Help Your Baby Try New Foods
During the first few months of life, breast milk provides babies with all the nutrients they need. At some point, though, it’s time to help your baby try new foods. That’s when the following tips come in handy.
Refusing Unfamiliar Food
Sooner or later, it’s time to expand your little one’s menu and help your baby try new foods.
Some kids love to try new flavors, while others don’t and prefer to eat what they know they like. In these cases it is important to be patient. Babies have to try something on average 15 times before they start to like it.
However, it is not only babies and young children who suffer from neophobia (fear of the unknown). Adults can also be affected and it can even be new food. Small children usually overcome it naturally when they are about 5 years old.
Learning by imitation
Parents are role models for their children. Family habits make a big difference. If adults are always willing to try new foods and new things, then kids will be too.
The best way to help your baby try new foods is to eat them on their own first. Imitation is linked to the trust and security that older members of the family create. In fact, this also includes older siblings.
Tricks to Help Your Baby Try New Foods
Mealtime should always be a positive and joyful experience without punishment. From an early age, you should teach children that healthy eating is also fun.
If babies are forced to eat certain foods, they will simply hate them. At the same time , parents should be aware that they will like certain flavors more than others.
You don’t have to take away their favorite foods – you can combine them with new foods or with foods they don’t like. However, make sure they are foods that are nutritious.
Vary the presentation
Colors are also a great strategy to help babies try new foods. Remember that food “enters” through the eyes. If it isn’t pretty or attractive, babies will probably be more reluctant to eat it.
Sometimes disliking a new flavor has nothing to do with the taste. Not wanting to eat a new food may be due to how it looks or feels.
For example, fruit such as banana can be very beautiful. You can cut them into small pieces or even leave them in their natural form. However, they can be very difficult for babies to chew as they only have a few teeth.
If babies don’t like fruit, try pureeing it. It will not look very nice, but it will be easier for the baby to eat.
Let your baby experiment to try new foods
Refusing new foods may have nothing to do with the fruits or vegetables you are feeding your baby. Some cutlery can be very intimidating. A good way to help babies try new foods is to have them bring it to their mouths with their own hands.
What to avoid
Some parents try things that, instead of helping, make it difficult for babies to like new foods. It’s usually because they don’t know any better. However, it can also be due to frustrations due to failures.
One of the most common mistakes is to try to distract the baby. For example, parents try to use the TV or YouTube videos. However, it is important that meals are just for the food. Use that time to be with family and enjoy eating together.
Without a doubt, the worst mistake is forcing your baby to eat. There are parents who practically put the spoon in their baby’s mouth without giving him or her enough time to swallow.
Eating will eventually be painful and traumatic for your baby. Moreover, it is not good to have a system of punishments and rewards. These can lead to trauma and other unhealthy situations.
