Is Picky Eating Caused by Parents?
If you are a parent, then you must have heard mean comments from your relatives or friends such as, “Oh! Your child doesn’t eat because you don’t know the right way of feeding them,” “Punish them, they will learn,” or “Try to bribe them, offer them candy, and you will see they will finish their food.” Don’t ever listen to this unwanted advice and try to look underneath the problem and find out the reason behind your child’s unwillingness to eat. Parents need to understand that all children are picky eaters at some point in their lives and that they are not always responsible for their child’s lack of appetite. But the question remains, is picky eating caused by parents.
1. Is Picky Eating Caused by Parents?
Picky eating might be labeled as an eating disorder, but new studies have suggested that picky eaters could be a result of overbearing parents. Parents who impose fewer restrictions are likely to deal with picky eaters in a less frustrating manner. Therefore, it is very important that parents follow a lenient way of introducing new foods to their children.
2. Your role as a parent
There could be different reasons for a child to be a picky eater, but you as a parent can also play a major role in triumphing over your child’s problem. Some parents bribe, punish, or reward their children to force them to eat, which causes them to develop the habit of being picky when it comes to eating food. It would not be right to say that parents are the root cause of their children becoming picky eaters, but yes, they can be a reason for hastening the problem.
3. Bad experiences matter
Furthermore, parents might also sometimes think that their children are just being fussy, or they are throwing tantrums because they just don’t want to listen. However, they don’t realize the underlying problems that their children are facing and fighting with every meal they are served. It has been observed through different studies that picky eaters have thousands of bad food memories, and these memories are caused by the parents as they take strict actions when their child is not eating the right food.
4. Become an expert!
When we at POOW have been talking to dietitians over the years, it is clear that parents sometimes become the key drivers of making their children picky eaters as they accelerate the problem by being strict and imposing stern mandates that their children eat, without trying to understand and monitor their children’s eating habits. Going back to the question, Is Picky Eating Caused by Parents. Arguably, yes. Parents play a huge role in how children’s relationship to food develops.
Therefore, parents need to understand and learn about the right techniques to deal with their children’s eating problems. Don’t be a helicopter parent and try to be patient and lenient with your picky eaters because they might be picky, but they will eventually overcome this problem if you help them.
5. Use help & tools!
Nevertheless, parents might also need help to surmount these problems. That is why POOW, the food hero, is here to play its part and help parents structure their children’s eating time in a fun-filled way. Do you want to learn more about the app? Read more here
6. So, Do parents create picky eaters?
Parents undoubtedly have a significant impact on their children’s relationship with food. How parents behave during mealtime can either create a picky eater or help the child overcome pickiness with patience, positivity, and calmness. We understand that managing the situation can be incredibly challenging, as it affects daily life in various ways. At POOW, we encourage parents to be self-aware at the dinner table, and to prepare themselves in order to create a positive and peaceful environment for their child.
Do you want to read more interesting articles? Go back to the guide
Updated 12-04-2023
By Philip Fransson
Is Picky Eating Caused by Parents
If you are a parent, then you must have heard mean comments from your relatives or friends such as, “Oh! Your child doesn’t eat because you don’t know the right way of feeding them,” “Punish them, they will learn,” or “Try to bribe them, offer them candy, and you will see they will finish their food.” Don’t ever listen to this unwanted advice and try to look underneath the problem and find out the reason behind your child’s unwillingness to eat. Parents need to understand that all children are picky eaters at some point in their lives and that they are not always responsible for their child’s lack of appetite. But the question remains, is picky eating caused by parents.
1. Is Picky Eating Caused by Parents?
Picky eating might be labeled as an eating disorder, but new studies have suggested that picky eaters could be a result of overbearing parents. Parents who impose fewer restrictions are likely to deal with picky eaters in a less frustrating manner. Therefore, it is very important that parents follow a lenient way of introducing new foods to their children.
2. Your role as a parent
There could be different reasons for a child to be a picky eater, but you as a parent can also play a major role in triumphing over your child’s problem. Some parents bribe, punish, or reward their children to force them to eat, which causes them to develop the habit of being picky when it comes to eating food. It would not be right to say that parents are the root cause of their children becoming picky eaters, but yes, they can be a reason for hastening the problem.
3. Bad experiences matter
Furthermore, parents might also sometimes think that their children are just being fussy, or they are throwing tantrums because they just don’t want to listen. However, they don’t realize the underlying problems that their children are facing and fighting with every meal they are served. It has been observed through different studies that picky eaters have thousands of bad food memories, and these memories are caused by the parents as they take strict actions when their child is not eating the right food.
4. Become an expert!
When we at POOW have been talking to dietitians over the years, it is clear that parents sometimes become the key drivers of making their children picky eaters as they accelerate the problem by being strict and imposing stern mandates that their children eat, without trying to understand and monitor their children’s eating habits. Going back to the question, Is Picky Eating Caused by Parents. Arguably, yes. Parents play a huge role in how children’s relationship to food develops.
Therefore, parents need to understand and learn about the right techniques to deal with their children’s eating problems. Don’t be a helicopter parent and try to be patient and lenient with your picky eaters because they might be picky, but they will eventually overcome this problem if you help them.
5. Use help & tools!
Nevertheless, parents might also need help to surmount these problems. That is why POOW, the food hero, is here to play its part and help parents structure their children’s eating time in a fun-filled way. Do you want to learn more about the app? Read more here
6. So, Do parents create picky eaters?
Parents undoubtedly have a significant impact on their children’s relationship with food. How parents behave during mealtime can either create a picky eater or help the child overcome pickiness with patience, positivity, and calmness. We understand that managing the situation can be incredibly challenging, as it affects daily life in various ways. At POOW, we encourage parents to be self-aware at the dinner table, and to prepare themselves to create a positive and peaceful environment for their child.
Do you want to read more interesting articles? Go back to the guide
Updated 12-04-2023
By Philip Fransson
