5 Misconceptions About Feeding In Children

Myth 1: Eating is a child’s number one priority.

Breathing is the first priority, followed by postural stability (balance). Eating is the third priority. The body needs to coordinate breathing and balance first.

Myth 2: Children will eat when they are hungry. They will not starve themselves.

For some children with feeding problems eating does not work or is painful or causes discomfort. No amount of hunger will overcome pain and compromised feeding systems. Some children have little to no appetite from birth and are not motivated by food throughout their lifetime. These children often forget to eat meals, needing reminders to eat (Kerzner et al., 2015; Milano et al., 2019; Esposito et al., 2023).

Myth 3: Feeding problems in childhood is just a phase. They will grow out of it.

There are some developmentally appropriate fussy feeding periods or phases at 4-6 months, 12-14 months, and 2 years old that reflect changes in motor development, self-awareness, and autonomy. Carers and parents who respond to these phases with patience, kindness, and flexibility increase positive transition outcomes (Ellis et al., 2016).

Some children have medical, cognitive, developmental, sensory, and psychological factors that continue throughout their life making feeding problems persist (Milano et al., 2019).

Myth 4: Eating is easy. Simply pick up the food and eat it.

Eating is the most complex task humans do. We need to use every organ system, muscle, and our sensory systems. Then we need to integrate learning, development, nutrition, and the environment. Toomey & Ross (2011) note that there are around 25 steps for typically developing children and 32 steps or more for children with feeding problems, in the process of learning to eat (Peterson et al., 2016).

Myth 5: Forcing and bribing children to eat is a normal part of helping them expand their food range.

Over time, desperate but well-meaning parents may find themselves doing things they would never normally do, like forcing, bribing, or tricking into eating, in a desperate attempt to feed their child. We now know that force feeding children can lead to detrimental effects, including damaged relationships between children and their carers.

Other effects of force feeding may include vomiting, food aversion, suppressed appetite, poor appetite regulation, and negative emotions towards food and eating. Bribing, tricking, or using screen time while eating to encourage children to eat non-preferred foods may appear helpful in the short term but can create longer term problems including mistrust and distress.

Ellis, J. M., Galloway, A. T., Webb, R. M., Martz, D. M., & Farrow, C. V. (2016). Recollections of pressure to eat during childhood, but not picky eating, predict young adult eating behavior. Appetite, 97, 58-63. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.11.020

Esposito, M., Mirizzi, P., Fadda, R., Pirollo, C., Ricciardi, O., Mazza, M., & Valenti, M. (2023). Food Selectivity in Children with Autism: Guidelines for Assessment and Clinical Interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5092. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20065092

Kerzner, B., Milano, K., MacLean Jr, W. C., Berall, G., Stuart, S., & Chatoor, I. (2015). A practical approach to classifying and managing feeding difficulties. Pediatrics, 135(2), 344-353. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-1630

Milano, K., Chatoor, I., & Kerzner, B. (2019). A functional approach to feeding difficulties in children. Current Gastroenterology Reports, 21(10), 51. doi: 10.1007/s11894-019-0719-0

Peterson, K. M., Piazza, C. C., & Volkert, V. M. (2016). A comparison of a modified sequential oral sensory approach to an applied behavior‐analytic approach in the treatment of food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 49(3), 485-511. doi: 10.1002/jaba.33

Toomey, K. A., & Ross, E. S. (2011). SOS approach to feeding. Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia), 20(3), 82-87.