Key points
- Your child might not like every food you give them on the first try.
- Children may need to try some foods many times before they like them.
Feeding picky eaters
Give your child a chance to try foods again and again, even if they do not like them at first. Here are some tips that might make trying foods multiple times easier.
- Try freezing small bites of different foods. You can use these later and avoid throwing a lot of food away.
- Wait a week before you try the new food again.
- Try mixing the new food with a food your baby likes, such as breast milk.
As your child gets older, they may start refusing foods they previously liked or may start showing signs of picky eating. Favoring just a couple of foods or not wanting foods to touch each other on the plate are normal behaviors. These behaviors often go away by the time your child is about 5.
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Tips to help when introducing new foods
Be silly
Make funny faces with the foods on your child’s plate. It might help your child get excited to eat it. Try these other playful activities to keep your picky eater engaged and open to new tastes and textures.
Join in
Try eating the food first to show your child you like it. Then let your child try it.
Give choices
Give your child a choice of different foods to try. Let your child decide which one to try today.