Introducing your baby to lots of new tastes will encourage them to eat well. Find out why, and how your baby’s appreciation of flavours is likely to progress,
During the first six months of weaning babies are very receptive to
new foods. So far they have only tasted milk, so solid food is a
big adventure for them. Once you start the weaning adventure, they
quickly learn to like food and not to be mistrustful of new tastes
and textures.
Why is introducing a variety of flavours important?
By introducing your baby to a wide variety of flavours early on,
you will help make your baby more receptive to new tastes as they
get older. It can also help them to become confident, happy eaters.
Babies and toddlers who experience a wide variety of flavours are
less likely to become fussy eaters1, and eating a varied
diet increases the chances that your child is getting everything
they need nutritionally.
Tips for introducing your baby to new flavours
- Offering your baby food in a variety of colours can help in
encouraging your baby to get used to lots of flavours. Once you
have started to introduce texture, you may also like to experiment
with different shapes, for example little pasta stars. If food is
interesting to look at, your baby may be more likely to want to
explore the taste.
- It is important to keep offering a food too, even if it is
initially rejected. Some foods may need to be offered on up to
eight occasions before they are accepted by your baby.
- In the meantime, try not to react or make a fuss if your baby
rejects a particular food.
Moving on to more complex flavours
From about 10 months, you can start to introduce increasingly
complex flavours to your baby's diet. Use interesting combinations
of ingredients to bring a variety of new tastes to their palates.
You may want to offer your baby's food on a plate too, so they can
learn to recognise what is on offer.
A fear of new foods
From around 12 months, your baby may start to become
suspicious of new foods. This instinct is
stronger in some toddlers than others, and may stem from a survival
mechanism that protects your baby against eating something
poisonous, related to the fact they are on the move.
If your toddler starts refusing new foods, try not to panic.
Keep calm and keep offering a variety of colourful, flavoursome
foods. The more variety you offer, the more likely it is that all
their nutritional requirements are being met.
Any fussy eating should resolve itself with time and if your
toddler was eating a varied diet beforehand, they are more likely
to return to eating a wide variety of foods later. 2
1 1998 BR Carruth, Jean Skinner, Kelly Houck, James
Moran III, Frances Coletta, Dana Ott. The Phenomenon of 'Picky
Eater': A Behavioural Marker in Eating Patterns of Toddlers,
Journal of the American College of Nutrition Vol.17, No.2,
180-186
2 2009 Sophie Nicklaus, The Development of Food
Variety in Children, Appetite 52 253-255