What do you believe causes fussy eating in young children?

[bumbleweed]

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?

"fussy parents that are too easy to give in"

doormat - I may be a fussy eater myself but since having the DSs I have broadened my own diet so that other than meat, I eat the same as them. DH is a human dustbin and eats anything.
I do not give in to my kids when it comes to food. I give them good, home cooked food - it is up to them if they eat it or not.
I do not give snacks other than fruit.
They rarely have sweets/choc/cake/crisps - if they do it is a treat after lunch or dinner (which they have to have eaten most or all of).

I think that wulfricsmummy is right - some are fussy, some are not.

I haven't read the whole thread but in response to the OP, I think children can be fussy eaters because a)they really want to be able to control some aspects of their lives and b)as their tastes and awareness develop they may genuinely not like some things. It's just another part of their own unique personalities coming out.

Of course parents can make it worse by not offering a range of foods, always providing junk food, always making a battle of it etc. But I don't think it works the other way - even the most enlightened parent can end up with a fussy eater.

ditto sugar,
it is just a sign of independance

this is all really interesting

It seems to me that, child's innate temperament and their own physiology must have a lost to do with it. Just as some babies happy feed every 3 hours and some need milk every hour. Some babies enjoy watching the world around them, and others are very active and physically explorative.

Some children are happy to sit and let a wide range of food be spooned in, and others want to make their own decisions about what they pick up, squash, throw on the floor and eat.

I dont see how my attitude or approach to food could have had a great deal of influence in my dd refusing the spoon at 26 weeks, and then showing little interest in meal times at all for the next few months. I think she physiologically was just not really ready and also exercising independence. Admittedly, anxiety began to creep in at a certain stage, but then we moved on from that.

It would certainly seem that parents making a fuss can exacerbate food issues, or make a problem out of what is just individual differences.

In less developed societies as ours where food is more scarce and more limited in range, children must not get much chance to be fussy or they would be quite hungry.

Have really really enjoyed reading all these opinions posted on here .