As if there wasn’t enough to worry about, now your toddler has hit the 2-year mark and is refusing to eat... And it’s driving you crazy! So what causes fussy eating in toddlers?
1. Natural evolution can cause fussy eating in toddlers.
Most animals are born instinctively knowing what to eat, but humans are a little different. This is because mostly we have to learn what is good to eat. The fact that humans can and do eat a wide variety of foods has enabled us to survive and thrive in many different parts of the world. It is precisely because our ancestors were so willing to try new foods that nature had to give us a counterbalance to prevent us from poisoning ourselves.
This counterbalance is a suspicion of new and unfamiliar foods and is called ‘neophobia’. Without some neophobia humans may have been tempted to eat potentially toxic plants and animal products. We think that this suspicion of new and unfamiliar foods, explains food fussiness in toddlers. It prevents young children, who are just starting to explore the world on their own two feet, from ingesting substances that are potentially harmful until they have learnt what is safe to eat.
Although neophobia can be incredibly irritating at times, there is little that you can do about this as a parent, except a) admire evolution and b) try to influence your child’s food experiences.
2. Genetics can cause fussy eating in toddlers.
Some degree of fussy eating is thought to be genetically determined. Children who are more sensitive to sensory stimuli can be more aware of the sensory properties of food and therefore more likely to be fussy.
Some have suggested that in a group of hunter-gatherers, it may have been advantageous if some of the group were more neophobic than others. This was a way to protect the rest of the group. If this theory is true, then a taste-sensitive person may have had a bite of a new type of food on behalf of a group to see if it tasted OK and to check whether it might be poisonous.
3. Your toddler's food experiences can cause fussy eating.
The experiences that your child has had with food, from early weaning through to today, helps to shape her attitude towards particular foods. Even if your child has had some negative experiences with food, the first thing to do as a parent is to try and stop worrying. Worry is counterproductive!
I have seen way too many parents cutting themselves up with worry because their child just won’t eat. We’re hard-wired to worry about our kids. More so when they’re little, and especially about food and eating. Worrying about our children’s diet has essentially kept the human population alive for thousands of years.
It may help you to know that on the whole, research has shown that fussy eaters do continue to grow as expected. Kids are really good at getting their nutrition, they’re just a bit more, well, fickle than we are.
A toddler will often think nothing of leaving a couple of bites on the plate. I actually love toddlers for this, they are better at responding to their bodies hunger and satiety signals than many adults are.
Worry can be counterproductive too, children pick up on anxiety making them less likely to eat well. Added to this, if you are anxious, you are likely to put pressure on your child, and this too means that he or she will just eat less.
A phrase I have often used, and that many parents have found helpful is “you don’t have to eat it.” I’m not sure why this simple phrase is so powerful. I think it is partly because it conveys a message to the child: She is in control of whether or not to eat this food. It also sends the message that, because she isn’t expected to eat it, there will be no power struggle.
For parents, this phrase seems to relieve the anxiety that they must get their child to eat this food right now; whether for the sake of the child’s nutrition and wellbeing or to remain in control of the situation.
Here’s to enjoying family mealtimes. And remember: “you don’t have to eat it”!
[This is a guest post written by Elizabeth Roberts: A state registered dietician from www.fussyaboutfood.com]
Disclaimer: The contents of this blog post apply to typically developing children who are not receiving medical or other healthcare professional treatment for eating or feeding difficulties and who are without food allergies. The content of this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or nutritional advice. Sources are available upon request.
