Recording your baby's food preferences

Weaning is a great opportunity to introduce lots of different foods. Young babies are particularly receptive to trying anything new, and getting your baby used to a variety of flavours could make them more open to variety later on.1

Your baby is born with a preference for sweet tastes. Giving your baby plenty of opportunity to try savoury flavours, such as vegetables, or more complex and bitter flavours can help establish a preference for these foods too2.

Recording your baby's reactions
You may need to offer your baby some foods on eight occasions or more before they are accepted. So it is worth trying again on another day with a food that your baby initially rejects.

You may find it useful to keep a record of what you give your baby. This way you can keep track of what your baby likes, as well as how many times you have given a food they do not seem to like initially.

Your baby's tastes can change with time. Tracking their preferences will help you to see which foods they have refused that could be worth returning to again.

Discovering your toddler's tastes
As they get older, you will be able to see a picture of your toddler's individual tastes emerging. For example your toddler may love food in sauces. Or they may prefer their food dry, or each food kept separate from the others on their plate. If there is a food your toddler particularly dislikes, then you can offer alternatives from the same food group.

1 Julie A. Mennella, Sophie Nicklaus, Amanda L. Jagolino, Lauren M. Yourshaw. Variety is the spice of life: Strategies for promoting fruit and vegetable acceptance during infancy. Physiology & Behavior (2008) 94:29-38.

2 Andrea Maier, Claire Chabanet, Benoist Schaal, Sylvie Issanchou, Peter Leathwood. Effects of repeated exposure on acceptance of initially disliked vegetables in 7-month old infants. Food Quality and Preference (2007) 18: 1023-1032.