Skip to main content
FamilyEducation
FamilyEducation
Family Education

FE-Menu

  • Pregnancy
    • <blank>
      • Pregnancy Tracker
      • Trying to Conceive
      • Signs & Symptoms
      • Pregnancy Health
    • <blank>
      • Baby Names
      • High Risk Pregnancies
      • Preparing for Baby
    • <blank>
      • Concerns & Complications
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Postpartum
  • Baby Names
    • <blank>
      • Browse All Baby Names (A-Z)
      • Top Names for Boys
      • Top Names for Girls
      • Baby Name Generator
    • <blank>
      • Baby Name Lists & Ideas
      • First Names By Origin
      • Browse All Last Names (A-Z)
      • Last Names by Origin
  • Babies
    • <blank>
      • Caring For Your Baby
      • Baby's Health
      • Feeding Your Baby
    • <blank>
      • Your Baby and Sleep
      • Baby's Growth & Development
      • Baby Hygiene
    • <blank>
      • Baby Safety
      • Baby Products
    • <blank>
  • Toddlers
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Growth and Development
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Behavior and Discipline
    • <blank>
      • Your Toddler and Sleep
  • Kids
    • <blank>
      • Health
      • Childhood Development
      • Fitness & Nutrition
      • Childhood Safety
    • <blank>
      • Communicating with Your Kids
      • Childhood Behavior and Discipline
      • Fostering Responsibility
      • Instilling Values & Manners
    • <blank>
      • Childcare
      • Neurodiversity in Kids
      • Adopting Children
  • Teens
    • <blank>
      • Teen Health
      • Teen Puberty & Sex
    • <blank>
      • Behavior & Discipline
      • Teen Social Development
    • <blank>
      • Values & Responsibilities
  • Activities
    • <blank>
      • Printables
      • Indoor Activities
      • Learning Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Performing Arts
      • Food Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
    • <blank>
      • Books
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Online
      • Quizzes
      • Games
      • Celebrities
    • <blank>
      • Parties
      • Travel
      • Toys
      • Holidays
      • Gifts
  • Learning
    • <blank>
      • By Grade
      • By Subject
      • College
      • Preschool
    • <blank>
      • Back to School
      • Study Skills
      • Learning Styles
    • <blank>
      • Homeschooling
      • Parental Involvement
      • Your Child's School
  • Family Life
    • <blank>
      • Mom Life
      • Dad Life
      • Family Relationships
      • Having a Healthy Marriage
      • Divorce
    • <blank>
      • Health & Fitness
      • COVID Resources
      • Managing Your Home
      • Moving Your Family
      • Pets
    • <blank>
      • Family Finances
      • Work
      • Families and Food
  • NewslettersNewsletters
    Newsletters

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Babies
  3. Feeding Your Baby
  4. How To Tell If Your Baby Likes A New Food

How to Tell If Your Baby Likes a New Food

Your baby's facial expressions and body language can tell you a lot about how much she likes a new food.
  • facebook share icon
  • pin
  • twitter share icon
  • email share icon
  • Print page icon

How to Tell If Your Baby Likes a New Food

Don't ignore your baby's signals about eating. Don't be deceived by facial expressions, though. If your child makes a face when tasting something new, he may be reacting to the novelty of the experience as much as the new taste itself. So, despite the face he makes, offer your baby a second spoonful. If he opens his mouth for more, you know you have a hit.

When your baby doesn't like the taste of a particular food, or when he has lost interest in eating from a spoon, he will send a clear signal. He might do one or more following:

  • Turn his head away
  • Close his mouth
  • Spit the food out
  • Push the food back out with his tongue
  • Get cranky

Don't give up too soon. Keep in mind that a lot of food will come back out or get pushed out during the first months of feeding. The skill of eating from a spoon takes some time to master. But when nearly all of the food you give your baby starts to come right back out, then you know that he's done.

If your baby refuses food in any of these ways, don't force-feed him. When introducing solids, your aim should be to make eating as fun and pleasurable as possible for both of you. If you try to force your baby to eat things he hates or to eat when he's bored, exhausted, cranky, or already full, you will make eating from a spoon an unpleasant experience: something he will not soon want to try again.

Be as responsive to your baby when introducing solid foods as you would be when introducing a new toy. If he's not interested (or loses interest) in a new toy, you probably won't continue shoving it into his face. Why respond any differently when introducing a new food?

Respect your infant's individual likes and dislikes. If he indicates he wants more of something, by all means give him more. But if he doesn't seem to like a particular food, give him something else instead. Then try the rejected food again in a few weeks. Who knows? His tastes may have changed by then.

The patterns you establish in the first months of feeding may influence your child's attitudes toward eating for many years to come. If you put pressure on him, you will create an air of tension around the act of eating that may last a lifetime. But if you can relax and have fun, your baby will probably do the same.

Was this article helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

What's hot

  • Introducing Cereal to Infants BabiesWhen Can Babies Eat Cereal? (…
  • two babies playing in the playroom Babies12 Simple Developmental…
  • Toddler Takes Sips of Wine and Beer BabiesIs It Okay for Toddlers to…
  • Printable Month-by-Month Developmental Milestone Chart BabiesPrintable Month-by-Month…
NewslettersNewsletters
Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.
Family Education
FamilyEducation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Information on our advertising guidelines can be found here.

FE Footer

  • Newsletter Center
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Editorial Team
  • Expert Panel
  • Medical Review Policy
  • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info (for CA Residents)
sandbox learning logo
Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. 

factmonster logoinfoplease logoTeacherVision logo

sandbbox logo
©2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company.