What to do if your baby is picky about food? A complete solution for your baby's picky eating

Babies' partial eclipse is the most troublesome thing for mothers. On the one hand, they are worried about the baby's unbalanced nutrition, and on the other hand, they are helpless. So today, the editor will teach you how to deal with babies' partial eclipse~

After babies start eating complementary foods, they may develop picky eating habits or refuse to eat, which always worries parents. In fact, babies' picky eating habits are mostly short-term phenomena, which can be improved through encouragement or changing cooking methods. This article will show you how to deal with your baby's picky eating habits and how to eat complementary foods smoothly. I hope every baby can eat nutritiously and healthily!

How to deal with baby's picky eating

1. Don’t get angry or anxious easily. Young children have a small appetite and poor appetite. Parents should not get angry easily because of their picky eating or refusal to eat. In fact, as long as the growth curve of the child is followed, it is okay if they don’t want to eat or eat less sometimes! As for how to use the growth curve to evaluate the baby’s development, please refer to: Is the baby developing according to the growth curve? How to view it correctly?

2. Respect the child's choice. As long as the child has favorite foods in starch, protein, fat, fiber and minerals, then cater to his preferences and let him eat what he likes. It doesn't matter if he eats vegetables and eats less fruit, but if there is a certain category of food that the child does not like, then you should worry about nutritional imbalance. Parents should understand that the same nutrients can be obtained from different foods, so as not to put too much pressure on the child and make him hate eating.

However, there is another view that parents or caregivers should insist on providing a balanced diet for their children. If the child does not like a certain taste or ingredient, they should not be given a small amount of food or other ingredients should be added to make the child accustomed to it and like it. This is a different way to let the child eat the ingredient that he or she did not like before. For example, if the child does not like carrots at first, the caregiver can reduce the amount or make it with other ingredients (carrots + potatoes). Otherwise, the child will only eat less and less, or even become more picky about food. The child will not be able to get balanced nutrition from the food puree, and may develop a picky eating habit from infancy.

3. Don’t easily assume that your child is a picky eater. Whether your baby is starting to eat complementary foods or just starting to eat new foods, they will be somewhat afraid of new things. Therefore, many picky eating behaviors are “short-term” conditions. Parents should not immediately conclude that your child doesn’t like a certain food. It is recommended to change the cooking method of the food and continue to encourage it. I believe that over time, the child will gradually accept it.

4. Create a good dining atmosphere. "A warm and healthy dining environment is the key to a baby's learning to eat," said a study by the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Cornell University. The study found that a baby's preference for food does not depend on the food itself, but on the reaction of the person who eats the food.

It is recommended that you start letting your child eat at the same table with your family from the age of one. The parent-child meal time provides children with the opportunity to imitate and observe adults eating. Parents may try to act like they are enjoying the food and are satisfied with it. The family should also try to keep a happy mood at the table. This will make it less likely for the baby to have a picky diet!

How to make your baby eat pureed food (complementary food) well?

1. Have a regular work and rest schedule

Fixed waking up time, meal time, nap time, and bed time. All times are fixed. Children with a regular life are not only good at eating, sleeping, and being in a good mood, but are also easy to take care of.

2. The best time to eat complementary foods

Drink breast milk first, then eat pureed food. Eat pureed food first, then drink formula milk. Take milk and pureed food as one meal, and leave 4 hours between meals (this regular time can be adjusted according to the child's body).

Do not put pureed food between two main meals, because some babies usually don’t eat much pureed food between feeding (because they are full). Sometimes the baby will refuse the pureed food, causing the mother to mistakenly think that the child does not like to eat pureed food, but in fact the baby simply cannot eat it.

3. Start with a small amount and increase the amount gradually: At the beginning, only a small amount of food puree is needed, and test whether there is an allergic reaction to the ingredients. However, the amount of food puree can be slowly increased after a few weeks to 1 month. Let the food puree slowly increase and eventually become a regular meal. If the baby is drinking formula milk, the food puree can even be increased to replace the formula milk, and breast milk can continue to be fed, but the food puree can still be consumed in increments.

4. Prepare one flavor of complementary food at a time: Many parents like to mix multiple ingredients when preparing complementary food, thinking that it is more nutritious. In fact, because the taste of a single food is relatively strong, when children are used to eating "comprehensive taste" food, they are less receptive to the taste of a single ingredient when they grow up, and are more likely to be picky eaters. It is recommended that parents only provide one food at a time, and do not mix more than two ingredients at most.

5. Try not to eat food other than complementary foods: In addition to complementary foods, water, and milk, children under one and a half years old should not be given foods that are too sweet, too salty, or contain pigments and artificial additives (including rice crackers, toast, overly sweet fruits, etc.). Do not think that if you have nothing to eat for three meals, it is okay to eat snacks. Be careful not to have no appetite for the next meal, which will create a vicious cycle.

Tips from the editor of No. 5 website

It is not difficult to get babies to eat complementary foods obediently. Mothers should be patient and understand the psychology of babies at each stage, adjust dietary strategies in time, and scientifically guide babies to eat complementary foods obediently. Finally, I wish every mother can have parenting tips to make babies eat healthily.