Childhood Fears: Food or Fluffy, the Fear is Real

When M was little she had a dog phobia. I’m talking screaming, climbing on me, uncontrollable fear of even a toy poodle.  I can’t count how many people tried to talk her out of her fear, usually with a dog thrust into her personal space, and often against my explicit requests for them to stop. Take the German shepherd owner whose dog was off-leash, jumping on me while M clawed at my hair shrieking, and the owner kept smiling, “Oh, she won’t hurt you! She’s very gentle.” Well-intentioned dog owners (including friends and family) would bring dogs closer, insisting the dog wasn’t scary and everyone loved the dog, and, “Stop being so silly!” (super helpful)  or, “Look, Timmy is younger than you, and he’s petting the doggie!” (Throw some shame in while you’re at it! Works every time!)  I wish we could have had a sign at those times that said, “Seriously afraid of dogs. Back off. It’s not your job to get my kid over her fears…” It is this sticker that I saw on my walk home that led to this post. If I was behind a car on a hill and it started rolling, I might get mad or honk. But with this sign (Kid Driver   Manual), I know it’s a young person who is learning and I’ll be more patient. This sign reminds us to cut this kid driver some slack; have a little patience and understanding (something I struggle with behind the wheel sometimes). Of course it made me think of kids learning to eat. Imagine the child with extreme picky eating who only takes crackers at...

Musings on Anxiety, Sensitivities, and Extreme Picky Eating

Earlier this week, a study came out linking moderate and extreme picky eating with anxiety and depression in children. It has caused quite a stir in the media, with headlines like, “Is picky eating causing depression?” That grabs attention! With one in three parents describing their child as “picky” at some point, the reporting on this study has probably caused more anxiety.  Quick answer, no, typical picky eating, which impacts one in three kids at some point, does not lead to depression, anxiety or ADHD, nor was it associated. A small percentage of children have severe or moderate selective eating which were the two groups associated with anxiety and other concerns. Of note, this study, like all studies had some limitations. Among them, it was voluntary (meaning some parents opted not to partake which could alter findings), and the study followed a portion of the children for a few years, not to adulthood, and didn’t take into account how the challenges were addressed among other factors. The study itself doesn’t claim that picky eating causes depression, another example of how the media distorts science. Here is a nice summary of the study, and below are some more thoughts that we (Jenny and Katja) had on the issue to help parents unpack these scary headlines.   IS picky eating causing anxiety and depression? Do you see anxiety in children with more severe picky eating? This study found a correlation, not causation, between moderate to severe picky eating and other conditions like anxiety and ADHD, which has been suggested in other research. It does not mean that picky eating causes depression or anxiety...

He’ll Grow Out of It? Disappointing Guideline from Picky Eating Study

An observational study titled, “Trajectories of Picky Eating during Childhood: A General Population Study.” (International Journal of Eating Disorders) had some interesting findings following over 4000* Dutch children through age six. Unfortunately, the guideline offered in the conclusion will do little to help clinicians help children with picky eating. First, what the study showed: At 18 months about 26% of children were reported as “picky” At age three, about 27% By age six the number declined to 13% 46% were described as picky at some point in childhood The following factors were associated with “persistent” picky eating (beyond age six): male gender low birth weight non-Western maternal ethnicity low parental income shorter duration of exclusive breast feeding and early intro to solids This study confirms findings from other studies that typical picky eating is often a phase. It did not delve into the experience of the persistent picky eater or severity.  And the problematic conclusion and discussion: “Commonly, health professionals tend to regard picky eating as a transient phase of the development of the preschool child. However, many parents of picky eaters seek medical help for their children’s pickiness, and express frustration with physicians for dismissing their concerns. We argue that indeed picky eating between the ages of 0 and 4 years may in general be considered as part of normal development. As a guideline, health care professionals could focus on a duration >3 years of picky eating, non-Dutch (non-Western) descent and low family income to monitor for risk at becoming a persistent picky eater.” This makes those of us supporting parents of children with extreme picky eating slap...

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