Picky eating in children: what the research says about how common it is and how long it lasts

Taylor, C. M., Wernimont, S. M., Northstone, K., & Emmett, P. M. (2015). Picky/fussy eating in children: Review of definitions, assessment, prevalence and dietary intakes. Appetite, 95, 349–359. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.07.026

Who was studied: Published studies of picky eating, plus data from the UK's Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) at ages 24, 38, 54, and 65 months.

Design: Narrative review with new data from a cohort study

What they found: There is no single accepted definition of picky eating, and studies measure it with different questionnaires or one-off questions, so prevalence estimates vary widely. As Taylor and Emmett (2019) later summarized, published estimates range from 6% to 50%. In ALSPAC, where parents were asked whether their child had definite likes and dislikes about food, prevalence was 10% at 24 months, 15% at 38 months, 14% at 54 months, and 12% at 65 months. The review also looks at what picky eaters eat, and calls for more longitudinal and health-related data.

Cardona Cano, S., Tiemeier, H., Van Hoeken, D., Tharner, A., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Hofman, A., Verhulst, F. C., & Hoek, H. W. (2015). Trajectories of picky eating during childhood: A general population study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48(6), 570–579. doi:10.1002/eat.22384

Who was studied: 4,018 children in the Generation R study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, followed from pregnancy onward.

Design: Population-based cohort study, picky eating reported by mothers at ages 1½, 3, and 6

What they found: Picky eating was reported for 26.5% of children at 1½, 27.6% at 3, and 13.2% at 6. Over the three ages, 55% were never picky, 32% were picky early and then stopped (remitting), 4% became picky only at 6, and 4% were picky at all three ages. Nearly half (46%) were picky at some point. Boys, children with lower birth weight, and children from families with low income or non-Western maternal ethnicity were more likely to be persistent picky eaters.

Mascola, A. J., Bryson, S. W., & Agras, W. S. (2010). Picky eating during childhood: A longitudinal study to age 11 years. Eating Behaviors, 11(4), 253–257. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2010.05.006 · free full text

Who was studied: 120 children in the United States and their parents, followed from age 2 to age 11.

Design: Prospective cohort study

What they found: At any given age, between 13% and 22% of the children were reported to be picky eaters. Picky eating lasted more than 2 years for 40% of those who had it. Parents of picky eaters more often reported a limited variety of foods, food prepared in specific ways, and tantrums when foods were denied, and more often reported struggles over feeding and making special meals. The study found no significant effects on growth.

Dovey, T. M., Staples, P. A., Gibson, E. L., & Halford, J. C. G. (2008). Food neophobia and 'picky/fussy' eating in children: A review. Appetite, 50(2–3), 181–193. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.09.009

Who was studied: Research on children's acceptance and rejection of foods, especially fruits and vegetables.

Design: Narrative review

What they found: The review separates two ideas that are often mixed up. Food neophobia is reluctance to eat, or avoidance of, new foods. Picky or fussy eaters are children who eat too narrow a range of foods because they reject many foods, including familiar ones. The two overlap, and some influences, such as pressure to eat, parents' feeding practices, personality, and social influences, affect both, while others, such as age and sensitivity to textures, may affect them differently.

Taylor, C. M., & Emmett, P. M. (2019). Picky eating in children: Causes and consequences. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 78(2), 161–169. doi:10.1017/S0029665118002586

Who was studied: Studies of picky eating, with a focus on ALSPAC data.

Design: Narrative review

What they found: The authors note there is still no universally accepted definition of picky eating or tool to identify it. Picky eaters' diets may have less variety, with lower intakes of iron, zinc, and fiber of particular concern, but there is little evidence of a consistent effect on growth. A small group whose picky eating doesn't resolve may need more support. Suggested strategies include repeated exposure to unfamiliar foods, parents modeling eating fruits, vegetables, and new foods, and positive social experiences at meals.

Jansen, P. W., de Barse, L. M., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Verhulst, F. C., Franco, O. H., & Tiemeier, H. (2017). Bi-directional associations between child fussy eating and parents' pressure to eat: Who influences whom? Physiology & Behavior, 176, 101–106. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.02.015

Who was studied: Children and their parents in the Generation R study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Design: Population-based cohort study, analysis of links over time

What they found: Fussy eating at ages 1½ to 3 predicted more parental pressure to eat at age 4, and pressure at age 4 predicted more fussy eating at age 6. The authors described the associations as bi-directional, with the link from child to parent stronger than the link from parent to child.

The prevalence figures come from large cohort studies, which are good at describing how common something is and how it changes with age. But every study relies on parents' reports, and each uses its own definition, which is why the numbers differ so much. The studies of causes and consequences are observational: they show what goes together with picky eating, not what causes it. Few studies have followed children long enough to know who keeps picky eating into adolescence.

• They don't give one prevalence number. "About 1 in 4" or "about 1 in 8" depends on the age, the country, and the question parents were asked.
• They don't show that pressure to eat causes picky eating. In a Generation R analysis, pressure and fussy eating predicted each other over time, so the link may run both ways.
• They don't show that picky eating is harmful for most children. Growth effects were not found consistently, though a smaller group with persistent picky eating may need more support.
• They don't diagnose anything. Picky eating is not the same as ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), which has specific diagnostic criteria.

Researchers don't agree on one definition of picky eating in children. One often-used definition comes from the 2008 review by Terence Dovey and colleagues: picky or fussy eaters are children who eat too narrow a variety of foods because they reject many foods, familiar ones included. Other definitions add strong food preferences, eating few vegetables, needing food prepared in a particular way, or needing separate meals.

Food neophobia is a related but narrower idea: reluctance to eat, or avoidance of, new foods. A neophobic child may happily eat a wide range of familiar foods but refuse anything new. A picky eater may also refuse foods they used to eat. In practice the two often show up together, and some questionnaires mix them.

Picky eating is also distinct from ARFID, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. ARFID is a diagnosis with specific criteria, such as weight loss or failure to gain weight, nutritional deficiency, dependence on supplements, or marked interference with psychosocial functioning. Most picky eaters don't meet those criteria.

Studies report a prevalence of picky eating anywhere from about 6% to 50%. That doesn't mean picky eating suddenly changed; it reflects how it's measured. Some studies ask parents a single question, such as "Is your child a picky eater?" That leaves each parent to decide what counts. Others use multi-item questionnaires with a cutoff score. The UK's ALSPAC study asked whether the child had "definite likes and dislikes" about food, with answers ranging from no to very choosy.

Age matters too. In ALSPAC, prevalence was 10% at 24 months, 15% at 38 months, and 12% at 65 months. In the Dutch Generation R study, it was 26.5% at 1½, 27.6% at 3, and 13.2% at 6. Both studies, and others, found the highest levels around age 3. One US study, by Mascola and colleagues, found that 13% to 22% of children were picky eaters at any given age from 3 to 11.

So the honest answer to "how common is picky eating?" is: common, with the exact share depending on the question asked.

For many children, picky eating looks like a phase. In the Generation R study, almost two thirds of the children who were picky early on were no longer picky within 3 years. The authors concluded that picky eating is usually transient and part of normal development in preschool children.

But not for everyone. In the same study, 4% of children were picky at 1½, 3, and 6, and these persistent picky eaters were more often boys, children with lower birth weight, and children from families with lower incomes or non-Western maternal ethnicity. Another 4% became picky only at age 6. In the smaller US study, picky eating lasted more than 2 years for 40% of the children who had it, and the authors described it as a "relatively stable trait."

These findings describe groups, not individual children. A 5-year-old who is still choosy is not necessarily on a persistent path; the studies can't predict that for a single child.

Picky eaters tend to eat fewer vegetables and may get less iron, zinc, and fiber, according to the reviews by Taylor and colleagues. Low fiber is linked with constipation in picky eaters. In ALSPAC, children who stayed picky ate 48% fewer vegetables and 33% less fruit than children who were never picky, but their intake of protein, fat, and carbohydrate was not compromised.

Growth is more reassuring. The US study by Mascola and colleagues found no significant effects of picky eating on growth, and the 2019 review found little evidence of a consistent effect on growth trajectories. The review notes that a small subgroup whose picky eating doesn't resolve may be at risk of thinness in adolescence; those children may need monitoring and support.

The direction of some links is unclear. A separate analysis of Generation R children (Jansen and colleagues, 2017) found that fussy eating at ages 1½ to 3 predicted more parental pressure to eat at age 4, and pressure at 4 predicted more fussy eating at 6; the authors described the links as bi-directional, with the child-to-parent direction stronger. Parents may push more when a child eats little, and pushing may make things worse; the data can't fully separate the two.

The 2019 review lists strategies that appear repeatedly in the research and in clinical advice: repeated, low-pressure exposure to unfamiliar foods; parents eating fruits, vegetables, and new foods themselves; realistic portion sizes; limiting snacks and drinks such as milk and juice between meals so children come to meals hungry; and making family meals a positive social experience. The review does not rate the strength of each strategy.

Repeated exposure is the strategy with randomized trials, which we review on a separate page. For how many tries the research supports, and why the advice ranges from 8 to 20, see our review of how many times you should offer a new food. For everyday ideas, see our guide for parents of a picky eater.

Is picky eating normal?

Yes, for most young children it's common. In a Dutch study of 4,018 children, nearly half were reported as picky at some point between ages 1½ and 6, and most early picky eaters were no longer picky three years later. Talk to your pediatrician if your child eats very few foods, loses weight, or meals cause major distress.

What age does picky eating stop?

There's no fixed age. In the two large studies (ALSPAC and Generation R), picky eating was reported most often around age 3 and less often by 5 or 6. In the Dutch study, about two thirds of early picky eaters were no longer picky within three years, but 4% stayed picky through age 6, and in a US study some children were still picky at 11.

Is picky eating a disorder?

Usually not. Picky eating is a common pattern in childhood, not a diagnosis. ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) is a separate condition with specific criteria, such as weight loss, nutritional deficiency, dependence on supplements, or marked interference with psychosocial functioning. If you see those signs, ask your pediatrician about an evaluation.

What causes picky eating?

Research points to several factors rather than one cause. Reviews link picky eating with early feeding difficulties, late introduction of lumpy foods, pressure to eat, a child's sensory sensitivity, and family circumstances. These are associations from observational studies; they show what tends to go together, not what caused picky eating in a particular child.

How common is picky eating?

Common, but the share depends on how it's measured: studies report anywhere from about 6% to 50%. In the Dutch Generation R study, mothers reported picky eating in about 1 in 4 children at ages 1½ and 3 and about 1 in 8 at age 6. In a smaller US study, 13% to 22% were picky at any given age from 3 to 11.

Two Baskets (lesson 1) helps children sort what's up to them and what isn't. At the table, the same split can be useful for parents: what's served is up to you, and how much your child eats of it is up to them.

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Read next

• Picky Eater? What Helps a Child Who Eats Only a Few Foods
• Food for Kids 4–8: Snacks, Lunches, Dinners, and Picky Eating
• Healthy Snacks for Kids: Easy Ideas for Ages 4–8, Plus Safety
• How many times should you offer a new food? What the research on repeated exposure shows