Picky Eating in Children

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“…Eating habits are initiated in the first years of life when determining intake patterns and preferences (Lam 2015). During childhood, the child may present great diversity in eating patterns without any abnormal development (González & Fernández 2018).…”

“…Children start to be exposed to the different flavors of food from the prenatal period, when the amniotic fluid presents the feeding experiences of the pregnant woman, and continues during breastfeeding, offering the infant the stimuli to develop a wide spectrum of flavors. This fact explains why breastfed children are less demanding and more predisposed to try new foods (Gregory et al 2011, Lam 2015, Wadhera et al 2015. Children are born with a preference for sweet taste while all other flavors need to be learned by exposure, which should preferably occur between 4 and 6 months of age (Harris & Mason 2017, Ross 2017.…”

“…At birth, the oral cavity exhibits the most organized sensory and motor integration of the human being, necessary for survival. While an innate preference for sweet taste from the prenatal stage is observed, rejection of the bitter flavors of vegetables can be considered as a natural protection factor, avoiding the consumption of harmful substances (poisons) and low energy content (vegetables with unpleasant taste and texture) (Lam 2015). On the other hand, more caloric foods are more accepted because of the greater palatability and sensation of satiety after ingestion and, when unknown foods are associated with sugar, they are more well accepted (Ramos & Stein 2000).…”

“…Between 6 and 7 months of age, the child can sit without the support, which increases the stability and safety of eating. Up to one year of age fine motor skills are more developed and allows the child to pick and feed food with tweezers, use spoon, bring them to the mouth more accurately and chew more efficiently due to greater stability the jaw and the madibulolinguistic movements, as well as ingesting liquids in glasses and interacting more with the environment and with people, imitating the behaviors of adults observed during meals (Lam 2015, Largo et al 2003.…”

“…It characterizes children that eat little, has great food preferences, and refuses mainly new foods (Walton et al 2017, Lam 2015, Chao 2018. Such practice may lead to increased carbohydrate consumption and distortion in the nutritional composition of the diet, with a low intake of vegetables, vegetables, and fruits (Ong et al 2014, Taylor et al 2015.…”