Depression in parents could result in having fussy eaters, according to a new study by researchers in the Netherlands.

As if parents need another reason to feel guilty, researchers studied the link between depression of parents in pregnancy and early childhood with surprising results.

Lead author of the study, Lisanne de Barse of Erasmus MC-University Medical Center in Rotterdam, said of the reason for the study, “Fussy eating can really be a problem for the families. Dinners can become very difficult. There is also some evidence that when a child continues to be a fussy eater there can continue to be additional health problems.”

Of course, most families have at least one picky eater, but now we know it could be your fault if you struggled with depression.

The study followed pregnant women living in Rotterdam who delivered their child between April 2002 and January 2006. Then, the parents filled out a series of questionnaires before birth and when their child was three years old about their levels of anxiety and depression. The study included not only the clinically depressed, but also those with only elevated anxiety.

Lisanne de Barse added, “It’s not clear what influences fussy eating. What we knew is that there was a relationship between mothers’ anxiety and depression during the child’s life and their children’s fussy eating.”

In summary, the study found a credible link between a mother’s anxiety levels and depression during and after pregnancy, as well as the father’s levels in early childhood, and picky eating kids.

What do you think about this study connecting depression and picky eating?