5 Tips to Encourage Your Fussy Baby to Eat Up

 

Photo Source: pixabay

Starting your baby on solid foods is an important milestone and a wonderful way to bond with them. It’s not without its challenges, however, and some babies are simply fussier than others. There are few tricks you can try as you start to introduce new flavors, and as long as you persevere, you’ll end up with a little foody. It’s important to be patient and nurture a positive attitude towards food. Here are five tips for encouraging your fussy baby to eat up. 

Be patient

It will take time at first so it’s important to be patient. It can be frustrating waiting for your baby to finish eating, but this is normal. If you put the effort in with them at the beginning, the quicker they will learn to accept what you’re giving them to eat. You’ll then gain back the time you need to tackle chores and get on with your daily routine. 

Variety is the spice of life

The Baby Food Industry is huge and there’s a broad range of products available on the market. Be sure to mix and match flavors and textures in order to keep your baby interested and get them used to a wider variety of foods. Texture is especially important. Introducing baby foods with different textures earlier on will make them more open to new things in the future. 

Create a happy environment

One of the most important things you can do is to create a happy eating environment. Research has shown that children actually respond more to the environment than the actual food your eating. Make sure you create a calm and cheerful setting at the table and make mealtimes fun. This will influence your baby to make more positive associations with eating. 

Include plenty of fruit and veg

It’s important to get them used to eating more fruit and vegetables, so introduce these in every meal or even as a snack. Here is a quick feeding guide on amounts for smaller babies. As they get older and start to eat for themselves you can find fun ways to introduce fruit and veg. This might include dips, smoothies, and exotic varieties. As your child gets older you could even teach them to grow their own vegetables as this will help engage their interest even more.

Ignore funny faces

You might be put off by baby grimaces and funny faces during mealtimes. This doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t like the food, however. It’s quite common for babies to make a strange face while eating, especially if they’re new to solid foods. Even if your baby makes a “yuck” face, keep persevering. At the end of the day, you want them to get over this habit and get used to eating a wider variety of foods. 

With a bit of patience and positive vibes, you can encourage your fussy baby to enjoy new things. It’s a common challenge many parents go through, so don’t give up yet. Eventually, they’ll be comfortable with their food.