It is hoped that the information available on this page will help to support your understanding of your child’s eating. As a parent/carer it can be hard to understand why a child is eating the way they are. Often their behaviours and choices can feel quite random which can leave you feeling very frustrated, upset and confused. This in turn can lead to more stressful mealtimes which can result in children eating even less. By reading and watching information we hope that you will begin to see patterns which help explain what you are experiencing at home. Once your child’s eating is understood, their choices often make more sense.

We understand that changing behaviours and developing new skills can take a long time and this can be even more difficult in children with a diagnosis or behaviours associated with autism. It is important to be consistent in your approach (this includes all care givers for your child) and you are unlikely to see any significant changes in a few days/weeks.

Where to start?

There is a lot of information within the resource’s hub. Much of it has been developed and designed by the services feeding specialists but we have also included links to other good sources of information. Please use the table below to identify what you are most concerned about and then start with the information suggested before then exploring what’s on the rest of the page. 

Concern	Suggested articles
Being slow to progress with weaning from milk	Success with solids Learning to chew Learning to feed yourself
Struggling to develop their chewing skills	Learning to chew Understanding finger foods using IDDSI
Having a highly variable and inconsistent eating patterns	Understanding how children balance their eating Why some children struggle to eat
Drinking milk in preference to eating	The impact of too much milk on children’s eating Understanding how children balance their eating
My child is delayed in their development and their motor and eating skills are delayed	The importance of seating and positioning Success with weaning Advice on learning to feed yourself Learning to chew
Fussy eating / limited diet	Would you eat a tarantula Coping with fussy eating Why some children struggle to eat Understanding how children balance their eating Making food fun Introducing buffet style meals Introducing new foods to hesitant eaters
Limited diet for child with autism or sensory differences	How our senses impact our eating and food choices The potential impact of autism on eating and drinking Introducing new foods to hesitant eaters
Having to adjust their intake to support being a healthy weight	What is a balanced diet How to achieve a balanced diet
Concerns that they are not getting enough specific vitamins or minerals (i.e. iron)	Vitamins and mineral supplements How to achieve a balanced diet

The following tiles are advice sheets to give you ideas, strategies and activities to do with your child to enable them to change and develop new skills.