Child nutrition: the basics

Proper nutrition is one of the key conditions for a child's growth and development. Since every age has its own needs, a feeding plan should suit the child's age, weight and general condition.

I help you prepare a proper, age-appropriate nutrition plan for your child. I also advise on suitable foods and diets to keep vitamins and minerals in balance.

At the appointment we discuss topics such as infant feeding, when and how to introduce solid foods, daily meal routine, poor appetite and picky eating. I also take the child's height and weight into account.

Every child is different. That is why I give recommendations that suit your child's needs and your family's daily life.

If you have concerns about feeding, we can discuss them in detail during the appointment.

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Moving on to solid foods: what to watch

The move to solid food is defined by the child's readiness rather than a single date: holding the head steady, sitting with support, showing interest in food. International guidance links this period to around six months of age (see sources), but the decision is made for each child individually.

It helps to introduce new foods one at a time, a few days apart — that way it is possible to tell which food caused a reaction. Refusal is normal: a child sometimes needs many repetitions before accepting a new taste.

Poor appetite and fussy eating

Changes in appetite can follow changes in the pace of growth. What is concerning is not a smaller appetite but **a change in the direction of the weight curve** — which is why feeding is always assessed together with height and weight records.

Pressure at the table often produces the opposite of what is intended. A more workable approach is simple: adults decide what is offered; the child decides how much of it to eat.

Why keep a food diary?

A few days of such notes make a nutrition consultation far more productive. Growth indicators are followed at routine check-ups.

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Moving to the family table

The shift from feeding a child separately to eating together with the family is the stage that changes eating habits the most. Children learn what and how to eat by watching — so what the adults eat at the table has more influence than advice does.

The practical frame is simple: steady mealtimes, no screens at the table, and eating as its own activity (not in the car or between games). Too much snacking reduces appetite at main meals — very often that is the real reason behind «he doesn't eat».

Keeping portions small for the child's age and waiting for them to ask for more works better than pressure.

When to book an appointment

Weight gain stopping or falling, symptoms that repeat after eating, complete refusal of several food groups, difficulty swallowing — these are situations that need an examination.

The complaint «she eats too little», on the other hand, usually becomes clear when assessed together with the growth curve. So bring the latest height and weight measurements and a few days of food notes — a nutrition consultation is built on exactly that information.

How to introduce a change

Eating habits do not change in a day. Trying to change several things at once usually fails, because it becomes impossible to tell what worked. It is more useful to apply one change for several days, note the result, and only then move on to the next.

A child refusing something is not an immediate failure — accepting a new food usually takes repetition. Pressure has the opposite effect and turns the table into a tense place.

Eating together as a family

Children tend to copy what they see rather than what they are told. The habit of the family eating together, without screens, is one of the strongest influences on a child's eating. This is not a recommendation so much as a plain observation, and it costs nothing.

For an individual plan you can book a nutrition consultation.