Feeding a baby or toddler is not always easy and uncomplicated, even if other parents, advertising or social media may give this impression.

What if, for example, your child rejects food, starts crying as soon as he or she sees the bottle, resists being put in the chair and regularly spits out the first spoon? What if your child stops gaining weight or even loses weight as a result? In this case, it may happen that everything revolves around feeding and eating, and everyday life is characterized by worries about the healthy development of the child. These worries can lead to parents feeling very insecure about feeding. As a result, many parents start following the manufacturer’s instructions on the food packaging rather than the hunger and satiety signals their child gives them, and then offer food excessively often. Such feeding situations are often characterized by nervousness, insistence, or coercion, which makes the child even more likely to reject the meal – even we adults would find it difficult to eat peacefully under such conditions. Imagine sitting in a restaurant and the waiter shoving a fork into your mouth, watching exactly how quickly and how much you eat – that’s no fun!

Transient feeding problems

Transient feeding problems are frequently reported by parents, even in healthy and well-fed babies and toddlers. Up to 25% of all children in the first two years of life experience such difficulties temporarily.

Usually, they are referred to as “adjustment difficulties” that your child may have during the transition phases to new foods, such as:

• transitioning from breastfeeding to sucking on a bottle
• introducing solid foods (complementary foods) or new flavors
• transitioning to family food
• at the beginning of independent eating
• when feeding situations change (e.g. change of environment).

In many cases these problems will improve and you “only” need patience until your child has become familiar with the new food or form of presentation. Give your child and yourself time to adjust to new situations, new foods, or new dosage forms.

Persistent feeding problems

Sometimes feeding problems can be more persistent and become a real emotional burden for you and your child. Many parents whose child has feeding problems describe:

• Fear for the development, thriving and survival of their child
• fear of failure, not being able to adequately feed or breastfeed their child
• deep insecurity
• feeling of pressure to perform
• pressure from the environment
• the feeling that feeding situations become a power game

A persistent feeding problem means:

• Your child continuously eats less than appropriate for their age.
• Your child avoids food or consistently shows no interest in eating.
• Your child exhibits extremely picky eating behavior.
• Your child holds food in his or her mouth without swallowing it or regularly chokes up food.
• The main food intake is only possible when your child is half asleep or your child only eats in very specific situations (e.g. in front of the TV, while playing).
• The problematic feeding situation has been going on for more than one month.
• Die FüttersituThe feeding situation is burdening for your child, its development, for you as parents, or the relationship between you and your child.

Remember: You don’t have to solve your child’s feeding problems on your own! In the Emergency & Help section you can find a list of suitable contact points for professional help in your area. For acute crisis situations, you will find an emergency plan with emergency contacts in this app.