Children often have days when they eat plenty and days when they eat very little. In the short term, on days when a child eats very little, you sometimes see it affect their mood or energy levels. Things typically improve on days when they have eaten better. In the long term, most children, including picky eaters, eat enough food to grow in a way that is right for them.

Your Health Visitor or School Health Nurse can tell if your child is getting enough to eat in the long term by plotting their height and weight every few months on a growth chart. With pre-school children, this is often recorded in their red book. 

By looking at the overall trend over time, it is possible to tell if have been eating enough food enough help them grow appropriately. Bear in mind that some children are naturally short or tall, thin or fat. Our genes play an important role in determining our size and shape.