How Can I Help My Baby Try New Foods and Textures?

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Kriti Vij: I remember the first day I put a spoon of mashed bananas in front of my six-month-old I was terrified that the food would be rejected. In India less than half of the babies ate 6 to 8 months are given complimentary foods alongside breast milk. That means more than half of them may get late in discovering flavors and textures. Food in our homes is not just food It carries memory culture and identity. If the foundation is shaky now if we wait too long off for only a few purees or textures we perhaps risk creating cycles of anxiety resistance and picky eating. I do not want that for my child I want her to taste the warmth of the dal the roughness of the ragi roti the tanginess of raw mango and to nurture curiosity and confidence with every bite. I'm Kriti Vij and this is the parent lab Today I'm speaking with Dr Jotar Mai a pediatrician and founder of Cherish Children's Clinic in Hyderabad where she spent years supporting families through every stage of a child's development Doctor welcome to the show.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Thank you so much Glad to be here.

Kriti Vij: So doctor let me ask you this When we first introduce a new flavor or a new texture to a baby they we are usually waiting whether they'll spit it out or they'll swallow it It's like the true test of that food item Psychologically what is happening in that moment.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Yeah So food is something really big milestone for a baby and it is also a skill. It is not only about nutrition and babies perceive it completely differently. So what exactly happens is for babies it is a complete sensory experience. So it is a new smell new temperature of the food and new taste some new feeling on their gums tongue because they are so used to only having breast milk. So it is a complete transition from liquid to getting into solids. So it is more of a sensory experience to the child and it is only for exploration initially It is not about eating or finishing the bowl.

Kriti Vij: Right So doctor tell me in your practice have you noticed that some babies are just naturally more adventurous with food and some are slightly more picky or they resist new flavors or textures.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Yeah So I get a different opinions or experiences shared in my clinic. So some parents are very good you know they're like my baby eats well that is 20% and the other 80% they always have trouble right and there is this point where the parent has an expectation and if the baby is not reaching that they get disappointed but we should treat the baby as an individual and what that baby wants to do right so and also there is something called baby's temperament like how you I have a food preference or I have my personality and you might be having yours. So some baby are very adventurous So they try to explore and they like to experience or experiment Some few of them are very cautious when it comes to this new sensory experience. So that is one is temperament The other second thing is the atmosphere around. Yeah There is a lot of thing that is what I insist every day to the parent How the caregiver is feeding you know if it is through pressure distraction if the caregiver is anxious the baby definitely tends to rest his food. So one is their innate self the second is the environment So for everything there is nature and nurture.

Kriti Vij: But tell me this other than temperament and the environment do you think if for example the timing of when solids were started for that baby in their journey that has a role to play with experimenting with food in the future.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: See definitely the WH and the AP guidelines says solids has to be started after the baby completes 6 months So that is when the baby starts the seventh month right. So usually the known development is the baby's able to sit when placed on a high chair The baby is shows interest to food. So the timing doesn't matter to the children I mean the timing doesn't change. So for most of the babies we start after the baby completes 6 months of age But what exactly changes is the foundation and the flexibility. So getting the baby exposed to variety of foods develops their pallet in a better way So and the baby will not be really resisting some foods So we need to focus on the variety right and the third thing is the flexibility. So when it comes to kids being picky eaters or all of this so basically it is their innate nature and the second is the environment which plays an important role in the journey of their feeding Yeah.

Kriti Vij: Right So doctor you mentioned that of course it's the temperament of the child and sometimes it's also the environment like the feeding habit of the caregiver But now tell me is it also a little bit related to the timing like when that child started the solids like what kind of food was started and when that started in their journey does that play a role.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: So timing is universal for all the babies So we follow recommendations from the WH and our Indian Academy of Pediatrics So that is after completion of six months every baby is ready for solids. Yeah So there are certain things that the baby is able to sit upright The baby is able to that we tell it as tongue thrust is able to move the food backwards The baby is showing interest in food. So all of this so usually this happens once the baby completes 6 months of age Got it And so the timing is universal but what matters is the variety and what we are introducing to the baby. This helps in the future pallet development of the baby the baby if the baby is introduced to different kinds of foods textures and all of this it would help the baby in the long run to experiment or to accept new foods.

Kriti Vij: So does this show up in their life say when the child is like five or maybe 15 years of age.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: I would not say that food is not that linear If the child is eating broccoli at 7 months of age it is not necessary that the child would like to eat it at 17 years as well because there are a lot of factors in between.

Kriti Vij: Also doctor you mentioned a little bit earlier that no child is really born a fussy eater We we're very quick to label them you know but what are the few practices that we can follow as parents to encourage that we don't reach that label or we don't label our child a fussy eater.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: First most important thing is if the child rejects a food to not offer it again That is one thing which most of the parents do. For example if the mother or a caregiver has given carrots mashed carrots or pured carrot to the baby the baby spits it out and the mother thinks okay my child doesn't like the carrot. It's not the carrot It is basically the child doesn't like the texture. Maybe at that point of time the child is actually trying to understand what this new food that has gone into his or her mouth. So try again but in a calm pace not forcing you have to eat this and you know distracting the child and feeding it from the side Nothing like that Let the child again explore carrots and that is one thing to be very patient.

Kriti Vij: So doctor what are some of the first initial foods that we can try What would you recommend first.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Once the child completes 6 months try different kinds of vegetables like sweet potatoes are really good and these days we are getting a variety of orange and purple fleshed sweet potatoes which are rich in antioxidants. We can try all kinds of fruits but only thing we have to say is the texture in the initial phase You know it should be like a semi-solid where it is not easily coming out of the spoon and the texture is important and all kinds of fruits vegetables can be dried and only thing is no salt no sugar until one year of age. Right But we have to keep changing the texture as the child is growing.

Kriti Vij: Right Right So doctor you mentioned like if the baby rejects carrot the first time don't give up That's what you said right Like you need to try it in another format maybe or try it again Does that really help like repetition Do you think it leads to a little bit of success.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Definitely Repetition with no pressure is always successful. So we say something called neophobia for children. So to get familiar with one food we have to offer the same food repeatedly right But not forcefully. And also if the child is still not taking it introduce the same carrot along with a familiar food but not specifically trying to feed carrot just because it is good and it has a lot of beta carotene and first of all that notion will make the parent anxious. So and when they are feeding it in that way it will definitely the child can sense energy is really important whatever science we talk. So a calm parent is a calm child so that repetition definitely helps in the long run.

Kriti Vij: Right Yeah Dr You had mentioned texture progression and you also mentioned that it's a skill and I thought that was a very interesting way to put that You know it's not just food and the nutrient and this and that It's also a skill It becomes part of play and exploration and many other things Can you tell us a little bit more about that.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Yeah So like I mentioned it is a complete sensory experience It is a skill and also it is a form of socializing in our culture. So there are different aspects to food It is not only the nutrition. So we have to build curious confident eaters That should be the long-term goal. So that happens if the child is feel safe around food When does the child feel safe around food. So just imagine you are here sitting and if somebody brings something to you and just puts it in your mouth Yeah Would you take it No Absolutely not Like what is this Why are you coming and feeding me. So if they tell you okay this is k will you take it You will Right. So basically even for a baby it is like that We cannot just come with a bowl and just try to feed it So the child has to explore what that is What is how does it feel What is the temperature Is it sticky. And the child has to see it several times to understand okay this is maybe if they do really do not know what it is but they'll have that familiarity. So all of this happens. So it is a skill. So first is the eye child is looking at it looking at the color and trying to figure out what that is. Then the child is exploring with the hand and the third thing is the child knows because at that age we start off with the hand mouth coordination. The child picks it that pincer grasp the child is picking one but if it is a puree they'll like to squish it and mash it and wipe it around trying to do all of that right if it is a finger food later in life they try to pick it they try to put it in the mouth then the chewing happens the jaw movements the gums all of this happen the salivation then they try to put it back of the tongue and they try to swallow it so all of this is a skill so the parent has to be really patient about it.

Kriti Vij: So doctor now like I mean realistically speaking life gets very busy sometimes like in families you'll see both parents working and it's very hard to prepare that beautiful warm nourishing meal for the child although I'm sure every parent would want to So what are ways around that How do we manage this for a busy parent.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Yeah So this is a kind of tricky question and also this I would like to answer from my perspective because even I was doing a lot of things when I had my children. So I had to go first kid I had to do my postgraduation and the second kid I was having a busy practice right I can definitely relate to this. What I would say is one or two meals in a day I would definitely insist the immediate caregiver to do it to feed That is the number one. Second thing when it comes to preparation there are a lot of other options available these days in the market if a parent is unable to give freshly prepared home-cooked meal there are a lot of other options but I would say be very vigilant in reading the labels and picking the right product for your child which doesn't have extra sugars added sugars or unnecessary jaggery enhancing the flavor because the child's palette doesn't require all of that. So I would definitely suggest to do a research and have one or two backup products which are safe They can talk to the pediatrician asking because all of us are here to help right.

Kriti Vij: So doctor what would you say about texture anxiety for parents.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: So most of the parents after getting used to giving purees so when they transition to the next phase if they see that the child is uncomfortable and all of that they get scared they are like okay what if my child chokes on it but most of the children when the food is getting little lumpier and other things they have the sensation called gagging that is also a skill but gagging is not choking so they are trying to process that lump so after one or two meals after they get used to it they will get used to the lumps. So I would say the parent during that phase should not be really anxious they should know and we are there to educate them. So and after that if the child knows how to process these lumps the child would be comfortable right.

Kriti Vij: Yeah So it really is a journey you know it is a very sensitive and well balanced journey between a child and their caregiver through the journey of food and it's a long relationship that the child will eventually have Okay So doctor now we'll play a fun game I've got these few like common real life feeding moments collected from parents You tell us how we can approach it differently through a different lens basically Yeah she spat out the food so I stopped giving it.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Wrong Like I mentioned you have to keep trying it It is not spitting out is not dislike.

Kriti Vij: Right Yes He was playing with food So I moved the plate.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: If only playing is happening Yes But I would suggest give half of it for the child to play and then say okay this is your playing and you're having this at the same time.

Kriti Vij: Right Right So don't restrict the playing Yes She only wants smooth foods So we are stuck with puree.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: No So I think this transition is really really important I would say bridge from one texture to another if you are giving a lighter puree make it into a little thicker version then add some lumps to it and then make it into a not a pureed form but hand mashed food item and then get into finger foods.

Kriti Vij: Yeah So let us end with five important things to remember when it comes to flavors textures and your baby's food journey.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: 
1. Babies learn about food through their senses and don't just eat to fill tummies 

2. Confidence with food builds through repetition routine and exploration

3. The way food is offered is just as important as what is offered 

4. Texture progression supports emotional sensory and motor development 

5. Pressure distraction or fear during feeding can have long-term effects.

Kriti Vij: Thank you so much doctor for like decoding this entire feeding journey for us.

Dr. K Jyothirmayi: Thank you so much It was a fun session and I hope many parents actually watch this and benefit from it.

Kriti Vij: 100% they will and to our parentune parents remember every spoon is a learning moment Keep it calm keep it curious and keep it going We will see you next time only on the parent lab Thank you.