When it comes to your child鈥檚 food preferences, every parent wants to have as many options as possible. Is there a way to encourage your child鈥檚 tastes when they鈥檙e a baby?
This is where the idea of a 鈥榝lavour window鈥 comes in 鈥 in theory, a period of time in a baby鈥檚 life when they鈥檙e receptive to new experiences, which then have a big impact on their food preferences as toddlers, children and into adolescence.
To discover the truth behind flavour windows and to learn how you might shape your baby鈥檚 tastes, we spoke to paediatric dietitian Lucy Neary.
Why is a varied diet important for children?
It might seem like a silly question. Surely we all understand the benefits of a varied, balanced diet by now? But it鈥檚 good to reflect on why we want our children to accept and enjoy different foods.
Firstly, it makes your life, as a parent, much easier. You have more options for the lunch box and dinner table - fewer awkward replacements, or tricky conversations with your nursery, school or play date mums and dads.
It is normal for toddlers to develop a few dislikes as their independence blossoms, but as Lucy reminds us, working towards a general acceptance of different flavours is important.
鈥淎 healthy diet and eating a range of different foods means that you're less likely to develop long term health problems as you enter adulthood,鈥 she says.
There are many benefits: 鈥淚t helps you have a healthy gut. It鈥檚 helps you have healthy teeth. It helps you to go to the toilet.鈥
Is there a 'flavour window'?
So, if you want to encourage your child to enjoy eating as many different kinds of foods as possible, is there an optimal time to introduce these new flavours? A so-called 'flavour window'? Well, sort of.
Lucy explains that between the ages of six and 18 months (although some will say up to two years), after weaning and before the independence of toddlerhood, there can be an opportunity for parents to widen their child's palate.
"We see this 'window of acceptance' for many babies," Lucy says.
This starts with the introduction of solid foods and a more varied diet and ends when: "toddlers start to get fussy and they become more independent."
"[After two years] it's not like it's set in stone, but we know that kids that are eating certain foods at around two years old tend to have the same preferences by the time they're around eight."
"But it's not really linear and it is going to be different for all babies. There's so much going on."
Our tastes are always changing
Things do change before and after this 'window of acceptance'.
"It starts in utero," Lucy says. "We know that the tastebuds develop really early on."
"Babies are constantly swallowing amniotic fluid, which changes in flavour depending on what Mum is eating."
"Research has shown, you can see babies having more of a preference after mums have eaten sweeter flavours, for example."
In a similar way, breastfeeding can also bring a variety of flavours into your child's life.
"We tend to see more variation [in breastfeeding than formula] because formula is always going to taste the same."
"It comes back to what we recommend anyway: you should be eating a varied, balanced diet yourself and that's what's going to be giving your baby different flavour profiles."
And while there seems to be a setting of preferences after this window, hope isn't lost!
"Our tastes also keep changing as we get into adolescence and then adulthood. It's one of those reasons why people say, 'Oh, I hated coffee when I was younger. Now I love it!'"
Sweet vs bitter
So how should parents take advantage of this period of time? Which flavours are important to introduce?
Well, for starters, sweet flavours aren't something you'll need to encourage.
"We are born with a preference for sweet," Lucy explains. This is reinforced in our first months by the fact that both breast milk and formula are sweet.
Once you've started weaning, avoid foods with added sugar: "You do just fuel this sweet tooth. We have this inborn preference for sweet that minimises over time - if we offer too many sweet foods, that isn't going to minimise and that's when you end up with kids that have a strong preference going forward."
Salty and umami flavours shouldn't need encouragement either, Lucy adds.
"It's the sour and bitter flavours that are definitely more disliked."
"So start the weaning process with those bitter-tasting flavours which are predominantly green vegetables, but also white potato and aubergine."
"So a week or two of just those things, not incorporating any other baby foods at all. The more variety that they can be given, the more they can adjust and get used to those flavours.
"There is research to support that it's more likely they'll accept those flavours when they get older."
"Historically, bitter foods are an identifier that something could be poisonous. We haven't evolved out of thinking, 'This could be dangerous for me!' It just takes lots of exposure to ride through that."
Should parents mix these bitter flavours in with sweeter ones to make it easier? Lucy suggests not.
"That's what we used to do - 'Let's sweeten things because it's going to encourage babies to eat more.' But, we learned that when you're doing that, they might eat more, but they're not adjusting and enjoying the bitter flavours. All we're doing is we're basically fuelling their natural sweet tooth."
And as for sour flavours, Lucy suggests fruit, natural yoghurt and adding a little lemon juice to some meals.
Advice for parents
Once you've focussed on those bitter flavours for the first couple of weeks during weaning, Lucy says it's time to expand your child's palate to all food groups and flavours.
And while , Lucy says it's time to get imaginative.
"Sometimes it's good to get parents to think about cultures around the world. Big swathes of Asia eat really spicy food at a young age. So, try not to shy away from flavours and use different herbs and spices. That doesn't mean you have to be cheffy!"
Here's some more advice to help babies learn to love a variety of flavours鈥
Don't panic and be persistent
Sometimes things don't go to plan - a little fussiness starts to kick in, perhaps some spinach ends up on the floor. But Lucy says parents should take a breath and stay on track.
"What tends to happen is toddlers start to get fussy, they become more independent and they start rejecting things. As a result, parents panic and start minimising what they offer their child because they don't want food waste."
But this is often a perfectly natural development: "At about the age of one, their appetite drops because growth slows. Sometimes what is perceived as fussiness is just a natural decrease in appetite. When it comes to not accepting new foods, actually the best thing for parents to do is ride it out.
"Make sure there's always something that your a child will eat on the table."
"But it doesn't have to be the whole meal. So if they go through a phase where they're like, 'I will never eat potatoes' - that's quite a common one - rather than only making rice or pasta, make potatoes for everyone and if your child chooses not to eat it them, that's absolutely fine, because there might be some chicken or some vegetables as part of the meal.
"It's when we stop offering them options that they stop eating long term."
Cook at home when you can
Easier said than done for a busy parent, and ready-made baby foods have their place, but the small variations in a home-cooked snack or meal can help your child adapt to different flavour profiles.
"Baby foods are designed to be very uniform, very consistent. When you feed a child commercial baby food regularly, what they're not getting is these changes in flavour and smell.
"When you make something yourself at home, it's always going to be slightly different."
Here are some cheap and easy weaning recipes for babies鈥
Carrot and Potato Puree (6-9 months)
Pea and Leek Puree (6-9 months)
Introduce new flavours to easy meals
What about those days when you simply don't have the time or energy to prepare a big meal? There are still things you can do to introduce your child to new flavours, Lucy explains.
"Social media has a lot to answer for - making parents feel the pressure to be doing the very most all of the time. There are really simple things that we can be doing that will give children different flavours and different textures."
Beans or egg on toast are perfectly good examples, Lucy suggests, but even if you're using a pre-made meal or commercial baby food, you can add extra flavour and texture.
"Mix herbs and spices into baby food, or if you have some leftovers, mix that in. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice in there. Or maybe prepare some couscous with hot water, then mix it in."
Think about how you talk about food
"The environment, the language, all the social stuff with your family will have as much impact as their actual tastebuds," Lucy says.
You might speak negatively about a certain kind of food or flavour, based on your own preferences, without even realising it and this can affect how your child thinks about that food or flavour. They're always looking to you for guidance!
You don't have to be positive all the time, "it's about being neutral as well!"
