It's perfectly normal for toddlers to refuse to eat or even taste new foods. Children will usually eat enough to keep themselves going, so try not to worry unless your child is not putting on weight as quickly as they should or is obviously ill.

As long as your child eats some food from each of the five food groups (see The food groups explained in Useful links), even if it's always the same favourites, you don't need to worry. Gradually introduce other foods or go back to the foods your child didn't like before and try them again.

As long as your child is active and gaining weight, they're getting enough to eat, even if it may not seem like it to you.

The best way for your child to learn to eat and enjoy new foods is to copy you. Try to eat with them as often as you can so that you can set a good example.

Children are very quick to pick up on your feelings about food. Perhaps you're on a diet, have a weight problem or are just very keen to eat healthily. Your child may sense your anxiety or use mealtimes as a way to get attention.

These tips may help:

• Give your child the same food as the rest of the family and eat your meals together if possible.
• Give small portions and praise your child for eating, even if they only manage a little.
• If your child rejects the food, don't force-feed them. Just take the food away without comment. Try to stay calm even if it's very frustrating.
• Don't leave meals until your child is too hungry or tired to eat.
• Your child may be a slow eater so you may have to be patient.
• Don't give too many snacks between meals. Limit them to, for example, a milk drink and some fruit slices or a small cracker with a slice of cheese.
• It's best not to use food as a reward. Your child may start to think of sweets, for example, as nice and vegetables as nasty. Instead, reward them with a trip to the park or promise to play a game with them.
• If your child fills up with juice or squash between meals and refuses milk or snacks, gradually reduce the amount of juice or squash they have. Dilute it well with water, and give them a small amount of food. Children sometimes get thirst and hunger mixed up and say they're thirsty when they're really hungry.
• Make mealtimes enjoyable and not just about eating. Sit down and have a chat about other things.
• If you know any other children of the same age who are good eaters, ask them to tea. A good example can work well, as long as you don't talk too much about how good the other children are.
• Ask an adult who your child likes and looks up to to eat with you. Sometimes a child will eat for someone else, like a grandparent, without any fuss.
• Children's tastes change. One day they'll hate something, a month later they'll love it. A diet of beans, fish fingers, fruit, potatoes and milk is boring, but it's perfectly healthy.