Tiffany Greene, Your Kids

Tempting the taste buds of your children can be challenging, but not impossible.  

If you have a child who is a picky eater, crying can be the main dish while screaming is the dessert. 

Some parents don't know they are the culprits responsible for feeding their frustration.

Here are some helpful hints when it comes to dinner time, which might make it easier to swallow:

It's ok to be choosy. Researchers who study picky eaters say that pickiness is found in every culture and in at least 25 to 30 percent of families, according to pediatrician reports. Understanding this statistic should make you feel a little more at ease when your little one pitches a fit.

Behavior develops young and ends young. Picky eaters usually develop during the preschool years and fades around age seven, which is why so many parents complain that their toddlers used to be good eaters and then all of a sudden started tantrums at dinner.

Breast-feeding makes a difference in diet. Babies who are breast-fed typically are not as picky when they get older because flavors from the mother's diet are transferred into the milk. Whereas bottle-fed infants are accustomed to one flavor, formula, and are more likely to become choosy children.  That study was printed in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The ADA also suggests that parents should not give up so easily on picky eaters. Most parents offer new foods only three to five times before giving up hope, but numerous studies show unfamiliar foods have to be presented up to 15 times before they might take a bite.

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