Aunque a la hora de introducir la alimentación complementaria hay bebés que aceptan cualquier comida, por lo general suele ser más habitual que muestren una resistencia a frutas y verduras, e incluso se sumen otros alimentos conforme crece.

The three foods that cause the most rejection in babies and children, according to their age:

Six to 12 months

Both fruits and vegetables are low -calorie foods, which can be identified in the baby's palate as a food that will not provide energy.This makes it unconsciously reject it to favor the consumption of more caloric ones, such as bread, pasta or rice.

However, as parents we must understand that fruits and vegetables are foods that must be daily because they provide fiber, vitamins and minerals essential for their development.

Between two and three years

After the complementary food period, another critical moment in food appears.It is the neopobia stage, where it refuses to try new foods and even stops eating others that already had perfectly introduced into the diet.

It is a usual, totally normal and innate behavior.Although virtually any food can be rejected without any reason, the most common are again green fruits and vegetables, indicates the baby portal and more.

As a child we unconsciously eat new foods that could be a risk for us because they are poisonous, which is frequent among plant origin because they are certainly bitter.This bitterness, typical of poisons and toxic, makes us reject them for no reason.But in addition to this innate rejection of certain foods, these are two other possible causes behind the neophabia:

The child's own tastes: During the former they are constantly exposed to new flavors of food, smells, textures ... before this offer, it is normal for many to be strange or unadlying.

Having experienced negative sensations with a food: how to have suffered choking, having intolerance or not diagnosed allergy or having found badly after intake.

From three years

It is more frequent to leave your family nucleus and start eating away from home (school dining room, family homes, social events ...).This contributes to your palate being stimulated and begin to notice the differences between the usual recipes and cooking techniques at home, and what is outside.Hence, there are those who seem to eat better at grandmother's house or at school, than in their own home or vice versa.

The most rejected foods at this stage remain fruits and vegetables, which the fish also begins to add.Likewise, it must be remembered that it is in a phase of absolute discovery of new flavors, which makes those who devoured themselves with babies, or begin to suddenly accept other foods that they used to hate.

At the opposite end of the most rejected foods, those that have the most acceptance have in virtually all stages of food.These combine their sweet taste with a medium-high calorie contribution, such as rice, pasta, egg, potatoes and healthy fats.They are very pleasant to the palate and give them a lot of energy.This causes them to choose them innately, because he knows that they will provide enough nutrients and energy to continue growing.

Given the rejection of certain foods and predilection for others, parents can fall into the mistake of stopping offering those who have more work to eat and opt for those who prefer.But it is essential that their diet is complete, varied and balanced since they are babies, because each food group has certain properties and benefits.

What can we do to get everything without pressures?

In babies from six to 12 months, this stage of introduction to complementary feeding, the important thing is that food acts as stimulus or experience rather than as the main source of nutrients, because breast milk remains its main source of energy.

Likewise, there are a number of guidelines that we can carry out to favor the moment of food:

- Make the time to eat and the environment are pleasant.

- Let it be the baby who decides how much he wants to eat.

- Expose it to food in your entire format so that you familiarize themselves with them.If we have never presented a broccoli, it is less likely to eat it years later, because it will generate rejection.

- Understand that you can need an exposure of up to 15 times the same food until they accept it.

- Do not force you to eat anything: it is a stage of discovery and the objective is not that they eat everything, but that they try it, play, relate safely and have fun eating.

In babies between two and three years, the same guidelines mentioned would also serve for this group.We must make food a pleasant, positive and pleasant moment, and offer all foods naturally and respectfully so that Pocolos will incorporate into your diet.

On the other hand (and although it can be somewhat frustrating) we should not get angry or irritate ourselves if it does not eat and understand that neopophobia often does not attend to specific reasons, being a stage that will happen.

From three years, ya en la primera infancia, son muchos los hábitos que podemos adoptar para que acaben comiendo de todo a lo largo de su vida y teniendo una relación sana y positiva con la comida.

Thus, to all the aforementioned advice, they are also added:

- Preaching with the example: with which they see us eating healthy foods is more than enough to generate a positive effect on their intake.

- Do not restrict access to certain foods: prohibit only one will generate more to eat it.

- get involved in the menus asking what they want to eat and let them cook or be part of their preparation.

- Do not use your favorite foods as a reward, or others as punishment.

- Do not force it to eat any food.Sometimes, just wait for a while and offer it again to accept it, but other times it will be a matter of ingenuity and creativity in the kitchen.Thus, for example, instead of offering them a salad and a grilled chicken, let's try to make a comprehensive spaghetti wok with vegetables, a homemade pizza with vegetables and chicken ... we have to find the balance between the rich, the healthy and thefunny.

Source: Babies and more