picky eaters - are they made or born

[Mud]

I think made

pciky? hmm wonder where they get that from

Agree we have influence as well though. If you support picky behaviour and just offer what they readily eat, then you perpetuate the behaviour.

MIL is a picky eater and all her kids are picky to some extent (but at least I've managed to get dp to eat a better range than he did when we met ). She is amazed that ds (14mo) will eat things like tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs (ffs!).

Am sure this will all fly back in my face when ds reaches the fussier phase, but so far he'll eat pretty much anything we're eating [smug grin].

Born. My mother's a fantastic cook but my sister and I drove her mad we were so picky. At one stage sis was living on omelettes, home-made milk shake and fresh air. Yet she still had the energy of ten other children. Mother did everything she could to encourage us/bribe us/convince us/force us to eat and none of it worked. We are still both picky although nowhere near as bad. The supertaster thing is a possibility as I found food combinations revolting - anything that was mixed in together made me heave.

Ds is a lot better than I was, for which I am very, very grateful. Just hope it continues!

Born. I have one that will eat anything as long as it isn't breathing (and even then...), and one that picks at everything. They are fed exactly the same things, and always have been.

Born -I have 1 dd who is always hungry and fed every 2 hours for the first five months, now at 18 mths will eat anything offered, she really enjoys her food. Her older sister has never been interested in food and is very picky.

I'd like to say born but the answer is probably a combination. dd will eat a wide variety of food and always has done; ds (second child)will copy everything dd does - except when it comes to food.

And they are given the same meals/snacks. Or were until recently.

Born, DS ate every kind of puree and then once we moved to lumps he rejected everything out of hand. Often he won't even try new things just has a complete strop at the sight of them.. though he's not selective re sweet/savoury rejections - he even had a fit when someone offered him dolly mixture the other day (which is a whole different story obviously!)
We never even finished our advent calendar because I refuse to give him chocolate if he's eaten bugger all else..

I think it helps to put stuff they don't know or like on the plate every mealtime. For example, a slice of cucumber or half a tomato cost practically nothing, but eventually curiousity overtakes them and they try it. or they see Mummy finish it off aand eventually want to pre-emt you. works wonders for my 'eat whatever they leave diet' too, stops me eating a bowl of macaroni cheese before dinner!

Mostly born; some made.

Fence-sitter, moi?

Too late to read the whole thread, sorry if I repeat.

I used to think they were made (smug me, as my ds eats anything).

But my neighbour has twin girls (age 5), raised and weaned the same way. One of them will eat nearly anything, will certainly try all put before her. The other is desperately picky.

Make of that what you will.

definately born, my DD is 19 months was never a good feeder when tiny, always little and often. now, she will eat anything, but doesnt, iykwim. its not that shes fussy and doesnt like things, but most of the time shes just not interested.
we just try and offer everything, so she grazes through the day.

Message withdrawn

Born. Definitely. But reinforced as stressed parent struggles to deal with it.

deffo born

otherwise how do you explain different tastes and likes and dislikes between siblings?

kleists point is good though

I expect some parents pander and reinforce picky eaters (I have been guilty of this due to panic over dd1s skinny frame)

Deffo deffo deffo born. DS1 - started off fine, got very very very fussy, then better again, now aged six will try most things. Still hates mashed potato though.

DS2 - a gannet, omnivorous, would try anything as a toddler and ate enormous portions!

DS3 - started off fine, got quite fussy, quite picky now, eats a food one day but not the next, insists on self-feeding and gets enraged if helped, total PITA but we're not stressing about it (too busy).

Definitely born, not made.

your ds1 & 2 are exactly the same as my dd1 & 2 dino, even down to the mash

I'll be watching with interest to see which way your third goes then, Enid!

My DS1 is still super skinny, but very fit and full of energy, looks very healthy. DS2 is, frankly, on the podgy side, and gets out of breath quite quickly. So I'm actually rather relieved that DS3 is not quite as piggy as DS2 was.

Definitely made. Am sure it's an affliction of the rich west. I've never seen children in poor countries being picky-- where they also tend to eat exactly the same food as the parents.

lol they are identical dino

beejay I would so have agreed with you, before I had three children!

A combination of both. Ds1 is a fusspot and smells everything before he eats it. Ds2 was very good up until 18mths (he even once ate a puree of boiled egg, spinah and potato), but he is now harder to feed than ds1 was. Food just does not interest my kids, but if they are in the right mood and the right approach is taken then they can be cajoled.

OTOH, my nephews love food and will try anything. The three year old has been known to eat an entire lemon (skin and all - but not pips).

Both - as Little Angels proves.

born. DS1 was picky from day one (even refused frozen BM and formula - only fresh stuff for him). DD drank formula happily, eats most stuff (at 14mths) - this might not last. But DH is also very picky, won't eat scrambled eggs, fish, pork, chicken or mushrooms, so I think the picky gene is genetic - just a more sensitive palate and a dislike of new tastes. Those who think it is made have just never had a picky eater!

However, there is an environmental effect - after repeated exposure most people will end up accepting food, which explains why kids who are repeatedly given, say, bug larvae, will accept it happily.

Toddler fear of new foods is also well-documented as a definite phase.

My theory is, your kid eats fishfingers but not salmon so you offer fishfingers again, and reinforce love of fishfingers. But if you never offered the fishfingers and only ever offered salmon (and nothing else) then they would eventually eat it. But in Western diets we have lots of choice, kids gravitate to the things they naturally like the most (and most kids seem to like bread, breaded food, dry-ish food as opposed to wet food, salty things (think crisps, cheese, pesto and even olives!) and sweet food) - we just reinforce it.