How can I get my baby to eat savoury foods?
Keep offering a variety of meals, and your baby should soon begin to naturally like a wide range of flavours, from sweet to savoury.
Because breastmilk is naturally sweet, it’s only natural for your baby to favour sweet flavours at first. However, starting at six months, you can progressively teach your infant to like savoury flavours as well.
According to research, encouraging your baby to eat a variety of foods now can truly pay off later in life, as she will be more likely to enjoy the same foods throughout her life.
Offer a combination of fruit and vegetables
When you first start introducing solid foods to your infant, try offering both vegetables and fruits. It is entirely up to you whether to offer purees or finger meals as part of baby-led weaning. Many parents experiment with a combination of the two.
Choose sweeter veggie options
Some veggies have a higher natural sweetness than others. Your baby may prefer root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, and sweet potatoes at first, either on their own or mashed together. Offering more savoury foods alongside these sweeter options, on the other hand, will allow your kid to grow to prefer a wider range of flavours.
More bitter vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, and spinach, can be added gradually over time. These are high in nutrients, especially iron, which is essential for your growing kid. It may take some time for her to develop an appreciation for these flavours, but it is well worth the effort.
Don’t stop trying
When you first introduce a savoury dish to your baby, she may make a weird face or turn her face away. However, the more you offer it, the more probable it is that your baby will try it and come to like it. You may need to offer a certain item up to ten times before your baby will accept a bite.
Maintain as much calm as possible throughout mealtimes and wait for her natural curiosity to persuade her to take a bite.
Never bribe your baby with food
Sweet foods should not be used as a bribe or incentive (for example, “if you leave the park now, you can have an ice cream when you get back,” or “no pudding until you finish your peas”). Sweet meals may appear even more appealing as a result of this. If you choose, you might use stickers or tiny toys as rewards.
Stay away from sweet juices
Don’t give your baby sweet-tasting drinks; even those with no added sugar can encourage your kid to acquire a sweet appetite. Breastmilk or formula is all your baby requires until she turns one, but she can start drinking tap water with her meals at six months. There’s no need to feed your baby fruit juice, but if you do, dilute it well (one part juice to ten parts water) and only serve it at mealtimes.
Keep things fresh
Avoid relying only on canned baby foods. Although these are useful when you’re out and about, they’re usually sweet, which may encourage your kid to acquire a sugar craving. Giving your baby homemade food will give her more chances to learn to like savoury meals as well.
Try different textures
Experiment with different textures. If your baby doesn’t like pureed carrots, she might like soft-cooked carrot sticks – or vice versa.
