Ms Mageandran says there are some “red flags” which can point to a picky eater. You know your child is a picky eater when:

• He or she has difficulties transitioning from milk to semi-solid food by 12 months
• Your child has not been weaned off most forms of baby food by 16-18 months
• Mealtimes are neither easy nor enjoyable
• Your child has to be force-fed
• Your child avoids all foods of a particular texture or from a specific food group such as meats or vegetables
• Your child is eating less than 20 different types of foods of varying textures and tastes
• Your child needs distractions like TV, toys or videos in order to eat
• A meal takes longer than 20-30 minutes

Picky eating can be caused by various medical, sensory, behavioural or even oral motor factors.

However, picky eating is often due to a mix of behavioural and sensory issues, explains Ms Mageandran.

• Sensory issue: “Eating is a sensory-loaded experience. You need to be able to tolerate the sight and smell of the food, the way its temperature, texture and taste changes as you put it in your mouth and eat it,” Ms Mageandran says.
• Behavioural issue: Picky eating can also be caused by a previous negative experience with a particular type of food. For instance, fear can develop if the first time the child eats a food, he or she gags or chokes and the parent also reacts negatively, saying something like, “Oh dear, this is not good.”

The child can remember this fear the next time the food is presented.

Related to this is a parenting issue where the parent doesn’t know how to encourage the child to eat during mealtimes, or how to go about making mealtimes an enjoyable and positive experience.

“Often, parents end up scolding the child or forcing the child, which makes the feeding an even more unpleasant experience. This can cause the child to resist even more,” says Ms Mageandran.

Picky eating may even be a medical issue. Read on to find out more causes and treatment options.

Ref: T12