If you’ve ever picked up your child from childcare and wondered if they’re living a secret life, you’re not alone.

Many parents hear enthusiastic reports from educators about adventurous eating, only to come home to a very different scene. The child who devoured a veggie-packed curry at lunchtime might turn into a picky eater refusing everything but dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.

While this can be frustrating, it’s completely normal.

Here’s why it happens and how you can manage it.

How Children Develop Their Tastes and Eating Habits

To understand why children eat differently at home versus childcare, it helps to look at two key factors shaping their food preferences:

1. Genetics: Our bodies come wired with survival instincts inherited from hunter-gatherer ancestors. This includes ‘food fussiness’, a natural hesitation around unfamiliar or bitter foods to avoid toxins and a preference for sweet, fatty, and protein-rich foods to fuel survival.
2. Eating environment: Kids’ surroundings, including carers’ habits, mealtime routines, social cues, and feeding practices, also play a big role in what they actually eat and enjoy.

These two factors interact to determine how fussy a child may be, what foods they like, and how open they are to trying new things.

Why Children Eat Differently at Childcare

The main reason kids behave differently in childcare is the environment. Here’s what often makes childcare meals distinct from home:

Childcare follows a set routine

Scheduled mealtimes teach kids to expect food at predictable times. Meals are designed to align with natural hunger cues and are offered for a limited window, which helps children focus on eating.

At home, less structure often leads to snacking that spoils appetite. Distractions like screens can also pull attention away from meals.

Peer influence and role models

Children are natural imitators. Seeing friends enjoy healthy food encourages them to try it too. Research shows that even placing a preschooler next to a peer who likes a vegetable can slowly change their preference.

Carers trained to show enthusiasm for nutritious foods also model positive behaviours like table manners. At home, busy schedules can make it harder for parents to provide the same guidance.

Exposure to new foods

Childcare menus follow Australian Dietary Guidelines and intentionally introduce new foods repeatedly, helping children become familiar with a variety of tastes and textures.

At home, families often fall into repetitive meal patterns.

Limited choices

Childcare meals are served without negotiation, which encourages children to try what’s on offer.

At home, negotiations or giving in to preferences can reinforce fussy eating and teach children they can hold out for favourite foods.

Some control over eating

Children have limited control over their day, so refusing foods at home can be a way to assert independence.

Childcare gives kids controlled autonomy, like serving themselves from shared platters, which can make them more willing to try new foods.

Less pressure at mealtimes

At home, parents often watch every bite, which can create stress. Childcare removes this pressure, letting children eat more freely and experiment with different foods.

Struggling to get kids eating well at home? A strong start to the day can make a big difference. Try these Breakfast For Fussy Eaters: Recipes That Actually Work.

Six Ways to Bring Childcare-style Eating Home

1. Keep a consistent routine

Serve meals and snacks at regular times, with snacks about two hours before meals. Put away devices so your child can focus fully on eating.

2. Model positive behaviour

Children copy what they see. Show excitement for healthy foods and trying new dishes, and they will be more likely to follow suit.

3. Make meals visually appealing

Include a mix of colours, textures, and flavours in fun ways. Repetition is key, but it can take eight to ten exposures before a child accepts a new food.

4. Offer limited choices creatively

Provide options in a controlled way, like platter-style meals. Avoid giving in to demands, as this reinforces pickiness.

5. Encourage independence

Let your child help with meal prep, whether in choosing recipes, washing veggies, or mixing ingredients. Being involved often sparks curiosity to taste what they’ve made.

6. Keep mealtimes relaxed

Eat together as a family when possible. Make trying new foods a calm, enjoyable experience to build positive associations with healthy eating.

As kids explore new flavours, offering familiar staples with a twist can really help. These 7 Simple and Delicious Rice Dishes For Picky Eaters are a tasty way to encourage variety while keeping meals comforting.

Bringing It All Together

It’s completely normal for children to eat differently at childcare and at home. Differences in routine, peer influence, exposure to new foods, and the level of pressure they feel all play a role. Adopting strategies used in childcare, such as keeping a consistent routine, modelling healthy eating, offering limited choices, encouraging independence, and keeping mealtimes relaxed, can help your child explore new foods and enjoy mealtimes more at home.

Patience and consistency make a real difference over time, helping reduce mealtime battles and supporting a positive relationship with food.

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Meet Dr Nick Fuller

My Story

As a father, I know first-hand that raising healthy and happy children is tricky. Children are fussy, particularly at the end of the day when they are shattered. We also live in a society where companies seek to profit from what we feed our kids; incorrect and damaging advice is pushed on us and marketed towards our children, and we have no time.

But with these recipes and resources, you and your children can enjoy simple and well-founded food and lifestyle choices for lifelong health.