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Parenting

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Original poster

What do you believe causes fussy eating in young children?

129 replies

bumbleweed · 31/03/2007 19:41

Am interested, because I have a 17 month old dd who doesnt eat alot. I weaned her mainly on finger foods because she refused to be spoon fed. I also weaned at 26 weeks and quite gradually.

My friend's theory is that if babies are not exposed to full range of family foods that will become part of their diet at early age (eg before age 1) then a window of opportunity is missed and they become nervous of all unfamiliar foods.

But this doesnt explain children who are really good eaters when babies but become really picky toddlers and children.

So my question is a nature or nurture one I guess?

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Soapbox · 31/03/2007 22:29

TheArmadillo - that sounds really tough and so hard not knowing why your child was behaving this way despite everything you tried.

Gess has had similar issues with her DS1 who is autistic and I can remember her posting similar things to you - her DS had a very restricted diet although thanks, in part, to his new school seems to be slowly expanding the range of foods he eats. She was mightily pissed off when the school had to adopt Jamie Oliver type foods though, which set things back for a time

MilaMae · 31/03/2007 22:49

Fussy adults really hack me off. SIL is the worst. I slaved over a veggie med lasagna once (they're veggie) she siddled up to me in the kitchen and actually asked me to chop the whole cherry tomatoes I was putting into it as whole ones (I kid you not) "give me sinus problems"!!!!!!!! She then requested that their half was to contain no garlic and only veggie parmesan cheese. Needless to say garlic and non veggie parmesan were sprinkled liberally throughout the whole lasagna.

frances5 · 31/03/2007 22:51

"Frances - and on day four....she'll throw it or mush it into your hair"

Babies do such charming things, but unless you try you will never get her eat a range of foods. At first a lot of the food will be left.

I strongly disagree with force feeding. I think that force feeding a small child causes the eating disorders. How would you like to be force fed by a giant?

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TheArmadillo · 31/03/2007 22:52

thanks

I didn't cope well for the first part its only recently that I can deal with it. I used to cry alot about it. My life revolved around food.

He eats basically every day now and usually twice a day (sometimes more). He requests food (which was a fantastic move).

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 22:52

MM - I'm a veggie and I wouldn't be pleased if I found out someone had given me non veggie cheese. It's disgusting really, normal cheese contains the lining of a cow's stomach so it's understandable why she asked for only the veggie cheese. I feel sorry for her. Why would you do that to someone? It's awful.

MilaMae · 31/03/2007 23:04

I did it because she was in my house, eating my food and I was slaving away at a lovely meal with very little gratitude. When we go to her house far less effort is made and she would never cook us meat.

tinkerbellhadpiles · 31/03/2007 23:05

frances5 - oh I don't, I'm a 'stick it on the high chair tray, what goes in goes in, what doesn't the cat will get lucky with' type of mummy!

MilaMae · 31/03/2007 23:06

And she was annoying the hell out of me.

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 23:08

MM - still it's no excuse if someone choose not to eat meat. Personally I cook meat for dh and kids but don't eat it. Some people don't want to do that and I can understand why. Non veggie cheese I don't think I would even eat if I ate meat knowing what's in it. I don't eat meat because I don't want to eat animals and it would be a big thing for me if someone served me something non veggie on purpose, would make me feel quite sick actually.

Greenleeves · 31/03/2007 23:11

lol at "slaving away" at making a fkn lasagne

If you don't enjoy cooking for people dont' do it

But it's really rather evil to deliberately feed cow rennet to a vegetarian.

tinkerbellhadpiles · 31/03/2007 23:12

I was veggie for 20 years and I'm really careful if I'm cooking for veggies now because it's so easy to accidentally use a chicken stock cube or something but I would start again if I did because I would have hated it to have been done to me.

But surely you don't eat cheese anyway because the cows have to be pregnant or have had their calves taken away to produce the milk for the cheese right?

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 23:22

Tinker - I do eat cheese at the moment but am actually thinking of going vegan but need to look at my diet and see what I can replace with. I eat a lot of dairy and I'm also breastfeeding. I try and eat healthy meals but find it hard with 3 kids and ds2 feeding constantly now. I do eat a lot of dairy so need to find something to replace with espcially as I don't really like many vegetables etc. Vegan does fit in with my views though so I am at a quandry with myself; am working on it.

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 23:27

And I can see the irony in that I'm bf now, in fact it's making quite sad thinking about it.

MilaMae · 31/03/2007 23:29

I do enjoy cooking for most people, well people who show just a teeny bit of gratitude. To be honest I had no idea cheese was on the very loooooooong off list. This off list contains plenty of veggie as well as non veggie foods. We eat very little meat so am used to cooking veggie food and for veggie friends which I usually enjoy. A bit of warning would have been useful. I was also getting a bit fed up with the constant food sermons we're subjected to in their presence. You're right though it was a tad bad, dp did egg me on though and it was his sister. Also in our defence sometimes they eat non veggie cheese sometimes they don't. We've eaten non veggie cheddar at their house.

tinkerbellhadpiles · 31/03/2007 23:34

JodieG1 - oh please lighten up, vegans are so very very dull (sorry but I was one for a while so I can say this).

Being veggie is hard enough. The cows wouldn't exist if we didn't milk them/eat them.

I was only kidding about the cheese, woman cannot live on tofu alone.

tinkerbellhadpiles · 31/03/2007 23:35

MilaMae - I sneak sugar into dieter's tea and use full fat milk too (shush don't tell anyone)

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 23:35

Tinker I've just read this this and it's not nice, clearly biased but still it's not nice is it.

Greenleeves · 31/03/2007 23:36

"dp did egg me on, and it was his sister"

Don't stop MilaMae, I am SHITTING with laughter here

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 23:37

Tinker - I find it hard to be so detached, I'm not intense at all generally so no need to lighten up really. Maybe I'm more affected by things like this as I have a baby myself.

MilaMae · 31/03/2007 23:39

Oh God I'm off SIL has arrived. Tinker you naughty girl!!!!

tinkerbellhadpiles · 31/03/2007 23:40

Jodie - you are not a cow. Appreciate you feel for them, but you have to eat something to maintain the strength to bf.

Just don't be eating at MilaMae's house

terramum · 31/03/2007 23:41

I reckon what we interpret as fussiness is simply them not eating what they dont need. My DS has stopped eating virtually all meat & fish in the last few months. He still bfs quite a lot & as I know bm has a lot of protein in it at this stage I figure he is getting all the protein he needs from me & so doesnt need or want to eat meat/fish. He has also always refused to eat tomatoes so I assume he allergic or sensitive to them.

I read of a study that did look at what foods babies eat & how it influences what they eat later...so your friend does have something there bumbleweed....but as long as what they eat during this time is natural and unprocessed, then they are more likely to eat more natural foods later in life. Its not all about taste thought - colour & texture had a lot to do with it apparently....so less beige rubbish like rusks & baby rice & more colourful & tasty stuff like carrots & broccoli!

There is also some research I think that found that you need to offer new foods sometimes as many as 14 or 15 times before a baby will eat it or accept it so that could be interpretted as fussiness as well maybe....

I personally feel as well that toddlers have the next 70 odd years to eat/taste everything so I really dont see the need to try to get them to eat everything in their first few years.....why deny them the experience to try new things later in life when they will appreciate it more

JodieG1 · 31/03/2007 23:44

Tinker - understand what you're saying, just wish I'd never read the link I posted, I'm almost crying now; feel so emotional.

Chocadora · 31/03/2007 23:45

Sorry, but kids need a balanced diet and they need to learn that too. Be a parent. Sorry, but I think it is ridiculous to say it is OK for child to grow up on ketchup sandwiches. And assume that they they can understand (unless there are medical reasons why they cannot). If you plan their diet properly then they need to consume it. My children eat what they are offered, because nothing else comes their way, no negotiation, no alternatives. Unless you want to say: choose this green or that green, that orange or that orange, that red, or that red - which may well work because it will give them some choice/power (all the rage at any age, but particularly when aged 2 or 3!). But for gs give them a decent choice, not ketchup or nothing honey!

Greenleeves · 31/03/2007 23:53

Come again?

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