Webchat about feeding babies and toddlers with Dr Clare Llewellyn an Dr Hayley Syrad, authors of Baby Food Matters: Wednesday 13 June at 9pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We’re running a webchat on Wednesday 13 June with Dr Clare Llewellyn and Dr Hayley Syrad, authors of a new book Baby Food Matters which takes a scientific look at how feeding your baby in the first two years can impact on their eating habits for life.

Dr Clare Llewellyn and Dr Hayley Syrad have researched baby and toddler eating habits for over a decade. They decided to write the book because so much advice given to parents on feeding has little real science behind it. As well as sharing the scientific research, the book offers parents strategies on what and how to feed children during the first two years, to help them develop a healthy relationship with food for life.

Here's some of the surprising facts in the book:

British toddlers on average are consuming 3 times the recommended amount of protein largely due to too much dairy which is linked to childhood obesity.

Baby rice and porridge are bland and are not the best first solids to introduce to a baby. You need to choose something with more flavour.

Wean with vegetables and not fruit. And start with the bitter-tasting ones such as broccoli

Do not hide vegetables in your children’s food. They need to become familiar with each individual flavour and texture.

Join the webchat on Wednesday 13 June at 9pm when you can put your questions to Dr Clare Llewellyn and Dr Hayley Syrad. If you’re unable to join, post questions in advance on this thread. We’ll be drawing three names form a hat to win copies of Baby Food Matters.

@Heather2gether

My daughter would eat everything I put in front of her when she was a baby but as soon as she turned into a toddler she regressed and spat everything out. Since then she will only eat very plain food and is v fussy about different textures - for example she hates bananas and anything soft or mushy - but loved them when I first gave them to her as a baby. Any suggestions? She is now 2 and a half.

Hi Heather2gether,

Thanks for your great question - lots of Mums and Dads will experience this as their baby heads into toddlerhood. From around 18 months children can start to reject new foods, and even those that they liked before. This can be quite stressful for parents, but there are lots of things you can try. As Clare mentions above: try not to pressure her to eat as this could make her anxious and have the opposite effect; making her even less likely to eat certain foods. Repeating exposure to problem foods is a great way of getting children to taste and eventually like foods - you will need to repeat the exposure 15-20 times (I know this seems like a lot but the key is to persevere!) and praise her for trying it. And if you want to get your child to eat something, the best way is for them to see you eating it and enjoying it. This helps your child to learn the food is safe to eat.

Hayley and Clare, thanks very much - I think you've got through all the questions up there so far.

Are there any more questions before we close the webchat?

@MotherforkingShirtballs

Considering babies are already accustomed to sweet flavours as both breast milk and formula are quite sweet in taste, is there much point in starting with vegetables as opposed to fruit? And, while I'm not doubting your knowledge or qualifications, is this not a case of trying to reinvent the wheel in terms of how we approach weaning?

Hi MotherforkingShirtballs,

The reason we suggest starting with bitter-tasting vegetables first is that babies are all born with a natural preference for sweet tastes, and a dislike for bitter-tasting foods. This means it can be especially hard for babies to accept vegetables if they have already had a taste of sweet foods. Research has shown that if you introduce bitter tasting vegetables first, children are more accepting of them, and other vegetables going forward. You’ll find that most baby foods in the supermarket mix vegetables with fruit - because companies know that babies will happily eat sweet-tasting foods. But babies need to learn the taste of vegetables on their own, in order to accept them. Many parents believe their child won’t eat things like broccoli and spinach so they don't even try, but we know from research that babies are actually incredibly open to trying new tastes around the time of weaning. Fruits will be eaten regardless, so it’s a lost opportunity not to start with vegetables. It may seem obvious to do this, but research has shown that most people don't do this. The book isn't an attempt to "reinvent the wheel", it provides practical advice for all feeding stages (from pregnancy to toddlerhood) based on the latest research on these topics.

@LookImAHooman

Marsha This is commonplace now. Vegetables are suggested as first tastes by many practitioners and related entities (Ella’s Kitchen in particular being relatively vocal on it) because babies are more accustomed to sweeter tastes due to milk and are likely to take more easily to fruit and other sweet foods. Introducing veg first, especially bitter tastes that are typically harder to like, reduces the risk of babies developing a sweet tooth, refusing veg and becoming fussier eaters.

Hi LookImAHooman,

YES! But do check the ingredients list of any of the commercial baby foods before you buy them - most contain a lot of fruit. It's often the first ingredient, even if it is marketed as a mix of vegetables. This is because companies know that babies will like and eat the food if it is sweeter. The best way to get babies to like vegetables is to help them to learn the taste and texture of each individual vegetable - not mixed in with other foods to disguise it. Our advice would be to offer single vegetables first.

@MarshaBradyo

I’m about to wean my third baby

I’m interested in why you suggest vegetables such as broccoli first, and would like to hear more about this

Hi MarshaBradyo,

See our response to MotherforkingShirtballs for a fuller discussion of this topic. Once a baby has had something really sweet and tasty (e.g. banana), imagine trying to get them to eat something that does't taste nearly as good (e.g. broccoli)! It's much easier to introduce the bitter tastes first, before they even know the banana exists - that way they are more accepting of the bitter-tasting foods, and with repeated exposure they learn to like them. Starting with fruit is a lost opportunity.

Thank you everyone for your questions tonight!

Thanks everyone for your questions - you can read tons more about all of these topics in our evidence-based book Baby Food Matters.

Clare :-)

Thank you, I'll start tomorrow with the technique about exposure to a certain food for 15-20 days.

Thanks very much Clare and Hayley for your full and informative answers and for getting through all the questions.

Congratulations to Lookimahooman, Amaksy and Bringcoffee who have each won a copy of Baby Food Matters. We'll be in touch in the morning via PM to let you know how to claim your books.

Goodnight all.

@PatchworkOwl

Thank you, I'll start tomorrow with the technique about exposure to a certain food for 15-20 days.

Hi PatchworkOwl,

Yes, do try this. The key to food acceptance is for your child to try the problem food by actually tasting it - no matter how small the piece. Take your time and don't worry if it takes a while. Some children take a long time to get used to different foods. I was a terribly fussy eater myself! You can also get him to taste or try foods away from the mealtime, when it's not so stressful.

@RachelMumsnet

Thanks very much Clare and Hayley for your full and informative answers and for getting through all the questions.

Congratulations to Lookimahooman, Amaksy and Bringcoffee who have each won a copy of Baby Food Matters. We'll be in touch in the morning via PM to let you know how to claim your books.

Goodnight all.

Thanks Rachel! And we hope you all enjoy Baby Food Matters!