How to encourage a picky eater

Q: My 11-month-old used to eat everything I put in front of him, but now he will only eat fruit and rice cereal. What should I do?

A: Your son is developing likes, dislikes and preferences. However, it’s essential that he maintain a healthy diet with sufficient calories. There are a number of books that will help you provide him with good nutrition that he will accept. Two of my favourites are Better Baby Food by Daina Kalnins and Joanne Saab and The Baby’s Table by Brenda Bradshaw and Lauren Donaldson Bramley. As your son is a year old and now able to eat a wide variety of food, keep offering him a range of choices and let him see you enjoying different tastes. Be careful not to overreact to short-term food behaviours — I believe even the youngest of children can pick up on cues of how to push parents’ buttons. His current food choices, while not enough variety in the long run, can certainly provide him with some dairy, iron, vitamins, fibre and calories. I would keep him on a multivitamin until his diet broadens.