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By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter
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It can be frustrating as a parent when your child refuses to eat anything but plain pasta and chicken nuggets. So how can you encourage your picky eater to try new foods? And how do you avoid common mistakes?
It might be tempting to pressure your child into eating their greens, or even sneak hidden vegetables onto their plate, but, according to a recent study from the University of Deakin in Australia, these strategies might actually be hindering progress. In fact, they might be making your child even fussier.
"It can be very frustrating when children refuse to eat—or refuse to eat certain foods—and we start to worry the child will be hungry or is not getting adequate nutrition," research lead Dr. Alissa Burnett said.
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"The findings tell us that we need to be doing more to help parents of fussy eaters because the strategies they are instinctively using, while well intentioned, are not helping their children develop lifelong, healthy eating behaviors."
In the present study, which was published in the journal Appetite, the researchers surveyed over 1,500 mothers with children aged between 2- and 5-years-old. The mothers were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their child's eating behavior, as well as answering open-ended questions about the strategies they use to combat fussy eating.
The feeding strategies associated with the most severe food fussiness were:
- Rewards for eating—"if you finish your sprouts, you can have ice cream."
- Punishment for not eating—"if you don't finish your sprouts, you'll have to go to bed hungry."
- Hidden vegetables
Out of all of the surveyed methods, hidden vegetables were associated with the most severe fussiness. However, this link is not necessarily causative, and may simply be a result of this method being a last-resort for parents who have tried everything else. But while this method might work in the short-term, it is not a sustainable solution.
"Presenting foods in unusual forms or hiding certain ingredients, such as vegetables, might improve dietary intake in the short-term, but does not teach children to accept a variety of foods in the longer term," Burnett said.
The strategies associated with the most severe forms of fussiness all tended to involve some level of punishment or persuasion, both of which encourage children to ignore their own internal hunger and may unintentionally reinforce their behavior. By contrast, parents with the least fussy children tended to use strategies that gave their kids more choice over their food intake.
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The strategies associated with lower levels of fussiness were:
- Involving them in food shopping and meal preparation
- Being communicative about food and allowing the child to decide how often to eat a certain food
- Always providing options
- Eating together
However, it is important to note that these associations are based on general trends and not on individual children. Some parents may have tried every communicative feeding strategy they can and still struggle to encourage their kids to try new things. Others might not have the time to give each of their children autonomy over what they eat, or the money to provide a large variety of food options.
Studies have also shown a large genetic component to food fussiness, so don't be too hard on yourself about your picky progeny.
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