How To Deal With Babies That Are Fussy Eaters

Babies take some time to take to new foods once they are weaned to solid food from liquid foods like milk. You may find your baby fussy over certain foods, while he/she may take to certain foods like a fish takes to water. I thought I would write today about the various opinions of experts and those of parents who have experienced it with their own children.

Someone rightly said that weaning a baby is an exciting adventure where a baby discovers new tastes, textures and shapes, but it could equally be a struggle if your baby shows signs of fussiness. It would be significant to know that babies are not born with a sense of like or dislike for certain foods; though they may have a preference for sweet taste, they just need to learn other flavors and textures and how to enjoy them.

There could be various reasons why a baby is fussy:

The seating arrangement while eating could be one of the reasons; it is best to ensure that the baby is put on a high chair and is well supported by a towel down the side. It is also important to take care that the tray should be just above the waist height; a very high tray would make it difficult for the baby to see the food. Pull your baby’s highchair up to the table, so you can eat with them.

Babies of fussy parents are fussy; babies like to copy their parents. So if you enthusiastically enjoy your food they will also learn to enjoy it.

Do not mistake dropping of food with a baby’s fussiness; it has got more to do with a baby learning to eat his/her food. We may as parents are driven to distraction by this phase; dropping of food is just a phase that would pass soon.

One more significant reason why a baby could be fussy could be tiredness, teething and illness; while illness and tiredness could suppress the appetite of the baby, teething could make a baby want to chew on  dry hard foods such as rice cakes and breadsticks or cold hard foods like cucumber and celery.

Fussiness for certain foods could also arise because they are rarely offered; repetition could help a baby to soon start appreciating the food. Your baby may squash and smear the food across the high chair before taking it to his/her lips a few times later to eat it. So offer the new food along with the food he/she usually eats and change the scene like a park bench until the new food is accepted.

Last but most important wear an apron or pop a plastic tablecloth under the highchair and use a bib on the baby and let the baby play with the food and do not rush to wipe his/her face or hands. The squashing, squeeze and smearing of the food teaches them about food textures. Over wiping and cleaning during a mealtime may actually increase the fussiness especially in the toddler years.

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