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Have you got a fussy pup? Don’t worry - you’re not alone! In fact, it’s something most parents go through with their kids. And the good news is that as they get older, they will most likely grow out of it. Anything is paw-sible!

It’s perfectly normal for toddlers to go through fussy eating spells every now and then. One day barely eating, then the next day wolfing down their food and coming back for seconds. Luckily, kids are fairly good at regulating how much food they need, and as long as they are able to tackle their daily adventures and seem to be healthy and well, they are likely to be getting enough food.

“The trick is not to worry about what your child eats in a day or if they don’t eat everything at mealtimes. It’s more helpful to think about what they eat over a week.” - nhs.uk

While fussy-eating is normal for young kids, it’s important to make sure they get the vitamins & other nutrients they need to keep them adventure-ready. So, to give you a helping hand, our paw-tastic nutritionists have shared their top tips for parents of fussy pups:

Offer small portions regularly & stick to a routine

To help picky pups get the nutrition they need, offer food in small portions and often. For example, 3 meals with 2 snacks between mealtimes (1 between each meal).

Try to keep it consistent, and if they are not eating it straight away or have not eaten it in 20-30 minutes, save it for the next mealtime or for when they next say they’re hungry. Try not to offer alternatives as that might encourage them to refuse the food you offer to get the food they want!

The NHS generally recommends the 5 a day rule, having 5 portions of different fruit and vegetables a day. This can be tricky with fussy eaters, so as long as they get food from the 4 main food groups, this should be enough.

• Fruit & vegetables
• Starchy carbohydrates
• Dairy / dairy alternatives
• Proteins

Snack time is your chance to get creative! Healthy snacks are a perfect way to offer at least 2 of their 5 a day:

• Carrot sticks – source of Vitamin A, K, B6 and C
• Apple slices – source of Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6 and C
• Grapes – source of Vitamin B1, B2, B6, C and K

Offer new foods & keep offering

Studies show that it can take up to 10 - 15 tastes of new food before a child gets used to it, so don’t be discouraged if they don’t eat a new food straight away. Keep offering the same item in various combinations with the foods you know they like. Eventually they will take a bite! You can also get creative with the serving – setting food on a plate in shapes of animals or faces to make it fun and interesting for them – like their favourite PAW Patrol pup!

Involve them in cooking & make it fun

By getting your pups involved with cooking, or even just picking out ingredients for the meal, they may be more enthusiastic about giving it a try.

Emma, mum of 2-year-old PAW Patrol fan Leo from Worcester, says, "me and my son like making smoothies together and he will happily drink it afterwards. He also likes picking out his own toppings when we make homemade pizzas".

Here’s a few ways for your pups to get their paws into some fun food prep:

• Allow them to wash the vegetables, mix the salad, stir the sauce or even just to get the items out from the fridge/cupboard
• Get fun shape cutters for baking or cutting sandwiches into shapes
• Take them shopping with you – it can be a great way for kids to be involved by getting them to pick out fruit and vegetables.

Minimise distractions

Whenever you can, sit down together as a family to enjoy the meal without any electronic devices and toys. This helps kids differentiate mealtime from playtime.

Get the pack together

Invite your pups’ pack over to eat together. With all paws on deck and munching the same food, they may be encouraged to try food which they wouldn’t normally eat.

Helping parents of picky pups everywhere!

You might not see the changes over night, so give it time and try lots of different things to find what works for the pups in your pack.

Find out about the essential vitamins for kids in our blog!