Picky eater

- picky eating does not necessarily lead to poor nutrition and growth
- feeding disorders (in childhood) are more serious and may involve extreme weight loss or failure to meet expected growth potential
- just part and parcel of growing up but sometimes could indicate a more serious underlying problem: an eating disorder

Signs to look out for
- besides growth deficits, other signs include the child's incessant complaints about the food served
- look out for child's increasing susceptibility to illnesses, if he/she is not performing well in school, is disinterested in playing or interacting with other children and/or has adverse interactions with fellow family members.
- children are usually able to take normal table foods by the age of 15 mth

Is child at risk
- all children have a tendency to feel some anxiety when presented with a new food called neo-phobia
- done without any stress or pressure to eat and the food are offered many times (10-20), the child will learn to eat that food
- overly anxious parents may adopt coercive practices like forced feeding and punishment or turn to bribery