How can I tell whether my picky child is eating enough?
Assess intake through growth over time, activity, dietary variety and health rather than one meal or comparison with siblings. Toddlers’ appetites naturally fluctuate. Weight loss, swallowing difficulty or reduced activity needs assessment; a fixed wet-nappy count cannot judge nutrition at every age.
Details
Look at the pattern over several days
Review the week’s intake and offer regular meals with small age-appropriate portions and varied food groups. A food-and-drink record can help a clinician understand the concern.
Encourage without pressure
Eat together and calmly reoffer unfamiliar foods without forcing, bargaining or using sweets as a reward. Appetite may fall after the rapid growth of infancy; one refused meal does not establish deficiency.
When to seek support
Consult a paediatric clinician for faltering growth, a very restricted diet, pain during eating or recurrent choking. Poor feeding or lethargy in an infant requires prompt assessment. Do not start appetite stimulants or high-calorie supplements before clarifying the problem.
Related reading: When should a child’s weight or changing growth curve be assessed?.