Why genes are to blame for fussy-eating toddlers

Parents are not to blame if their toddler doesn't want to eat something, says a report in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

A study of nearly 2,000 sets of 16-month-old twins found food preferences are largely down to genes, which play a pivotal role in toddlers' willingness to eat, or even try, new food.

University College London's Andrea Smith, who jointly led the research, says parents often feel judged or guilty about their children's fussy eating, but understanding the traits "might help to deflect this blame".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

However, parents should still encourage their children to try new foods, say the researchers. On average, a child needs to be offered a new food 15 times before he or she will eat it.

Parents should start early, keep trying and never force a child to eat something they do not want, they add.

The research team said future studies should attempt to identify what aspects of home and family life influenced food fussiness.

The NHS says "the trick is not to worry about what your child eats in a day, or if they don't eat everything at mealtimes".

It adds: "It's more important to think about what they eat over a week."

The health service also advises that families eat meals together when possible, praise children for eating a new foodstuff, even if they only manage a little, and try changing the form a food comes in, giving cooked carrots for example, instead of raw or grated ones.