How to Keep Babies from Becoming Picky Eaters

We have all encountered the kids that will not eat anything but chicken nuggets and cheese. Maybe that even describes one of your own little ones. I think we all would love to see our kids enjoying a wide range of tastes and textures. And, maybe even choosing the broccoli on their plate over the french fries (we can dream, right?!). I made some commitments to myself before my oldest was even born. I wanted to do whatever it took to keep my babies from becoming picky eaters.

Any extra effort that I put in early on, was well worth it down the road. I wanted healthy kids that would eat anything. My efforts paid off. Both of my boys will literally eat anything (even the occasional woodchip or dandelion from the yard). Cooking is way more fun if you know everyone in the family will love the meal no matter what is in it.

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Timing When to Introduce Certain Foods

There has been a recent trend towards introducing foods at 4 months of age. But, this is not typically being used as a way to keep babies from becoming picky eaters. Instead, this is being encouraged by Pediatricians, because research has shown a decrease in certain food allergies when those allergens are introduced at 4 months of age. This is definitely an important reason to introduce food at 4 months, but there are others.

There is a “sweet spot” between the ages of 4 and 6 months. This is the age when most babies:

• No longer have an extrusion reflex (they do not automatically push their tongue out of their mouth whenever any solid food touches it).
• They are very curious about food. Well, they are curious about anything small enough to fit in their mouth at least.
• They are not quite as opinionated as they are a couple of months later. I do not think there is single Goat on this planet that can compete with a 10 month old when it comes to sheer unreasonable stubbornness.
• Their primary source of nourishment is not solid food. So, the focus does not have be on calories or even on a balanced nutrition profile. Instead, you can focus on having fun with tastes, textures, and smells.

Fair Warning: How I Prepare Some of My Baby’s Food

Okay, I need to pause here for a moment to discuss a delicate topic. Feeding “real food” to a baby can be difficult. Real food is often hard, chewy, and comes in large pieces. There are many tools on the market for making baby food, and I have used a small number of them. But, they cost money, take up space to store them, and are a pain to clean. So, for things like raw veggies or meat, I actually pre-chew my baby’s food. I know, you may think it is gross. But, it’s not like our babies are not already exposed to all of our germs. And, if you are chewing the food for them, then you know it is fully ready for them to swallow.

There are 2 other methods that are less controversial, and are still quick and easy to use. I will link my favorites at the end of this post.

• Food Chopper: I do recommend investing in a quality one, like Pampered Chef. I originally purchased a cheap one at Marden’s and it broke after the first use.
• Kitchen Scissors: A strong, sharp pair of kitchen scissors is perfect for cutting up things that are already soft or fairly small. For example, I use them to cut up the baby’s scrambled eggs or to cut kidney beans in half so he can eat them on his own.

How I have Kept My Babies from Becoming Picky Eaters: My Timeline

*This is what worked for me, but is in no way to constitute medical advice. You should always check with your Pediatrician to answer any questions pertaining to your individual child’s diet.*

4-5 months old:

I introduce most of the major allergens:

• Dairy
• Egg (As a family, we do not eat much dairy since both my husband and I only tolerate Raw Milk in small quantities. So, I usually will try them with some mushed up egg first. If they tolerate that well, then I will scramble an egg with a little milk to introduce dairy.)
• Peanut (Letting them suck on a spoon with some all-natural peanut butter is pretty easy, and they usually love it.)
• Wheat (I do not use cereals or processed snacks with my babies. So, once they have passed the egg test, I will usually gives them some small mushed up pieces of French toast made with sprouted or homemade bread).
• Tree Nuts (I usually test this by giving them a sip of almond milk.)
• Shellfish (Usually ends up being some Shrimp that I pre-chew for them).
• Fish (Sardines are one of my go-to lunches for both my kids. And, they are soft and easy to mush up with a fork.)
• Strawberries (We pick our strawberries fresh every summer at a neighboring farm. I freeze quite a few of them for use through the winter. When they are thawed, they are much smaller and softer, and I will just let the baby suck on some small pieces).

There are 2 major allergens I do not usually introduce at this point, simply because we never have them around.

• Soy
• Artificial Colors

5-6 Months Old:

The official recommendation is to not give home-canned food to babies under the age of 1 because of the risk of bacteria. But, you can certainly feed them the fresh product before you can it.

My goal is to have them try all of the tastes and textures by the end of the 6 month.

• Salty (homemade mashed potatoes)
• Spicy (I use chili powder in a lot of my Bone Broth Soups. So, the soups are usually pretty spicy.)
• Bitter (Broccoli)
• Sour (I will let them suck on a Lemon Wedge)
• Fermented (My homemade Sauerkraut is now one of Roger’s favorite snacks and side dishes.)
• Pickled (Homemade Dill Pickles).
• Meat (I do a combination of pre-chewed meat and slow-cooked meat that is soft enough they can handle a small piece on their own. And, I introduce some of the less-common meats like Lamb, Venison, and even Organ Meats like Liver).
• Fish (Something with a pretty strong flavor, like Sardines)
• Cooked Vegetables of all types and textures.
• Raw Vegetables of all types and textures.
• Cooked Greens (check out my post on The Easy Way to Pick and Cook Dandelion Greens)
• Raw Greens
• Canned Fruit
• Raw Fruit
• Crunchy (things like cucumber even)
• Chewy (dried fruit – maybe some raisins)
• Purees (homemade apple sauce)
• Mixed Textures (For example, give them fruit and dairy together or meat and veggies together in the same bite.)

Over 6 months:

Just continue keeping these foods in their diets and expanding where possible. Keep sugary foods and processed items to a minimum. The older kids get, the easier it is to slip into poor food habits. Now, I am not saying that I have never fed my toddler a store-bought Granola Bar or Chicken Fingers from a Restaurant. But, those are the rare exceptions and treats instead of a regular occurrence.

How to Keep Babies from Becoming Picky Eaters: Extra Tips

If they reject a certain food, I will continue to try it again throughout the meal. If they are still rejecting it, then move on for now and try it again in a day or two.

• Also, just change things up on them a little – babies get bored too. It can be something as simple as switching between using your fingers, a spoon, and a fork to feed them with.
• Or, sometimes they are just thirsty and do not have a good way of telling you that.
• Give them a break – take a few bites of your own food.
• Do not offer them a different food that you know they like if they refuse to eat the new food. Babies are very smart and quick to learn cause-and-effect behavior. Plus, since that is the easiest thing to do, it will make you want to avoid the debate everytime.

Gentle persistence will go a long way. It is extremely rare for one of my kids to refuse a certain food all the way through 2 different meals if I follow those simple steps.

Now, while I have not experienced this with my kids, sometimes there is an uncontrollable gag reflex associated with a certain food. If this is the case, and your child consistently gags or throws up a certain food, then that food is probably not worth pursuing for them.

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Check out my post: How to Make a Pre-Baby Minimalist Shopping List

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Food Chopper

Kitchen Scissors