New Theory on Why Kids are Picky Eaters

If you have a fussy eater, chances are it has probably stressed you out big time at some point (if not all the time!)

Well guess what? Your stressing out might have been a contributing factor!

A new study published this week in the Archives of Disease in Childhood by researchers from Erasmus University Medical Center in The Netherlands found there is a link between parental anxiety and depression and fussy eating in preschool aged children.

The researchers analysed data from a health and wellbeing project of 4,746 pairs of mothers with children born between 2002 and 2006 and 4,144 fathers. The parents who participated completed questionnaires around anxiety and depression, and then did so again three years later.

The study revealed that by the age of three, more than 30 per cent of children were classified as fussy eaters, which they describe as the consistent rejection of particular foods.

But those children who were still fussy eaters by age four were likely to have had a mother who experienced anxiety during pregnancy and when the child was three years old.

The study also found that the symptoms of mothers during pregnancy predicted fussy eating in their four-year-old children, whether or not they had any symptoms when their child was three.

It also found that the link happened whether or not the mother’s symptoms were outwardly visible to their child or not. And there were also indications that fathers’ anxiety and depressive symptoms can also influence fussy eating behaviour in their children.

If dads were experiencing anxiety in the preschool years, there was found to be a link with fussy eating in their child. If they experienced anxiety during the mother’s pregnancy there was no link. However, depressive symptoms in dads during the pregnancy and the preschool years could also be linked to having a fussy eater.

Children who refuse to eat certain foods often have a restricted diet, which can cause major concerns for their parents. Fussy eating has been linked to weight issues, constipation and behavioural problems in children, according to the study.

Is your child a fussy eater?

Caroline Duncan

Caroline Duncan is a freelance journalist and photographer with almost 20 years’ media experience in radio, magazines and online. She is also a mother of three daughters, and when she’s not writing or taking pictures, she’s extremely busy operating a taxi service running them around to various activities. She can’t sew and hates housework.

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