From Nothing but Cheese to Spoonfuls of Peas

Introducing a variety of foods, flavors, and textures early helps build lifelong healthy eating habits, so offer your baby a new food each day as best you can. Include common allergens too, like peanuts and eggs in baby-friendly forms regularly, starting at around 6 months (and sometimes even a little earlier), to help nourish your little one and reduce the risk of food allergies.

Kids are more likely to try new foods when they have helped prepare the meal, so spark mealtime excitement by involving them in simple kitchen tasks like washing fruits, filling water cups, and tearing lettuce. Eating together whenever you can also encourages healthy habits by letting your child see you enjoy a variety of nutritious foods.

It’s tempting to try to bribe kids to try new foods, but pressure can backfire, making them even more resistant. Instead, boost adventurous eating without food battles by focusing on no-pressure exposures, letting them see, touch, and explore new foods at their own pace, serving familiar foods alongside new ones, and role modeling the eating habits you want to see.

A predictable schedule of three meals and two snacks a day—while “closing the kitchen” between—helps kids tune into their natural hunger cues and come to the table ready to eat. A dependable routine also reduces snack requests and meal-time drama, and encourages a more peaceful, enjoyable table experience.