The past three or four days my 8-month-old seems uninterested when I try to feed him vegetables. After three or four spoonfuls he turns his head away and refuses to open his mouth. I've tried green and orange veggies. Should I keep trying? Try to disguise them?
By William Klish, M.D.
All infants are suspicious of new foods. They react not only to changes in flavor but also to changes in texture. It's important, however, for mothers to present a wide spectrum of foods to their infants. If your baby rejects a particular food, wait a few days and try it again. Foods should be tried four or five times before giving up on them. Disguising the flavor defeats the purpose of introducing new foods. By being patient, you will do your child a great favor by not only expanding her choices, but by fostering a lifetime enjoyment of foods as well.
William Klish, M.D.
Pediatric Nutrition
William J. Klish, M.D., is Professor of Pediatrics, Head of Pediatric
Gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine and Chief of the Nutrition
and Gastroenterology Department at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.
Dr. Klish has served as chair of the Committee on Nutrition of the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
