When picky eating needs a doctor
Dinner can exhaust the whole family while the child is still fed, growing and swallowing safely. Taste a Day was made for evenings like those.
If a child is losing weight, choking or crossing foods off their list month after month, there is no need to wait for another card. It is time to speak to a doctor.
What to write down before the appointment
Which foods disappeared. Write down the food — cucumber, apples, bread — and when your child stopped eating it. Make a note if a whole group of foods has gone.
What is happening with weight and growth. If your child is losing weight or has stopped growing, book an appointment with their doctor. The app can wait.
How they eat and swallow. Coughing at the table, choking, gagging, vomiting at a texture and pain when swallowing all belong in your notes.
How frightened or distressed they become. Tell the doctor if your child cries at the sight of a plate, cannot stay in the room or remains distressed long after a meal. You do not have to decide whether it is fear or preference before asking for help.
When things changed. A sudden refusal after an illness, choking incident or another frightening meal is particularly useful to note.
What you use to fill the gaps. Write down formula, nutritional supplements and anything else the child relies on to get enough food in a day.
How food changes family life. Cooking a separate meal every night, avoiding visits, restaurants or nursery lunches — the doctor needs those details too.
Who to ask first
Start with your paediatrician or GP. Bring a week's food list, your notes on the changes and the names of any supplements. They may refer your child to a dietitian, a feeding and swallowing specialist or another relevant clinician.
If the only answer is "they will grow out of it", but nobody weighs your child or asks what they ate last week, you can ask again or seek a second opinion.
If your search brings up ARFID
ARFID is a diagnosis a clinician may consider when restricted eating affects health, growth or daily life and is not driven by body image.
Write the word down if the description sounds familiar and ask about it at the appointment. A checklist on a website cannot make the diagnosis.
If weight, growth or swallowing is involved, close the app and book an appointment. The diary can wait.
Taste a Day is a game and a habit tracker. It does not diagnose or treat feeding disorders, ARFID or any other condition. If eating is affecting your child’s health or growth, talk to a paediatrician. We are happy to be the thing you do between those appointments.