Baby trying new foods

Feeding Your 4- to 7-Month-Old (for Parents)

Most babies this age are ready to try solid foods. Experts recommend starting solid foods when a baby is about 6 months old, depending on the baby's readiness and nutritional needs.

Be sure to check with your doctor before giving any solid foods.

Is My Baby Ready to Eat Solid Foods?

How can you tell if your baby is ready for solids? Here are a few hints:

• Does your baby swallow food or push it out of their mouth? Babies have a natural tongue-thrust reflex that pushes food back out. Wait until this reflex disappears (typically when babies are 4–6 months old). 
• Can your baby support their own head? To eat solid food, an infant needs good head and neck control and should be able to sit up.
• Is your baby interested in food? Babies who stare, reach and grab, and open their mouths for food are ready to try solid foods.

If your doctor gives the go-ahead but your baby seems frustrated or uninterested in solid foods, try waiting a few days before trying again. Breast milk and formula will still meet nutritional needs as your baby learns to eat solid foods. But after 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — like iron and zinc — that solid foods provide.

Do not add cereal or other food to your baby's bottle because it can lead to too much weight gain.

Watch for signs that your child is hungry or full. Respond to these cues and let your child stop when full. A child who is full may suck with less enthusiasm, stop, or turn away from the breast or the bottle. With solid foods, they may turn away, refuse to open their mouth, or spit the food out.

How Should I Start Feeding My Baby Solid Foods?

When your baby is ready and the doctor says it’s OK to try solid foods, pick a time of day when your baby is not tired or cranky. You want your baby to be a little hungry, but not so hungry that they’re upset. So you might want to give your baby a little breast milk or formula first.

Have your baby sit supported in your lap or in a high chair with a safety strap.

Most babies' first food is iron-fortified infant single-grain cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. Place the spoon near your baby's lips, and let the baby smell and taste it. Don't be surprised if this first spoonful is rejected. Wait a minute and try again. Most food offered to your baby at this age will end up on the baby's chin, bib, or high-chair tray. Again, this is just an introduction.

When your little one gets the hang of eating cereal off a spoon, it may be time to try single-ingredient puréed meat, vegetables, or fruit. The order in which you give them doesn't matter, but go slow. Offer foods that are high in iron and zinc — such as meat, poultry, eggs, and beans — especially if your baby is breastfeeding. Try one food at a time and wait several days before trying something else new. This will let you identify any foods that your baby may be allergic to.

Which Foods Should I Avoid?

Foods that are more likely to cause allergies can be among the foods you introduce to your baby. These include peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about food allergies, especially if any close family members have allergies, food allergies, or allergy-related conditions, like eczema or asthma.

Infants with severe eczema or egg allergies are more likely to have allergies to peanuts. Talk to your doctor about how and when to introduce these foods to your child. 

Possible signs of food allergy or allergic reactions include:

• rash
• bloating or an increase in gassiness
• diarrhea
• vomiting

Get medical care right away if your baby has a more severe allergic reaction, like hives, drooling, wheezing, or trouble breathing.

If your child has any type of reaction to a food, don't offer that food again until you talk with your doctor.

Babies shouldn't have:

• foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
• high-sodium foods
• honey, until after the first birthday. It can cause botulism in babies.
• unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese 
• regular cow's milk or soy beverages before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
• foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Tips for Feeding Your Baby Solid Foods

With the hectic pace of family life, most parents try commercially prepared baby foods at first. They come in small, convenient containers, and manufacturers must meet strict safety and nutrition guidelines.

If you prepare your own baby foods at home, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Follow the rules for food safety, including washing your hands well and often.
• To preserve the nutrients in your baby's food, cook it in ways that keep the most vitamins and minerals. Try steaming or baking fruits and vegetables instead of boiling, which washes away the nutrients.
• Freeze portions that you aren't going to use right away.
• Whether you buy the baby food or make it yourself, texture and consistency are important. At first, babies should have finely puréed single-ingredient foods. (Just applesauce, for example, not apples and pears mixed together.)
• After your baby is eating individual foods, it's OK to offer a puréed mix of two foods. As babies get older, they will learn to eat a greater variety of tastes and textures. 
• If you use prepared baby food in jars, spoon some of the food into a bowl to feed your baby. Do not feed your baby right from the jar — bacteria from the baby's mouth can contaminate the remaining food. If you refrigerate opened jars of baby food, it's best to throw away anything not eaten within a day or two.
• Around 6 months of age is a good time for your baby to try a cup. You might need to try a few cups to find one that works for your child. Use water at first to avoid messy clean-ups. Do not give juice to infants younger than 12 months.

Over the next few months, introduce a variety of foods from all the food groups. If your baby doesn't seem to like something, don’t give up. It can take 8 to 10 tries or more before babies learn to like new foods.

Help your baby enjoy new foods

Once your baby is eating solids, it's important to give them a wide variety of foods from the 4 main food groups:

• fruit and vegetables
• starchy carbohydrates
• dairy
• pulses, meat and other proteins

Getting your baby used to eating a variety of foods from the start will help set them up for a lifetime of healthier eating.

It's a great habit to get into, and one that will hopefully help avoid fussy eating and make your life a bit easier as your baby gets older.

Allow plenty of time for eating, especially at first. Rushing or forcing your baby could lead to feeding problems.

Go at your baby's pace and stop when they show you they have had enough. Do not leave meals until your child's too hungry or too tired to eat.

Babies like to choose for themselves and sometimes take their time getting used to different foods.

Keep offering a variety of foods and gradually introduce news foods.

Offer vegetables that are not sweet, such as broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, from the start.

It may take 10 or even more attempts for your baby to accept new foods, particularly as they get older.

They might make funny faces, but this does not mean they do not like it. They're just getting used to new flavours and textures.

Encourage your baby to feed themselves with their fingers. This way they can show you how much they want to eat, and it helps them get used to different foods and textures. It's also good for developing their hand and eye co-ordination.

As a guide, the best finger foods are soft or cooked foods that can be cut up into pieces big enough for your baby to hold in their fist and stick out of the top of it. Pieces about the size of your own finger work well.

But this is an important part of your baby's development. Encouraging your baby to touch and play with their food will help them learn how to eat and enjoy different foods, flavours and textures.

You may want to cover the floor with newspaper or a protective mat to make clearing up easier.

Most babies know when they're full, so let your baby guide you and never force them to eat.

Follow your baby's cues and learn to recognise when they're hungry and when they have had enough.

Babies under 9 months do not need snacks. If you think your baby is hungry in between meals, offer extra milk feeds instead.

There will be days when your baby eats more, some days when they eat less, and some days when they reject everything. This is perfectly normal.

Do not focus on what your baby eats in a meal or a day. It's more helpful to think about what they eat over a week.

Babies copy their parents and other children, so you can help them by showing them that you eat healthier foods.

Babies enjoy watching you eat and learn from being a part of family mealtimes.

Help them join in by talking to them and giving them food when you or the rest of the family are eating.

Having mealtimes around the same time every day can make it easier for your baby to know when it's food time.

Avoid giving your baby sugary drinks and snacks high in sugar, fat or salt, as these can fill your child up so they're not hungry for healthier food.

It's best not to get them used to these foods and drinks, as this may make them more likely to want them as they get older.

You can make healthier homemade food from simple ingredients with no added sugar or salt, which can also be cheaper than shop-bought baby foods. This also helps your baby get used to family foods.

Baby food in jars, pouches or packets can be handy, but portion sizes are often too big and much of it has the same texture.

This may make it harder for your baby to accept more varied textures and move on to family foods as they get older.

Jars and pouches can be useful when you do not have much time or if you're out with your baby.

If using pouches, always squeeze the contents onto a spoon. Do not let your baby suck straight from the pouch, as it may contribute to tooth decay.

Packaged baby snacks, such as rusks, baby biscuits and baby biscotti, should not form part of your baby's diet, as they may contain lots of sugar.

Make sure your baby is sitting safely, in an upright position, so they can swallow properly.

During mealtimes, avoid sitting your baby in front of the television, phone or tablet.

Food selectivity | Bebbo

About picky eaters and picky eaters

Being picky eaters when you don't like the taste, shape, color or texture of certain foods - is normal for a child .

It is also normal when children like something today and not the next day, when they refuse to try new things, eat more or less.

The fact is that selectivity in food is part of the process of child development . It is a way to explore the world and assert your independence. In addition, children's appetite alternately increases and decreases depending on the rate of growth and physical activity.

Fortunately, with age, children become less picky. One day, your child will probably enjoy eating a wide variety of foods.

Dealing with Eating Selectivity: Making Meals Enjoyable

A child's desire to try new foods depends in part on the setting in which he or she eats. Ideally, eating should be enjoyable and stress-free. nine0009

Here are a few suggestions:

• Make your mealtimes an opportunity for regular family interaction in a pleasant atmosphere. Try not to worry about spilled drinks or spilled food.
• Start small. For example, invite your child to first lick a piece of something new, then eat it. Praise him for his efforts.
• Never force a child to try new foods. For this, he will have many more opportunities.
nine0025 If the child is selective in food, if possible, do not pay attention to it. When this fact is given too much importance, children can behave in this way for a long time.
• Combine healthy eating with fun: make sandwiches in an unusual shape, invite your child to prepare a salad or beat eggs for an omelette.
• Turn off the TV to chat with each other.
• Allow no more than 20 minutes for meals. Anything that lasts too long is not fun. If the child has not eaten a meal during this time, remove it and do not offer the child anything else until the next scheduled meal or snack. nine0028

When the baby has played out, it can be difficult to seat him along with everyone at the table. If this is your case, try to do something calm with him before eating . Even hand washing can help.

Offer a variety of foods from all five groups at each meal. Eat a variety of foods yourself, showing your child that you are willing to try new foods and like them. Family meals that focus on healthy food in a supportive environment will promote a positive attitude towards healthy eating and help the child to join it. nine0009

Giving picky children independence in food choices

It would be helpful to give your child freedom of choice when it comes to food. Offer him healthy options, but let him decide how much and what to eat.

You can also let your child choose from several healthy foods . Offer a choice of no more than two or three so that the child does not get too confused. For example, do not ask your child to get what he wants from the refrigerator, but ask: “Do you want grapes or carrot sticks?” nine0009

Another important tip: involve your child in cooking for the whole family . For example, your child might do the following:

• select prescription
• take food out of the refrigerator
• wash fruits and vegetables
• mix salad
• grow herbs at home and collect them for cooking.

He will be proud to help and more likely to eat what he helped prepare. nine0009

Sometimes a child refuses to eat just because he is interested in seeing your reaction. If a child does not want to eat something, this does not mean at all that he does not like it - after all, he might not even try this dish or product yet. The child in this way can simply demonstrate his independence and check how you will react. In such situations, try to remain calm.

Offering picky kids new foods

If you have a picky eater who doesn't like to try new things, here are some tips you might find helpful:

• Keep offering new products. Most likely, the child will try them and eventually like them, but this will happen, perhaps only from the 10th or 15th attempt.
• Put a small amount of something new on a plate of familiar food your child likes, such as a piece of broccoli next to mashed potatoes. Encourage your child to touch, smell, or lick the new product.
• Make your dish attractive. Experiment with colors, shapes and sizes, and let the child choose what to eat from the contents of the plate. nine0028
• Offer your child the same food as other family members, but in the appropriate amount. If the child is not eating, say something like, "Try it, it's delicious." If he still refuses, accept it calmly: "Okay, we'll try another time when you're hungry."
• Offer different products from all five groups. For example, a child does not like cheese, but he can eat yogurt with pleasure.
• If you decide to let your child try a new product, try not to let him fill his stomach with drinks or fast food before doing so. He is more likely to try new things if he is hungry and has no other options. nine0028
• Let the child, if possible, share food with other children: he will be more willing to try something new if he sees that other children are happy to eat it.

Want to know how to feed your baby broccoli? Read how to cook with fire to encourage kids to eat healthy.

Punishment and rewards for picky eaters

If a child is punished for refusing to try new foods, they may develop negative associations with new foods. If the baby does not want to eat, calmly remove the food and offer it another time. nine0009

Sometimes you want to tempt your child with a treat so that he eats something healthy, for example: "If you eat a carrot, you can have some chocolate." But this approach can lead to the fact that the child will crave treats rather than healthy foods. In addition, he may get the impression that eating healthy food is an unpleasant job.

Picky Eating Facts

These facts will help you understand why children are sometimes picky eaters:

• Growth cycles affect children's appetite. Appetite changes even in babies. From the age of 1 year to 6 years, it is common for children to be choosy, that is, to be picky. nine0028
• Children have different taste preferences than adults.
• Sometimes life and the study of the world around us are so captivating for children that they have no time to be distracted by food.
• Children learn by testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior. They can show great willpower when it comes to food (to eat or not to eat and what to eat). It is part of their social, intellectual and emotional development.

If a child is healthy and has enough energy to play, study and explore the world, he is likely to eat enough. But if he eats a very limited set of foods and does not eat entire food groups for a long time, contact a therapist, pediatrician or nutritionist. nine0009

Neophobia - when a child is afraid to try new food.