To Raise an Adventurous Eater

One of my primary goals as a registered dietitian nutritionist mamma is to raise an adventurous eater.  I want my son to enjoy food - to share my own fascination with colors, textures, flavors of food from around the world.  Spices, vegetables, exotic fruits, sauces, and soups...there are so many delicious dishes to try!  My little guy just hit the 6 months mark and I couldn't be prouder.

He's growing beautifully and enjoying new foods and flavors all the time. I started introducing little tastes of this and that at just over 4 months and his interest in food has continued to grow.  Early on, he still had a little but of tongue thrust and he would push anything put in his mouth out, but that's gradually disappeared.  Now he eagerly lunges toward the spoon lapping up whatever is on it.  Here are three ideas on feeding the adventurer in him...

1. He gets to taste whatever mommy is eating...the key is a TASTE.  I don't feed him very salty or sweet foods, although he did get a little taste of hot cocoa and a lick of a tortilla chip recently.  Not at the same time mind you.  Seriously, if I'm eating spaghetti, he gets a taste of the sauce, same for everything from scrambled eggs to tikka masala to oatmeal with molasses to peanut butter and banana sandwich (which he totally just gums at and can't eat, of course).  As the result, he will taste pretty much anything.
2. I add spices to his food.  For instance, G's "dinner" tonight was a bit of infant oatmeal made with breastmilk with curry spiced pureed pumpkin.  He ate it up.  He also really likes the flavor of cinnamon.  I'm not afraid to try these foods with him, since he's been tasting them through my diet since before he was born. He only eats a couple of tablespoons at a time and that's fine - I try to make that little bit extra interesting!
3. He gets to decide if and how much he eats.  If I make him something and he doesn't want it, that's fine.  He can refuse and I just toss it out.  He can take one bite and decide he doesn't like it yet - or today, if it's something he liked in the past.  Since he can't tell me how he's feeling, it's just trial and error.  I'm mindful to allow him to have some control, since he doesn't get to decide what or when he gets to eat.  If he doesn't open his mouth to receive the food or if he turns his head away, I don't stick the spoon in his mouth.

 That's an update on developing an adventurous eater.  Be healthy!