While fussy eating is part of normal childhood development, if meals with your child are ruled by what they refuse to eat, a paediatric clinical dietitian at UNSW Sydney is here to help win mealtimes back.
Dr Jennifer Cohen of UNSW Medicine says that fussy eating is something parents should know how to tackle and that in rare cases it might be a sign of an underlying condition.
“It’s actually normal for a child to go through a fussy eating stage – up to 50% of kids between one to two years old will be fussy eaters at some stage.
“We call that behavioural fussy eating and the theory behind why it happens is at that age, their growth has slowed down,” explains Dr Cohen.
Dr Cohen adds that at that age the child’s body “is focusing on more mental development”, which is why children may not be as hungry – “because they’re not growing as much”.
“A related theory is that while there’s so much brain development going on, the sensory system almost shuts down and because eating is such a sensory experience – involving taste, touch, smell, sound – if your brain is occupied with other tasks rather than the senses, food just doesn’t taste as good or is not as enjoyable as it used to be.”
Health implications of fussy eating
Dr Cohen says that about 10% of children never grow out of fussy eating and remain picky eaters into adulthood.
“It’s an unfortunate number, but fussy eating can persist, and it can become a problem if it turns into food aversion and that leads to food phobia.
“If someone has food phobia they are scared of food and reverse that is very difficult.
“Sensory issues are also a challenge to rectify,” says Dr Cohen.
However, Dr Cohen explains that it’s rare for fussy eating to impact a child’s growth or “develop into a condition as serious as scurvy … which is a disease caused by a nutritional deficiency of vitamin C from not eating fruit or vegetables”.
“Generally, fussy eaters will still consume enough calories – they’re just not getting it from a good variety of food,” continues Dr Cohen.
“So, the more common scenario in fussy eaters is to see things like nutrient deficiencies – for example, iron or zinc deficiencies can be a big problem or, if a child is not eating meat or dairy, they could become deficient in vitamin B12.”
Preventing fussy eating
Dr Cohen suggests the following tips to ensure fussy eating doesn’t become a habit:
- Introduce textured and finger foods to children when they start eating solids. Omitting or quickly moving on from pureed food will help a child’s development.
- Don’t mask flavours. Introduce your child to a good variety of flavours and don’t combine flavours.
- Avoid negativity. Never force your child to eat food they reject because negative reinforcement may potentially lead to food aversion.
- Regularly introduce your child to new foods, flavours and textures.
- Never assume your child will simply grow out of fussy eating – intervene early. If it’s clearly a problem as soon as they start solid foods, consult a professional to assess for sensory or swallowing issues.
Breaking the fussy eating cycle
If your child has already developed into a fussy eater, Dr Cohen suggests the following tips to break the cycle:
- Eat together as a family.
- Avoid cooking sperate meals to cater for your fussy eater and never assume your fussy eater “can just starve” if they refuse food.
- Place food in the centre of the table and let your child choose their own food rather than placing a plate of new foods in front of your fussy eater, as that can be stressful to them.
- Allowing fussy eaters to play with their food lets them feel comfortable with new foods and takes the stress away.
- Practice division of responsibility: your job is to provide the food you want your child to eat; their job is to decide whether they eat the food or not.
Above all – be patient
Dr Cohen points out that it’s important for parents to remember that fussy eating is not something that can be changed overnight.
“Reversing fussy eating takes a lot of time and a lot of patients – there’s no quick fix. There are many, many steps to take to get your child to eat a vegetable they don’t like. Aim for the small wins,” says Dr Cohen.
“Also, consider the attitudes you want your child to have about food as they get older.
“Provide constant positive reinforcement around food but they shouldn’t see it as a ‘reward’ because that can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food as they get older.”
