What's the difference between a picky eater and a problem feeder?

The terms come from feeding therapy (the SOS approach), and the difference is mostly about degree.

A picky eater typically eats 30 or more foods, will eat at least one item from most food groups, can have a food "burn out" and get it back later, and will usually tolerate a new food on the table even if they don't eat it. It's frustrating, but workable.

A problem feeder has a much narrower range — often under about 20 foods and steadily shrinking — refuses entire categories or textures, melts down or panics when a new food is even near them, and when a food burns out, it's usually gone for good. Eating can come with genuine distress, not just "no thanks."

The line isn't about willpower or parenting — a problem feeder truly can't just "try it." If your child sounds like the second description, it's worth talking to a feeding therapist or pediatrician; that's the level where professional help makes the biggest difference.