We get lots of e mails from parents whose babies are eating the same thing at virtually every meal because they are reluctant to try anything else!
In fact, one Mum last week was serving bananas to her 7 month old every day because she was anxious that – if she didn’t – he would not be receiving adequate nutrition.
Fortunately, bananas are a great food, packed with goodness. Nevertheless, babies do ultimately need a varied diet, which offers them a broader range of tastes, textures and nutrients.
When trying to widen the range of foods that your baby will accept, remember that there is no hurry and that patience is key. For the best part of his first year, your baby will be receiving most of his nutrients from his milk, whether breast milk or formula.
Top Tips For Getting Baby To Try New Foods
- Eat the new food along with your baby. Smile and show enjoyment… and he may be inclined to follow suit!
- Don’t assume that, because your baby has rejected a particular food once, he will do so again. You may need to offer a particular food many, many times to your baby before he will accept it – his taste buds are changing and developing all the time. To avoid frustration on your part, the trick is to only prepare a small amount of the new food – don’t make up a whole batch of pureed sweet potato, for example, if you’re not sure whether or not your baby will like it.
- Introduce a new food at the beginning of the meal rather than at the end. This is when your baby will be most hungry and more likely to try something new. If you feel that your baby is extra hungry, though, then take the edge off his appetite first with a few tastes of a more familiar food.
- Don’t try introducing new flavours when your baby is teething, tired or just plain grumpy! He will not be receptive to changes in his diet and may become even more irritable.
- Try mixing new foods into familiar ones. A good tip is to combine a veggie puree that your baby enjoys along with a new one that he is rejecting. At first, make sure that the predominant flavour is the familiar one… but slowly reduce the amount of the familiar food until – hopefully – your baby is enjoying the new food by itself.
- Don’t assume that – if your baby refuses carrot puree – he will refuse ALL carrot dishes. Our third daughter detested pureed carrots but loved to eat soft, cooked carrots as a finger food. This applies, of course, to all different types of food.
- Don’t force your baby to eat a food that he clearly doesn’t enjoy – imagine how you would feel if that was being done to you! There is no ONE food that all babies need to eat – if your little one doesn’t like something, then simply try an alternative food with similar nutritional properties!
For more information about dealing with common feeding problems during baby’s first year, why not check out our helpful links below?
How much should my baby be eating?
Gagging problems and introducing lumpy foods