{"id":1605,"date":"2021-06-01T23:03:39","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T13:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/?p=1605"},"modified":"2023-09-09T22:56:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T12:56:42","slug":"picky-eaters-what-causes-it-and-how-to-deal-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/picky-eaters-what-causes-it-and-how-to-deal-with-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Picky Eaters: What Causes It and How to Deal with It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Clare Marcangelo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone seems to know a child who is a picky eater, whether they were one, have one, or have just witnessed this behaviour at a meal-time. It\u2019s true, picky eating really is a super common childhood occurrence. But what causes it, and what we as parents can do about it, is often a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is, there is no definitive answer. Perhaps this is why something so common and seemingly benign can so frequently take a turn and become a long term issue. Without hard science or experts confidently pointing us in the right direction, or even letting us know before we become parents that this may happen, it\u2019s no wonder parents can become lost.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of the stress that mealtime battles can bring to the whole family, there can also be a whole day of worry, anticipating what is to come, and on top of worrying about the current status of our children\u2019s nutrition, we may worry and even feel guilt over our own actions and reactions. Have I done it the right way? Said the wrong thing? Made it worse? Has how I\u2019ve approached mealtimes made me responsible for the whole thing? And to add to all of the angst, will this continue to get even worse?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these thoughts and feelings are as common as picky eating itself. But like the subject of our worries, being \u201ccommon\u201d does not make these any easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many different versions of feeding issues, and also varying terms. You may have heard fussy eating, picky eating, selective eating, Neophobia (Fear of new foods) and even the more extreme condition AFRID (Avoidant\/Restrictive Feed Intake Disorder). AFRID is considered an eating disorder, however it differs greatly from other disorders of that type, being that it is about the food intake itself, and not caused by body dysmorphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the reasons that helping a child may be already hampered before our efforts begin \u2013 we may not even really know the extent of the issue. Between the ages of 2-5 years, it is considered a normal developmental stage for children to begin to want to start dropping foods they had in the past enjoyed without bother. This is due to them making a leap forward into being the person they will grow to become, causing them to want to assert themselves and make their own choices in their life. This frustration can lead to sleeping issues, meltdowns and seemingly irrational behaviours. Although living through this stage can be difficult and confusing, we may manage to concede that our little one doesn\u2019t want to wear what we\u2019ve chosen, or wants to have certain toys to play with at specific times. It\u2019s far harder to \u201clet behaviour go\u201d when attached to it is worry that they will become malnourished or develop serious feeding issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step is to determine the nature and extent of the issue. Using questions like \u201cwhen did this start?\u201d \u201cHow many foods have we lost in this time?\u201d and \u201chow likely are they to try new things if they are in specific circumstances or presented with certain kinds of foods? We can then ask ourselves \u201cDid something happen to trigger this?\u201d \u201cWhat exactly happens at mealtime?\u201d to decide what might be driving or at least contributing to the issue. Some children drop some foods in a developmentally appropriate manner, and although they don\u2019t eat anywhere near the varied, nutritious diet we would prefer, with the right attitude and approach they may grow back to being a fairly solid eater. When this is the case, all our panicking and second guessing our tactics are unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, for some children the issue reaches far deeper, and without early intervention, can lead to far more serious and less reversable issues. Not only need we worry about immediate malnourishment, but the fear and anxiety that can remain when eating is concerned throughout childhood and even into adulthood. This is when we really need professional support, as the confidence alone that a solid plan can bring can make a big difference to our success. Anxiety is a big driver of many of these issues, not only about trying new foods, but sometimes about the pressure our child may perceive is on them to do so every meal time. At least having a steady plan will help alleviate our own anxiety, so we can be there for our child. It can be a very confusing time, but try to remember that you are not alone, we tend to only post our children\u2019s successes online, so rest assured there are so many families with exactly the same worries as you, and most importantly, there can indeed be light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clare Marcangelo<\/em><\/strong> is a local registered Children’s Nutritionist and former Early Childhood practitioner who specialises in children\u2019s health. As a mum herself, she knows how hard it can be to make even the smallest of changes to a family diet.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Clare Marcangelo Everyone seems to know a child who is a picky eater, whether they were one, have one, or have just witnessed this behaviour at a meal-time. It\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sync_status":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,40],"tags":[116,103],"series":[170],"class_list":["post-1605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellbeing","category-parenting","tag-article","tag-clare-marcangelo","series-on-the-coast-families"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/06\/fussy-eaters.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/feed\/podcast\/on-the-coast-families","embedCode":"

Picky Eaters: What Causes It and How to Deal with It<\/a><\/blockquote>