“How long should you wait before you introduce new foods to a baby (he’s very picky)?”
There is no exact answer to your question. Some babies are pickier than others. A recent study showed that whether a child is fussy or not, is mostly down to genetics and not on parenting. This does not mean that there is nothing parents can do to improve their children’s eating behaviours but that it will be more difficult for them to do so. It also seems that the best time to influence our children’s eating behaviours is when they are toddlers.
Here are some ideas that tend to work with picky eaters:
- Offer new food repeatedly. You might need to offer some foods 5-15 times or more before your child chooses to eat them.
- Offer food in a relaxed way and let your child decide if and how much they want to eat. Pressuring them to eat certain foods may work in the short-term but may end up backfiring because they end up developing negative associations with the food.
- The best way for toddlers to eat and enjoy new foods is to copy you. Eat with them as often as you can and let them see you eat healthy and varied food.
- Sometimes parents worry when their children are very fussy and don’t seem to eat much. If your child seems well, is active and gaining weight, then it is very likely they are eating enough.
- Keep going back to the foods your child did not like before. Children’s tastes changes often. One day they hate eggs and a month later they love them.
- Praise them when they eat, even if little.
If you want more information about nutrition and mealtimes, we have two fantastic masterclasses with a great nutritionist:
Making Mealtime Enjoyable for your Family
Understanding and Identifying your Child’s Nutritional Needs
I hope this information helps! I wish you all the very best to you and your family.
Love,
Ana
