Trying New Foods In The New Year

February 04, 2025

Offering your little one a variety of tastes and textures as they grow is a great way to help them explore through eating. Babies learn about the world around them through the use of their hands and mouths, which is why babies so commonly pick up items and put them straight into their mouth. This sensory experience allows them to learn about what they like as they grow and it prepares them for mealtime in the toddler years as well. Allowing them to experience their preferences sets them up for mealtime success and what better way to do that than with some new age appropriate food options in the New Year!

Introducing New Tastes

One of the easiest ways to introduce new tastes is by offering your baby a variety of organic fruits and vegetables. For ideas on which foods to try, be sure to check out this list of items. You could also try adding simple spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, basil or turmeric as they get comfortable with each food to broaden their taste buds. Whenever you are offering new food items, always be sure to watch for a possible reaction and talk to your baby's care provider if you have any concerns.

Offering New Textures

Another point to consider when feeding solid foods is changing up the textures. Whether you choose to offer purees, follow Baby Led Weaning practices or a variation of the two, helping your baby to grow accustomed to new textures is a great way to prepare them for meals as a toddler. Typically toddlers are able to eat just a wide variety of food items and they will likely develop a preference for certain textures. Continuing to offer them with new and exciting textures to explore as they grow is a great way to encourage healthy eating habits.

Exploring More Complex Meals

As your baby grows into a toddler, there are a few ways you can encourage them to explore through eating. While they will start to try more complex meals and snacks as they grow, some toddlers have a hard time with certain food items, textures or flavors.

Here are a few tips to try if you are experiencing struggles in this area:

Be consistent! By sticking to a regular mealtime routine, your little one will grow to know what to expect.
Offer a mix of textures at mealtimes. Incorporating smooth and chunky foods in one sitting for example gives them control to try what they want.
Add in utensils. Offering toddler friendly silverware can help encourage them to feed themselves in a new and exciting way!
Model & allow for independence. When serving a toddler, plate a little bit of that same food for yourself and allow them to watch you as you eat it. This can be a great motivator for them. Additionally, allow them a little bit of independence in what they try and how. Giving them the space to try new foods at their own pace can be immensely helpful.
Allow them to experiment with drinks, too! Offering them toddler formula in a sippy cup can add a fun twist to mealtimes.