Study: Children May Not Always Grow Out of Being Picky Eaters

Being overly restrictive with children’s diets might not be the best strategy; most finicky eaters maintain a healthy childhood weight.

9:16 AM

Author | Beata Mostafavi

Plate of peas on plate
Image by Stephanie King

If your preschooler often pushes their dinner plate away or wages battles against taking another bite of a vegetable they don't like, they may not grow out of it anytime soon.

By age four, children could be established picky eaters, a new study suggests. And the more parents try to control and restrict children's diets, the more finicky they may become, according to findings published in Pediatrics.

"Picky eating is common during childhood and parents often hear that their children will eventually 'grow out of it.' But that's not always the case," says senior author Megan Pesch, M.D., a developmental behavioral pediatrician at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

But there's a silver lining for worried parents – while fussy eaters have a lower body mass index, most are still in the healthy range and not underweight, researchers found. They may also be less likely to be overweight or experience obesity than peers.

"We still want parents to encourage varied diets at young ages, but our study suggests that they can take a less controlling approach," Pesch says. That being said "we need more research to better understand how children's limited food choices impact healthy weight gain and growth long term."

The study followed 317 mother-child pairs from low-income homes over a four-year period. Families reported on children's eating habits and mothers' behaviors and attitudes about feeding when children were four, five, six, eight and nine.

SEE ALSO: 11 Tips to Address Picky Eating With Kids

Picky eating was stable from preschool to school-age, indicating that any attempts to expand food preferences may need to occur in toddler or preschool years to be most effective. High picky eating was associated with lower BMIs and low picky eating was associated with higher BMIs.

The pickiest eaters also were often associated with increased pressure to eat and restriction on certain types of foods. This reinforces previous Mott-led research suggesting that pressuring children to eat foods they dislike won't lead to a well-rounded diet later in life or encourage better health or development.

We still want parents to encourage varied diets at young ages, but our study suggests that they can take a less controlling approach.
Megan Honor Pesch, M.D.

Certain child characteristics, including sex, birth order, and socioeconomic status, also have been associated with persistence of picky eating.  

MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter

"We found that children who were pickier had mothers who reported more restriction of unhealthy foods and sweets," Pesch says. "These mothers of picky eaters may be trying to shape their children's preferences for more palatable and selective diets to be more healthful. But it may not always have the desired effect."

It is unknown if children who are picky eaters would have become even more selective if they did not receive higher levels of controlling feeding behaviors, Pesch says. She says future studies should investigate interventions around maternal feeding and child picky eating.

Paper cited: "Trajectories of Picky Eating in Low-Income US Children," Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-2018

Like Podcasts? Add the Michigan Medicine News Break to your Alexa-enabled device or subscribe for daily updates on iTunesGoogle Play and Stitcher.


More Articles About: Rounds Growth and Development CS Mott Children's Hospital Food and Nutrition Counseling Weight Management Children's Health
Health Lab word mark overlaying blue cells
Health Lab

Explore a variety of health care news & stories by visiting the Health Lab home page for more articles.

Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories little girl in pain with pink background touching stomach and seeing inside red
Health Lab
Diagnostic stewardship optimizes detection of appendicitis
University of Michigan researchers found that emergency departments vary widely in how they balance the need to diagnose appendicitis with the potential harms of overtesting.
girl brushing teeth with family in bathroom looking in mirror drawing
Health Lab
Over 1/3 of parents say their child has experienced dental problems that reflect oral hygiene habits
More than one in three parents say their child has faced issues like tooth decay, cavities, stained teeth, gum concerns or tooth pain over the past two years linked to their oral health routine, a national poll suggests.
drawing of three hands with pills in hand background green
Health Lab
Adderall shortage may be associated with increased use of alternative ADHD medication in kids
Study suggests that the Adderall shortage did not cause many children to stop stimulant therapy altogether but may have led to them switching to alternative stimulants for ADHD.
sink brushing pink toothbrush
Health Lab
Fluoride Q&A: An expert breaks down how it helps kids, and its unique history in Michigan
Sarah Clark, M.P.H., from the Department of Pediatrics at Michigan Medicine, answers what fluoride is and why it supports healthy teeth.
white sneaker feet in dark blue and light blue scrubs rushing a hospital bed into medical area
Health Lab
Firearm hospitalizations dropped before the pandemic, then shot up
Hospital stays related to gun injuries dipped then rose sharply, and paralleled gun sales trends, with disparities by age, race and health insurance status.
super bowl platter of food
Health Lab
Super Bowl recipe ideas for balance-conscious snackers
If you’re looking to improve the balance of your favorite finger foods during Super Bowl, or any other festive time, try out these six simple, flavorful recipes by MHealthy, a University of Michigan wellness program.