Teaching kids to eat can be a challenge. Some babies have a ravenous appetite, and will eat almost anything, but other babies just simply won’t eat. Parents have different opinions about how to teach baby to eat and which food to introduce first. This decision could influence the child’s eating habits throughout life.

Blended fruit, for example apple or banana, is often baby’s favourite food to start with, probably because it is naturally sweet. After teaching the baby to eat fruit, it is usually recommended that he or she eats vegetables. This however can be a challenge, since many babies just spit out the vegetables, and won’t eat them. To solve this problem, some parents find that feeding baby vegetables first, before introducing the fruit, works better, because if the baby can learn to like vegetables, then a common obstacle to eating has been overcome.

When a baby gets their first tooth, it is time to introduce finger food, and that can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately it is also very messy, as baby likes to stick his/her fingers in the hair and everywhere. It is important for mum and dad not to get upset at this time. “Taking it in stride” and even laughing works a lot better. Food time should be a happy time, a time of fellowship and good communication. Of course, it can be stressful for the dear mum, and after the baby is finished eating and had a bath, (which is usually always necessary after mealtime at this age) please have someone else take care of baby, if at all possible, so mum can sit down and eat in peace. Having a harmonious atmosphere at meal time is very important for the baby; otherwise he/she might refuse to eat altogether. Some babies are affected by noise, and don’t like to be around lots of people, when they eat, so this kind of baby should be fed in a quiet place, or before the rest of the family comes to eat.