Symposium: NutritionManaging common feeding difficulties in toddlers and pre-school children

Feeding problems in young children are common and although they are a cause of significant worry to many parents, most will resolve without intervention by health professionals. Some of the most frequently reported problems are picky eating, neophobia (refusal to eat new foods), dislike of certain food textures or food groups (usually vegetables!) and simply not eating enough. This review will describe the common features of these difficulties and provide some evidence-based techniques for minimising their effect. We will also discuss the management of parental anxiety around child feeding which not only impacts negatively on family relationships and interactions at mealtimes, but may even exacerbate the child's problematic eating behaviour.