Eventually, there will come a time when your little on starts to become more choosy about the food that she eats. While it’s okay for babies to refuse certain types of food, it can quickly become a problem if your baby starts refusing to eat all of the healthy food that you’re giving them.
It can be due to a number of different reasons
There’s a ton of different reasons why your baby is refusing to eat. For the most part, a lot of babies go through a phase wherein they refuse a lot of the food they eat. Thankfully, most kids grow out of this phase, though it can take weeks, months, sometimes even years!
In some cases, some food just doesn’t taste good for them. Much like some people like eating carrots, other people might not like them too much. It really does depend on your child.
Sometimes, they’re not ready for solid food yet, or they don’t like the consistency of the food that you’re giving them.
You can help your baby by introducing food that tastes similar to food that they like. If your kid likes eating pureed carrots, then you can try giving them sweet potatoes or squash which are also sweet vegetables. That way, they won’t get too surprised by the different taste, and they’ll gradually learn to expand their palate.
Another way to help your baby would be to let them eat by themselves. Sometimes babies refuse to eat because they want to be the ones to feed themselves, so you can just let them take the spoon and feed themselves. Of course, they’ll still need some of your help, so be there when they’re already making a huge mess, or just playing with the food.
What not to do if your kid is a picky eater
It’s important for parents to never force their kids to eat, as this can actually make your child feel negatively about eating, and might cause them to not like feeding time.
You should also never threaten your child. Saying things like “You can’t play if you don’t finish your food!” is not a good way of ensuring that your kid will eat. You should also not bargain with your kid as it makes them think that they get a reward for simply eating.
Again, persistence is key when it comes to feeding your child, so just because they don’t like a certain dish doesn’t mean that you should take it out of the menu. Try and mix things up, and just keep at it. Eventually, your kid will get used to the food that you’re serving them, so just be patient, and be firm.
Sources: webmd.com, wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com, babycenter.com
READ: 5 tips to get your toddler to stop being a picky eater
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