A perfect storm: eating in the second year of life
Some children struggle with eating from the very first, but often, parents are shocked and worried to see their little one transition from enthusiastic foodie to picky eater. Often, this transition happens around a child’s first birthday. There are so many reasons behind this that it could be described as a perfect storm; a combination of factors that come together to result in a change in eating behaviour in many young children.
It can be hugely helpful as a parent to expect and understand this shift. It is also useful to know a bit about normal child development so that you understand that your child’s changed relationship with food is not your fault.
Picky eating usually begins between 12 and 24 months¹ and most children are no longer described as picky after the age of six. Let’s have a look at what is happening as children hit the toddler years:
1. They are becoming mobile
What does this have to do with eating? Well, according to some evolutionary psychologists, maybe quite a bit. Neophobia (fear of new foods) may be a protective mechanism which prevents children from wandering off and eating brightly coloured poisonous berries. This article explains more.
2. Their need for food decreases
Yes – you read that right – children grow at an extraordinary rate when they are babies. Between the ages of two and five, however, their weight gain slows and the majority of toddlers experience a decrease in their appetite.² Sometimes this makes parents anxious and they respond to this by encouraging children to eat more than they naturally want to. This pressure and mealtime stress is likely to make picky eating worse.
3. They are learning about their own autonomy
Toddlerhood is both charming and challenging in equal measure. I know, I’ve had three small people to make me laugh and pull my hair out, by turns. One of the key learnings for toddlers concerns the extent of their personal power – they are experimenting with “no!”; they are testing boundaries; they are striving for independence. Often these struggles and experiments take place at the dinner table and food can easily become the site of a control battle. One and two year olds are in the thick of this stage and are not yet great at regulating their emotions, sometimes leading to very fraught and stressful mealtimes.
So it is normal for children to start to express their food preferences and maybe even just accept a limited range of foods when they are toddlers. Sit back and relax, keep on offering a wide range of foods and ensure your child sees you enjoyed a varied and nutritious diet. Use Satter’s Division of Responsibility as a way of understanding your feeding role AND if you are worried that your child’s relationship with food may be beyond the normal, always get some advice from an appropriate professional.
¹ Ekstein, S., Laniado, D., & Glick, B. (2010). Does picky eating affect weight-for-length measurements in young children?. Clinical pediatrics, 49(3), 217-220.
² Parker, S., Zuckerman, B. S., & Augustyn, M. (Eds.). (2005). Developmental and behavioral pediatrics: A handbook for primary care. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.