Picky Eater

Picky eating is a very common feeding problem parents face in early childhood. In a study published in the journal of behavioural nutrition and physical activity, 14% to 50% of parents report their preschoolers to be picky eaters⁽⁹⁾. This behaviour often involves rejecting new foods, refusing a particular food group, or sticking to a limited diet. 

While it is a common stage in children, it can sometimes persist, becoming a habit and affecting their overall health. A Study found that a persistent selective eating habit in children could be linked to sensory sensitivity, which leads to an increased risk of ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) later in life.⁽¹³⁾

Most parents complain that mealtime with a picky eater is stressful and full of meltdowns. You might be wondering what caused your child to be a picky eater and if this stage will ever end. 

This article will provide an overview of the causes of picky eating, how it impacts nutrition, and recommended tips and solutions to curb this issue.

Common Mealtime Behaviours in Fussy Eaters 

A study analysed Children’s feeding habits and found that fussy eating could be linked to child anxiety and feelings of disgust, family stress and conflict at mealtimes as well as high levels of parent concern and frustration.⁽²¹⁾

A study analysed Children's feeding habits and found that fussy eating could be linked to child anxiety and feelings of disgust, family stress and conflict at mealtimes as well as high levels of parent concern and frustration.⁽²¹⁾

Research shows that characteristics of a picky eater include eating a limited amount of food, refusing food (particularly fruits and vegetables), being unwilling to try new foods, accepting only a few types of food, preferring drinks over food, and having strong food preferences.⁽¹²⁾

Fussy eating is the consumption of an insufficient amount and variety of foods by rejecting a substantial amount of familiar and unfamiliar foods. Most picky eaters have a characteristic common amongst them during mealtime. These behaviours could include: 

Food Neophobia: This is the fear or reluctance of trying new foods or mixed foods⁽⁶⁾. It is a common behaviour found in most picky eaters and is a leading cause of undernutrition due to a restricted diet if not addressed.  

Preference for the same foods: Showing extreme preference for specific foods is a common sign of a picky eater. In most cases, a picky eater would insist on eating the same food every day, or require the food to have a specific presentation. For example, your child could want their sandwich cut a certain way. 

Food texture or colour Aversion: Rejecting certain foods because they look or feel a certain way is a common behaviour found in fussy eaters and is linked to sensory sensitivity.  

Children with this sensitivity refuse foods that have certain textures. This is more common with mushy and mixed foods.

Selective of Food Groups: Some picky eaters are selective of a certain type or group of foods. For example, consistently eating only carbohydrates like white rice or only fruits while avoiding vegetables like broccoli and proteins like fish and chicken.

Prolonged Eating Time: a common behaviour in picky eaters is taking excessive time to eat their meals or leaving the table repeatedly. Some even go as far as leaving the table during mealtime to play.

Disruptive Behaviour: Behaviours such as crying and throwing tantrums during mealtime are also common signs of a picky eater. This usually occurs when they aren't given foods they prefer or are given foods they don't like, and are still expected to eat. 

These behaviors are not just picky eating signs in children, but are often early indicators of selective eating habits in your child that can persist for a long time without proper guidance. Recognising these behaviours ear.

Causes of Picky Eating and Solutions 

Dr. Emma Hubbard, a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, says that the root of picky eating in children often lies in parents' attempts to solve their child's dislike for certain foods. Solutions such as sneaking foods they don't like into foods they love.

She says that when children find foods they hate in foods they love, they develop trust issues in the parents and consequently the foods they love, making their picky eating worse. 

A study of 913 children and parent pairs showed that picky eating in children can be linked to parents being picky eaters as well.⁽²²⁾

Research shows that picky eating in children is caused by a number of factors such as child anxiety, sensory sensitivity in the child, family stress and parental concern and frustration.⁽²¹⁾

Sensory sensitivity and taste sensitivity

Sensory sensitivity to food is a trait where individuals experience a heightened or intense reaction to certain foods. Studies show that children with heightened oral sensory sensitivity are significantly more likely to be picky eaters, particularly rejecting foods that are slimy, mushy, or strongly flavored.⁽¹⁸⁾

To solve this, you can gradually introduce your child to foods they find sensitive by letting them hold, smell or taste it even if they end up not eating it. 

Child characteristics

Some children are just naturally cautious of foods they are unfamiliar with and may not want to eat them. As a solution, you can start by role modeling which involves you eating these foods in front of your child. This helps them understand that such foods aren't so bad after all.  

Fear of New Foods

Neophobia, or fear of new foods, is a normal developmental phase in children around age 2–3 years of age. Studies show that this fear is often worsened when children are forced to try foods or scolded during mealtime. 

To solve this, you can offer new foods to your child repeatedly without trying to force them. You can also present such foods with the foods they like in a fun manner, such as in animal shapes or food faces. 

Parent Style and Practices

Parental approach towards children plays a huge role in shaping eating behavior. A 2022 study published in the journal of BMC Psychology compared parenting styles and found that positive/authoritative parenting (firm but nurturing) was linked with healthier eating patterns, while negative/authoritarian (strict) and permissive (overindulgent) parenting styles increased picky eating in the children.⁽⁷⁾

Parents should focus on being more firm towards their picky eaters like setting boundaries during mealtime but still maintain a nurturing approach such as offering support and encouragement. You are advised to avoid permissive behaviours such as bribing and overly catering to your child's demands. 

Lack of Routine or Structure

A lack of routine and structure towards mealtime like irregular meals and snacking before meals leads to fussy eating. 

You can set a mealtime routine such as 3 compulsory meals and 2 snacks a day and set structures such as no snacks before meals and no screen time during meals. This can help reduce distraction and make your child more focused on eating. 

Parental anxiety

Anxious parents end up pressuring children to eat which consequently makes mealtime more stressful for the child. 

Focus on building a positive and exciting food environment for your child. Start by letting your child decide how much they can eat instead of force feeding and always remember to stay calm if the food is rejected.

Negative mealtime experiences

Negative experiences that involve scolding, restraints and tension from parents can condition children to associate mealtime with stress, inadvertently leading to fussy eating. 

Instead, it's best to create a calm atmosphere by either sitting together with your child to eat and keeping light conversations . The key is to avoid turning mealtime with your picky eater into a power struggle or negotiation spree. 

Medical Issues

Studies show that children with health issues such as Autism and ADHD have sensory sensitivity which affects how they perceive certain textures leading to picky eating.⁽¹⁾

Sometimes, picky eating stems from underlying medical concerns such as reflux, food allergies, oral-motor delays, or Gastrointestinal issues. These can cause food aversion in children due to pain or discomfort. 

You can consult your pediatrician if eating is consistently difficult for your child or is accompanied by symptoms like gagging, vomiting, or weight loss. An evaluation may reveal physical reasons behind the selective eating.

Developmental Stage

Sometimes, most toddlers are just going through a phase of food refusal as it's a stage where they try to assert independence. A study confirms that 2–6-year-olds commonly exhibit neophobia and food selectivity as a temporary behavior.⁽⁶⁾

To solve this, you must first understand that it's a common behavior in children and guide your child gently. You can offer a variety of foods without pressure and trust your child’s ability to self-feed.

Prolonged spoon feeding and a lack of practice chewing

Constantly spoon feeding your child purees and delaying exposure to textured foods can impact oral-motor development. A study found that children introduced to lumpy textures after 10 months were more likely to be picky eaters at age 3.⁽³⁾

Instead, introduce soft, chewable textures gradually once your baby shows readiness around 6–8 months. This encourages self-feeding and chewing to build oral confidence and reduce aversions.

Limited Diet

When you repeatedly serve only a certain type of food in a bid to be “safe” just to avoid meltdowns, children’s diets become narrow, consequently leading to nutrient gaps and further food aversions. A study found that children with limited diets due to food selectivity consumed fewer vegetables, proteins, and essential nutrients.⁽¹⁾

To solve this, you can include one preferred food, one new food, and one neutral item during mealtime. Keep rotating options to increase food acceptance while respecting boundaries.

Will Picky Eating Affect My Child's Nutrition and Development?

Dr. Eric Berg DC, in his video about picky eaters, says that when children refuse foods such as vegetables, fish and meat but prefer savoury and sweet snacks, a nutritional deficiency is behind it. He further states that to avoid such deficiencies, parents should ideally start their children on these foods from birth. 

Children with a limited diet often have nutritional gaps and miss out on key vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, vitamin D, fiber, and protein; nutrients that are important for physical and cognitive development.  

A study reported that picky eaters consumed significantly fewer fruits, vegetables, and protein-rich foods, which contributed to higher rates of iron deficiency, anemia and poor bone development.⁽¹⁵⁾

Some warning signs of malnutrition in picky eaters include⁽¹¹⁾:

• Weight loss or failure to gain weight or a low Body Max Index (BMI) despite sufficient food access.
• Heightened anxiety or distress at mealtimes.
• Lack of appetite and disinterest in foods. 
• Fatigue and irritability.
• Frequent infections due to a weak immune system.
•  Dry skin and hair loss. 
• Poor concentration.
• Constantly being cold. 

If these signs are present and persistent, it is important to consult your pediatrician to diagnose the condition, rule out underlying causes, and consider early intervention, such as feeding therapy.

How to Ensure a Balanced Diet For Your Picky Eater 

In her video, Dr. Emma Hubbard suggests that parents should let children explore the foods they dislike in their natural form to help them like them and get the right nutrients as well.  

She further says that hiding foods like veggies in meals will not allow children to recognise and appreciate it in its true appearance, taste, texture and smell. Inadvertently meaning that they will most likely not choose to eat veggies in the future. 

You can try these tips instead: 

• Be Honest. Instead of sneaking foods your child hates into meals, tell them what it is while you do it, or let them help you make it. 

• Get Creative. Opt for other methods of cooking or recipes to spice up foods your child doesn't like. You can even serve them in fun ways like animal shapes or make food faces.

• Be Persistent with introducing foods your child dislikes. It is common for children to go through over 10 attempts before they try these foods. 

• When preparing a meal, put small amounts of veggies and fruits they dislike next to foods they already enjoy to help them get accustomed to those foods.

• Keep mealtime casual and give them the opportunity to explore new foods by tasting, squeezing, poking or even looking at it. 

• A key strategy to improve your picky eaters nutrition is through nutrient boosting by adding extra vitamins and minerals to foods your child already likes. Like Mixing pureed vegetables into pasta sauce or meatballs.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts as a parent, a limited diet in your child still makes it difficult to meet all nutritional needs through food alone. In such cases, supplements may be appropriate. However, it should only be given under medical recommendations.

If you feel your child isn't getting enough nutrients due to a limited diet, you can have a consultation with a pediatric dietitian or your child’s doctor as blood tests may be used to diagnose deficiencies and guide supplementation needs.

Tips for Dealing with a Picky Eater at Mealtime 

Managing mealtimes with a picky eater can be challenging, especially when every bite feels like a negotiation. Studies show that creating a low-pressure, structured mealtime environment encourages children to try new foods and reduces fussy eating behaviors over time. ⁽⁷⁾

Researchers found that pressuring children to eat, offering bribes, or showing frustration actually worsens food aversion and reinforces selective eating habits⁽¹⁷⁾. Instead, experts recommend that you exercise patience and model healthy eating behaviors to your children as key techniques for change.

Here are some tips to introduce new foods to your picky eater⁽²⁾: 

• Gradually introduce new foods that are similar in texture, color, or flavor to foods your child already accepts. For example, if your child likes fries, but dislikes sweet potatoes, you can try fried sweet potato sticks. 

• When introducing new foods, place a small amount of the new food together with bigger amounts of foods they like, instead of full servings.

• You can present these new foods in fun ways to your child like making food faces or cutting them up in nice shapes.

• Always include foods your child finds safe and are familiar with on the plate with the new food to reduce stress.

• Always remember to consistently introduce these new foods to your child. It can take 10–15 exposures before a child accepts a new food. Don’t give up after one try. Wait for a couple of days before reintroducing these new foods to your child again. 

• You can invite your child to make these foods with you to help them understand that these new foods aren't bad after all. 

• Experts recommend that modeling good eating habits helps children become less picky. For example, if your child hates carrots and you want them to eat them, you should eat carrots in front of your child and let them see you enjoying it. Over time, your child would want to try it too. 

• Positive reinforcement towards your child goes a long way in encouraging better eating habits. This can be done with praise efforts like telling your child how proud you are that they tried a new food. 

By creating a calm environment during mealtime and letting your child explore food at their own pace, you reduce power struggles and increase food acceptance over time.

According to a 2021 study, family-style meals and customizable options were found to contribute the most in modeling children’s dietary habits as they represent an important moment of control and interaction between parents and their children. ⁽⁹⁾

Preparing meals that work for the whole family and your picky eater is possible. Here are some meal prep tips for a picky eater: 

• After cooking, you can give your child the chance to build their own meals by making choices based on what you've prepared. For example, meals like Taco bowls, pasta bars, or wrap stations let children choose their own components, reducing anxiety.

• Prep and serve veggies in fun ways for your child. You can try carrot sticks, cucumber hearts, or veggie smiley faces.

• You can batch cook your child's favorites and store in the freezer for use when needed instead of cooking afresh all the time. 

Mistakes To Avoid with Picky Eaters

Dr. Emma Hubbard, in her video on mistakes that make picky eating worse, says picky eating is a common stage in childhood development and that the way we react when children are in the phase of picky eating could make the situation better or worse. 

There are mistakes parents should avoid when introducing new foods to picky eaters as it just tends to make them more fussy and picky. Mistakes such as: 

Using Bribes: Giving bribes to entice your toddler into eating new foods reinforces the idea that such foods are unpleasant and require a reward when eaten. Parents opt for this idea because they feel it eventually encourages the child to eat the food while it does the opposite. To your child, that food is not nice, they just do it for the reward.

Pressure: Some parents feel that forcing a child to eat a food would make them less picky. Unfortunately, this makes your child attribute mealtime to stress time, especially if you're a parent that goes as far as restraining your child just to force feed them. 

When your child becomes stressed, they go into a fight or flight mode which causes their brains to release adrenaline and cortisol which could shut down their digestive system, making them lose appetite and feel less hungry. 

Hiding New Foods: Sneaking new foods into your child's favourite meal is a common mistake amongst parents. Hiding new foods in their favourite foods can make your child dislike their favourite foods because they can feel and taste the difference. This also makes them lose trust in you and the foods you give them. 

Filling them up With Juices and Milk: Some parents feel giving their child large amounts of juices or milk when they reject certain foods will be a good alternative, when in hindsight, it makes them full and suppresses their appetite, making them uninterested in trying any food.  

Using Screens as Distractions: Giving your child a tablet or allowing them to watch TV while eating new foods is a common mistake parents make when trying to curb picky eating. 

When children are allowed screen time when given new foods, their focus is on the screen and not on the taste or feel of the new food. Consequently, when they are given the same foods without a screen as a distraction, they become extremely distressed and more fussy. 

Grazing: Grazing is constantly eating little snacks or quick foods throughout the day. Some parents often opt for this method for their picky eater so they would always have something in their system. Consequently this method makes picky eaters disinterested in foods during mealtime because they just aren't hungry.

Not Presenting New Foods: Some parents feel giving their children the foods they like would help them become less picky when in hindsight, it does the exact opposite. Children who aren't given certain foods will reject them when offered. Research shows that they actually need to be shown those new and rejected foods 15 to 20 times for it to be accepted eventually.

Pick Eating VS Eating Disorders 

Dr. Praveen Goday, a Pediatric Gastroenterologist in a video with the American Academy of Pediatrics, defines picky eating as when a person avoids a lot of foods, especially Vegetables. He also describes an eating disorder as when a person has problems with chewing, swallowing and is completely avoidant of some food groups which leads to nutrition deficiency.

When picky eating persists, it could lead to eating disorders such as AFRID. A Study found that persistent picky eating in children could be linked to sensory sensitivity which leads to an increased risk of ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) later in life. ⁽¹³⁾

ARFID happens when a child’s limited diet affects nutrition and family life or causes distress. Common factors that cause ARFID include early feeding difficulties, high sensory sensitivity, anxiety, or negative medical experiences like reflux or choking. 

You'll know your child is a Picky eater when they tend to reject some foods and consume the ones they like. But If your child’s picky eating is accompanied by signs like weight loss, stunted growth, emotional distress, or social withdrawal, it is advised to consult your pediatrician immediately, as that's a clear sign of an eating disorder. 

When To Consider Feeding Therapy For Picky Eaters 

Experts say that feeding therapy can be beneficial for children with sensory sensitivity who display significant distress or resistance to foods and struggle with food textures especially when it's impacting their growth or development. ⁽²⁰⁾ 

Feeding therapy is a form of treatment designed to address difficulties around eating, especially for children with more severe or persistent feeding issues like picky eating, sensory sensitivity, or food aversion.

Experts advise feeding therapy when a child’s eating behaviors do not improve over time, or when picky eating prevents the child from getting the adequate nutrition needed to thrive. This can be especially important for children exhibiting selective eating habits, limited diet, or fear of new foods. ⁽¹³⁾

A study examined how oral sensory sensitivity, including texture and taste, influence selective eating habits in young children regardless of age or BMI. The study shows that sensory interventions, like desensitization techniques and gradual food exposures,can significantly reduce food aversion especially in children with autism. ⁽¹⁶⁾