youngsters
Why are children fussy?
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors developed a preference for sweet tastes as they typically provide lots of energy.
We are programmed to dislike bitter foods, such as Brussel sprouts, as these ran the risk of being rotten.
Dr Witcomb said: ‘The preference for sweet tastes and dislike of bitter tastes are innate and are heavily rooted in our evolutionary biology and they’re useful for signally energy density and food freshness.
‘What is important is how these eating behaviours are managed.’
‘Food refusal is actually a developmentally predictable stage that most children will go through, peaking around 18-to-24 months of age.
‘So, if your little one is at this stage in their life, don’t be surprised if their Christmas dinner is not gobbled up with glee.
‘Equally, don’t be surprised if they do seem to show an interest in eating your Christmas chocolates, but avoid the brussels sprouts.’
Dr Haycraft added: ‘When faced with a child who is eating a limited diet, refusing foods, including previously liked foods, and showing preferences only for unhealthy foods, many parents feel unsure how to manage each meal.
‘And, in some cases, the tactics that parents fall back on can inadvertently exacerbate the problem.
‘But, hopefully, by following these simple pointers you can encourage your youngster improve their diet, and they might even enjoy it.’