Video helps parents of fussy eaters

A short evidence-based video helps parents of fussy eaters steer their kids towards healthy eating, new research shows.

The video, which includes a story, an analogy and the acronym, HEART, was developed by Dr Sam Marsh, a senior research fellow in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. 

“We tried to align with parents’ value of wanting to raise healthy children and offer some simple tools,” Marsh says. “We know it’s hard having young children, so we didn’t want to make parents feel guilty.”

The video uses a story that helps parents put themselves in their child’s shoes at mealtimes, as well as an analogy and a mnemonic.

“We got parents to imagine coming home from a hard day at work, sitting down at the table, and then somebody throwing all these questions at them about what foods they want, and then dumping a massive plate of food in front of them, foods they are not familiar with, and demanding they eat it.”

“Then we painted another picture where you come home, your partner takes care of everything. They put a nice plate, with not too much food, in front of you, and you have a pleasant conversation during the meal. How much more relaxed will you feel?”

The metaphor was teaching a teenager to drive a car, making the point that children need to learn how to eat and it is a process.

“They are in control of driving the car, just like children are in control of what they eat,” says Marsh.

“You can't force a child to chew their food and swallow, but the things we can control are when they eat, where they eat, and what they eat. That is our job as parents.”

The acronym, HEART, reminds parents of the strategies they can use.
- H is for ‘helping’, getting children to help prepare food: they are much more likely to eat food if they are engaged in putting it together.
- E is for ‘environment’, for example, eating as a family at the table with no screens or other distractions.
- A is for leading with your ‘ace’ by starting with healthy foods, creatively prepared.
- R is for ‘rules’, such as at least 90 minutes between a snack and a meal. Rules for parents include never using food as a reward or punishment. “If you do not eat your broccoli, you won't get dessert,” reinforces the value of dessert and that there's something wrong with broccoli.
- T is for ‘trust’: “We know children need to feel emotionally safe and relaxed to eat and try new foods. So, connecting with your child before dinner, even in a small way can be very helpful.”

In written feedback, parents were overwhelmingly positive about the video resource.

Comments included, ‘Practical tips, handled a sensitive topic well, wasn’t judgmental.’

Results from the pilot trial, involving almost 100 parents and their children aged three to six years, show those who used the video made positive changes and enjoyed the process. See Appetite (March 2026).

“Research shows that positive parental feeding behaviours are associated with better appetite self-regulation in kids,” says Marsh.

“A child who knows when they are hungry and stops eating when they are full will tend to have a healthier bodyweight and a better relationship with food when they get older.”