By pinpointing the factors associated with picky eating and infantile anorexia, researchers have identified new areas of treatment focus, namely that parents can improve their toddlers' eating habits by better understanding their children's temperament and how to cope with their toddlers' behaviors during mealtime.
Infantile anorexia is a severe feeding disorder that typically occurs during the toddler years.
The study was designed to gain a better understanding of the factors that affect and may worsen symptoms of this feeding disorder. A total of 102 toddlers between the ages of 12 and 37 months participated in the study. There were three groups of toddlers who were either diagnosed with infantile anorexia, as being picky eaters, or as being healthy, normal eaters. Mothers and toddlers were also videotaped during a feeding session, and toddlers were weighed and measured. Mothers of anorexic toddlers rated their toddlers as more difficult, negatively adaptive, dependent, unstoppable and irregular than healthy eaters.