Is your child a picky eater? One toddler was shown to have an aversion towards a banana after it was accidentally broken in two before it was presented to him.
The moment was captured by Lindsay Wilson (@lindsaywilson156) in a viral TikTok video six days ago. The 26-year-old stay-at-home mom, who also does some substitute teaching on the side, told Newsweek that her 2-year-old son William is "very, very picky" about his food.
A message overlaid on the clip reads: "Me going to give my toddler the banana he asked for... but it broke while I was peeling it." The footage shows a hand shaking while carrying a plate with a banana cut into two pieces.
Wilson said: "He used to eat all sorts of things like sauerkraut, avocado, and other vegetables. Once he turned 1, he decided none of that would fly anymore. Now he only wants to eat apple sauce, bananas, toast, Lara bars and pizza. He eventually was diagnosed with sensory issues, but we are working on it."
A June 2022 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that "sensory disturbances can cause problems in learning and behaviour of children in whom no medical diagnosis has been made."
A study in the October-December 2022 issue of Applied Neuropsychology: Child said that "sensory processing issues, mainly known as sensory processing disorder or SPD, are frequent in children with neurodevelopmental disorders." However, previous research has found that these disturbances might also be present in 10 to 20 percent of typically developing children, the study said.
SPD can affect one or more senses, and people can be either over- or under-responsive to certain sensations. For example, some children might recoil from the textures of certain foods, while others may fail to respond to extreme heat or cold, said a March 2023 WebMD article reviewed by Dr. Dan Brennan.
A January 2009 study in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology found that children with sensory over-responsivity (SOR) "may show negative responses to specific sensations, in the form of fear, avoidance, distraction, over-vigilance, and/or aggression especially when the stimulus is not self-initiated."
'The Shaking Hand'
A caption shared with the viral TikTok post reads: "The way my stomach dropped when it [the banana] broke."
The footage shows the plate with the halved banana being placed in front of William. The toddler is shown saying "no" several times before offering the plate back towards the camera.
Wilson, who lives in New Jersey with her husband and two kids, said: "He loves to help out in the kitchen, especially making smoothies, which is what we ended up doing with the broken banana."
Several TikTok users were amused by the boy's reaction in the latest clip, with several sharing their own related experiences.
Lisa Martorello posted: "Oh girl that is so risky."
MizChavers noted: "OMG [Oh my god] the shaking hand. I remember those days well."
User mamabword wrote: "this is why I always broke everything I gave my kids. lol [laugh out loud]. broke granola bars, ripped sandwiches apart, took a bite of their cookies."
The original poster replied: "This one is my first so I'm still learning, my poor guinea pig lol. I've already done so many diff things with my newborn."
Cait commented: "I let mine use a butter knife to cut up the rest when this happens and hope the fun of getting to cut a banana is enough to distract them."
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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