A children's dietitian has shared the reason toddlers suddenly refuse food they have previously loved, and it's nothing parents are doing wrong
Abigail Nicholson Content Editor
18:00, 15 Jan 2026
An expert has revealed why toddlers abruptly reject foods they've previously enjoyed, and it's not down to anything parents are doing incorrectly. At times it might seem as though your little one survives solely on fresh air, toast and the occasional biscuit that's fallen onto the floor.
Even when they've been introduced to countless different foods from six-months-old or have previously devoured whatever was placed before them, it's typical for youngsters to test limits during mealtimes. Toddlers are notorious for boundary-pushing, and Lucy, a paediatric dietitian who shares useful clips on TikTok, has explained that food-related fussiness follows the same pattern.
She outlined that there's arguably no better opportunity for toddlers to challenge boundaries and demonstrate autonomy and independence than whilst seated at the dining table. Rejecting meals, insisting on alternative foods and becoming upset when things don't go according to plan isn't merely another aspect of development - it's instinctive, according to Lucy.
She explained: "Toddlers eating behaviours change so much and, spoiler alert, it's absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do generally with what's going on with their growth and development. Whilst toddlers are getting bigger, the amount of energy they need per kilogramme of body weight actually drops after one year of age and you can see this with clothing sizes that suddenly slow down in how quickly they go up.
"Children also often grow in spurts so they might have more rapid periods of growth and then level off for a period of time. What this looks like is often children eating less, maybe even less than they did when they were a baby, which is very very normal.
"Periods of time where you feel like oh my god they're living on photosynthesis and then maybe other periods you think that they're acting like an angry warthog who hasn't been fed for three weeks. This lack of predictability can be quite a stressor for lots of parents but my advice is always to grab a surfboard and accept the fact that children at this age are brilliant at listening to their appetite and we want to trust that."
Lucy emphasised that parents ought to demonstrate understanding towards their toddlers' development, stressing that they aren't being difficult or mischievous deliberately.
She explained: "When it comes to eating behaviours there are a couple of things that really mean they can shift around food, and around mealtimes. One of the first things is the fact there is this increasing desire for independence, autonomy and wanting to do it themselves. Let's face it, mealtimes are a great time to assert some of this independence.
"This lovely developmental throwback that we have courtesy of the caveman era is something known as food neophobia, which directly translates as fear of new foods.
"Actually lots of toddlers don't just go off new foods, they go off foods they used to accept before. This will feel illogical to you but is very logical to them.
"Let's remember they don't have a fully developed brain that can process logic. They live in their bodies and they live in the moment. And actually they are primed and wired now with this alert system to say is this thing safe?".
Lucy went on to explain that this is precisely why youngsters will turn their noses up at numerous foods whilst consistently gravitating towards beige options such as toast, chicken nuggets and pasta.
She continued: "Increasingly independent toddlers who may have gone and had the bitter poisonous berries or the rotting carcass could have been at risk. So the brain primes them to be more cautious around foods.
"This is why predictable foods things look the same, feel the same, and look the same every time. Like beige foods are often preferred over things that are less predictable, harder to decipher.
"I want to finish with is that this isn't your fault. Do not take your toddler's food refusal personally. Even if you did everything by the book, followed the weaning books, ticked it all off and think I've nailed this.
"Remember biology development are largely what's in the driving seat here and actually yes, there are things we can do as parents to support them going forward."
Beneath the video, numerous mothers revealed they faced identical struggles with their little ones "surviving on air" or consuming only a handful of "safe foods". One woman shared: "My son used to eat EVERYTHING and literally overnight... he switched to only eating beige foods and 3 different vegetables."
Another person commented: "My little one is doing this now! I'm planning on still serving meals as normal and not offer alternative if she doesn't eat it, still offer fruit and Yoghurt after as we do this after every evening meal and offer a couple of snacks a day, is this right?"
To which Lucy responded: "Sounds spot on."
A third individual remarked: "He's gone from eating everything to basically air at this point."