To think fussy eaters are unique to developed countries?

[spokette]

My family hail from a poor village in Jamaica and food fussiness is unheard of because children eat what they are given because so many of them may still only have one or two meals a day. That is also the experience of my friends from other developing nations

This food fussiness malarky appears to me to be unique to the developed countries because children have lots of choices plus many of them tend to snack between meals.

My mother, who grew up in Jamaica as one of 10 children with a widowed mother and no social security network and would often only have water to drink as an evening meal cannot comprehend this phenomenon either.

I bet if a lot of the fussy children (I'm referring to those without medical issues) had to regularly go without food like millions of children in the underdeveloped world do so every day, they would soon eat what they were given imo.

Harsh but true.

I always think these 'compared to an underdeveloped countries' comments, whether it is with reference to breast feeding or fussy eaters are a bit pointless really.

WE DON'T LIVE THERE so our environment is different. Expecting a small child to understand the differences is impossible and even as adults we cannot take ourseleves out of our enviromnment. The fact is we have lots of very tasty food available to us, far too much in fact. This leads to different problems than in poorer countries. of course their problems are greater but nonetheless ours still exist.

My mother used to encourage us to eat by saying 'what about all the starving children in Afruica/India etc'. My sister who was far fussier than me used to just say 'Why not send it to them then?' You can't really argue with that logic, childish as it may be.

On average I think childen here are probably more likely to refuse food than in poorer countries where food is scare. I'm still not sure where that point gets us.

The answer to the inequality in world food distribution isn't in forcing or even expecting children in the developed world to eat things they don't like.

something vaguely related, fascinating although elderly and barely ethical

and then i asked a scientific MNer to cast her eye over it for me

SERIOUSLY interesting and as i may have mentioned, SERIOUSLY unethical research into infant feeding preferences...

DD (aged 8) is quite picky - or rather would be if we tolerated it more tbh. She is pretty much expected to eat what she's given, but within the confines of me knowing the range of things she eats/tolerates/can't manage iyswim. I'm not deliberately serving her fish eyes or anything, just for a challenge!!

We went to a museum last week about roman life and I was talking to her about the display which showed the food the Romans mostly lived on. I was a bit tickled when she turned and said to me, 'oh, I'd probably only eat carrots cos I don't like anything else that's there'!! She looked utterly shocked when I suggested that what listed in the display was pretty much all there was to eat (a few random root veg, rabbit, pigeon, and some grouty looking bread) (not STRICTLY true I know - didn't tell her about the stuffed dormice!! lol) and that there simply wouldn't have been a choice!

I have also found myself recently drawing attention to the fact that she should be grateful that she has a choice - unlike many children. Seems likea totally alien concept to her. I do think children do have too many choices over food, but also believe that the erosion of a family mealtime is largely to blame for children not eating as well or less widely. My kids seem to eat loads more and try more new stuff when we all sit down together than the evenings where I stick them on the sofa with a plate of bits and bobs. Just my feeling, anyway.

Riven

My brother has Asperger and my parents could not feed him enough!

I only read the OP and I find the theory very shallow.

Well, I come from a developed country and I was never a fussy eater. I Don't think it was because there was no food around (plenty and delicious) but because my mother insisted since an early age that her house was not a restaurant.

My cousins, who are also from the same country, and incredibly fussy, not because they had more food available but because my aunt cooked "a la carte"

Now, I insist that my house is NOT a restaurant, but DS's allergies have made him a "fussy" eater, I certainly allow some lee way, even when I try not to, because it has happened in the past that tests confirmed as allergies foods we thought he "disliked"

So... fussyness can not be judged to originate in something as simple as not having many options, it more like nature&nurture thing rather than "natureVSnurture" aspect.

I find that quite understandable Ruby not amazing - not much point procreating if you are too malnourished to support a family/pregnancy.

Riven my aspie neice at 20 is getting quite chubby because of her limited diet. Sausages, pizza and coke. Anyone who had seen her feedings as a child would know her food issues weren't negotiable.

have you people read my links? esp interesting to those who adopted i'd have thought as the children involved were moved into an orphanage for the duration.

sorry ruby no sarcasm alert light on my PC

Spokette - differences in the way children eat aren't just about scarcity. I live in a very poor inner city borough and my dd goes to a school where 80% of the children are from ethnic minority backgrounds. There's a real difference in the attitudes to food of my dd's 1st and 2nd generation wi, african and asian friends compared to the working class white children she mixes with. My personal belief - from what I've read - is that when there are not conditions of scarcity, children will always reject a proportion of what you give them. I can only assume that some of dd's friends are given a wider range of foods to start with - maybe because they're eating English food, plus food that's traditional to their culture. My husband's father is from Guyana and on that side of the family there's a huge enthusiasm for fruit, vegetables and fish cooked in lots of different ways. Eating is a very happy part of life for us - lots of family get togethers and celebrations, with children all pitching in with the cooking and eating. You wouldn't think to lay in special 'children's food' - everyone has the same thing and enjoys it.

Also that many of the WI and African mums I know are exceptionally strict - maybe there's less tolerance of children rejecting food Whatever - I know which children I'd rather dd have round to play.......

no not unique to developed countries at all.

Lots of H's nephews and nieces are fussy little buggers - and he doesn't like the staple food of where he comes from.

I'm not sure why it matters if children are fussy discerning eaters.

The only thing I care about is that my children are getting a healthy, balanced diet and are growing at a steady rate and weight. If one of them doesn't like lamb and mushrooms it doesn't matter to me at all - he'll grow out of it just as long as it doesn't become an issue.

Thanks for that Exterminaitch - interesting study!

I did blw with my 3rd and it was great. Wish I'd done it with my first and second as well. It was so much easier than the alternative 'slop on a spoon' approach.

I think it's when it becomes unbalanced that's it's a worry, Anna - not 'won't eat lamb or mushrooms' but 'will only eat lamb and mushrooms'.