Start Early!
We know that early childhood is a critical time for establishing food preferences and dietary habits. One of the most important things we can do to help encourage our children to develop a liking for certain food(s) is through repeated exposure. Research suggests that offering a disliked food continuously (at least 15 times), will lead to familiarity which will lead to acceptance. And the effects of early familiarization appear to have a lasting effect on consumption (source). I want to add here that the effectiveness of repeated exposure has been shown mostly with children up to 36 months of age. Further research is needed with older children, but so far we know that older children (2-5 years of age) are less likely to accept new foods even with repeated exposure compared to younger infants (source). This may partly be due to the food neophobia, or fear of new foods, that appears around this age. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get them to open up to new foods. It’s just going to be more challenging. I mention this to encourage you to start exposing your little one to a wide variety of flavors and textures as early as possible! I personally set a goal for myself to introduce 100 new foods before 1, and that really motivated and challenged me to think beyond my usual food repertoire. You can check out the food list here. So what does repeated exposure look like in practice? It’s simply offering a food multiple times in different ways. For instance, if you’re struggling to get your child to eat their vegetables (you are NOT alone!), try switching up cooking methods and flavoring agents, serve with dips/sauces, etc. Here are some inspirations to help get you started:
How to Cook VegetablesEasy Ways to Add Vegetables
Play the Long Game
Now, let’s walk through the different scenarios of what your child might do with the food you serve over and over again. Note, your child isn’t necessarily going through this process in the order as shown in the image above. And I’m using broccoli as an example bc it was a REALLY difficult food for my baby to learn to enjoy. I lost count how many times (>30) I offered before he started opening up to it. To sum, yes the end goal is for the child to actually eat the food but don’t rush the process! Food left on the plate is NOT wasted. All of these scenarios count as exposure, and you’re winning with every.single.one of them. Don’t give up! You’re doing awesome! Also be sure to check out my instagram: Kidfriendly.meals for more feeding tips and family-friendly meal ideas/recipes!
