Exploring New Foods at Nursery

Meet Jayne, mother of two and member of our fantastic Parent Panel*; a diverse community of Bright Horizons parents sharing their experiences of raising happy, thriving and confident children. In this blog, Jayne tells us how her Bright Horizons nursery helped her son to explore a wider range of foods.

*Incentivised content

My son is a fussy eater, and when I say fussy, I mean he mostly likes beige food. He’s a fish fingers chips and beans kind of child. We have of course tried to inject a bit of colour into his diet at home, hidden veggie pasta and so on, but I think he could sniff out vegetables from a mile away and so often rejected these options. So, when he started nursery at age two, I was a little apprehensive that the more colourful options put in front of him by our chosen Bright Horizons nursery would go untouched. However, I needn’t have worried.

Our nursery success story

I am pleased to say that he now eats things I would never even dream of putting in front of him. On the days when he is attending nursery, I regularly check the Bright Horizons app to see what he has been up to and how he has eaten. Take today for example, I logged on to find he’s eaten tomato roast pepper & mackerel pasta! If I had the audacity to put that dish in front of him at home, he’d absolutely refuse it and possibly launch it at the wall. Something I had a good laugh about with the staff about at pick up.

Mealtime magic

So, how do they do it? Is it some sort of magic? Firstly, I think it’s the structured mealtimes, where all the children sit down to eat together. Our Bright Horizons nursery also involves the children in activities like setting the table ready for meals, which I think really helps get them stuck in with the process. Then there is the impact of positive peer pressure, seeing all their little friends sitting around the table tucking in helps to reinforce the idea that the food they have in front of them is in fact yummy.

Sensory exploration activities within our Bright Horizons nursery also play their part. This is something we actively partake in at home as I am a huge fan of sensory-based play trays. Exposing children to different textures with their hands and sensations has such an important impact on their long-term relationship with food. Knowing that this is also something my son gets to do at nursery is really important for me as a parent.

The role of the nursery team

However, I think the most important factor has to be the patience of the nursery staff. They are constantly reassuring and do not apply pressure. I know that they are very supportive and encouraging when the children are all sitting together. I’m certain that this has been the reason for the change in my son’s new acceptance of non-beige food and for that I am a very grateful parent.

Changes at home

At home, we have been able to introduce some different options. This helps us out greatly as a family as his tastes are becoming more aligned with our own food preferences. Whilst I think I am a far way off being able to sit him down with red pepper and mackerel pasta, he is certainly now more accepting of a splash of colour in his diet and that is amazing.

If you enjoyed this article and found it to be useful, you can check out more of our early childcare resources in our Family Resource Zone!

And, if you’re not yet a Bright Horizons parent, but are interested in what our nurseries can offer your child on their exciting educational journey, book a personal tour at your local nursery today!