Serving your little one a meal can go from being enjoyable to a hair pulling experience in a matter of seconds. Babies can be unpredictable and their taste in foods can change on a whim. And when they don’t like something, they will let you know! Combine that with the work that goes into planning and preparing their meals and anxiety around making sure they are getting all of the nutrition they need and you can see how this daily (make that 3 times daily!) event can easily go off the tracks. 

The good news is that there are lots of ways parents can set the table, so to speak, for a more enjoyable meal experience with their little one.  The first step is to manage your expectations. Whether your baby loved eating solid food at first bite or took awhile to warm up to the idea, they will likely show preferences and dislikes for certain foods from the get-go.  Babies also go through stages where once beloved foods are outright refused (literally from one day to the next!). All of this is perfectly normal and being aware of it as you go on your solid food journey can help prevent frustration.  

With that in mind, here are some ideas that may help bring the joy back to mealtime for you and your baby: 

Be positive! Smile at your little one and make eye contact while you feed them. This teaches them that feeding is a playful time when they get your undivided attention.  

Embrace the mess! For babies and toddlers, eating is about more than just the taste. Get comfortable with allowing them to experience food using all of their senses, including touch, smell, and sound.  Yes, this will mean they make a mess and likely throw food! But we promise that the mess making won’t last forever, and letting it go a bit will go a long way in helping create a child who looks forward to mealtime. 

Let them play and practice! Give them an extra spoon or baby safe utensil to play with while they are being fed.  It may get used more to drum on the table than to eat food, but it’s a great way for them to get familiar with the tools of mealtime and practice their little grip. 

Switch it up! You probably already know that treating baby to a variety of different foods will help keep them interested and engaged with eating, but did you know that trying out different colored (and sized) plates or fun, playful utensils can also help? Or forgoing utensils completely? Experiment with presenting baby with different options and see what happens.  

Ditch the screens!  Baby and parent alike should be focused on engaging with each other over the meal, not being distracted by screens.  That being said, putting on some music with dinner is never a bad idea, and you may even find that it helps your little one to settle down for the meal.  

Last but not least, take advantage of shortcuts! There’s no shame in finding ways to cut down your time working in the kitchen. This doesn’t mean you have to turn to overly processed “convenience” foods for your little one. FoodieKid’s Simple Starters were developed by an overwhelmed mom looking for a more convenient way to make homemade baby food.  Our flash-frozen organic baby meals are a great example of one way to cut out the kitchen prep, without compromising on nutrition.  

Give these tips a try and see if you can transform mealtime from a drag to a pleasure. 

To learn more or shop for Simple Starters, click here.