This year’s Parental Advice Week (11th – 17th July) looks to tackle the problem of fussy eating amongst children. Almost a third (31%) of Brits would consider themselves to be picky eaters and research suggests that fussy eating starts at an early age. 20% of under five year olds are picky about their food and a third of parents admit that their toddler does not consistently eat the food that is prepared for them, with 69% of parents choosing to praise or reward their toddler when they do eat.

However, it has been shown that if your child has been introduced to a wide range of foods from a young age they are more likely to accept them. There is plenty of evidence to show that we learn our innate likes and dislikes at a very early age - in fact only 4% of new foods are accepted after the age of two. This is a clear indication that the first 24 months of a child’s life are key to introducing a wide variety of flavours, colours, odours and textures into their diet.

The Department of Health advise breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life, however some experts believe that this can risk narrowing the range of foods that a child will grow up to like. It seems essential to train our children’s taste buds just as they train all their other essential senses and as such, the food a baby eats in its first year should always be varied and taste like real food.