Food neophobia: when baby refuses food

77% of children go through a period of food neophobia, the peak of which is on average between 18 months and 3 years. This refusal to eat new foods, or even foods that your child used to love, is therefore very common even if it requires us to be patient.

What is food neophobia?

Neophobia is the fear of what is new. In the field of food, it is the fact for a child to be afraid of all foods that he does not know. As a result, he will reject them en bloc and refuse to eat them. All you need to do is offer him a food presented differently than usual so that he no longer wants to touch it.

Be careful, however, not to confuse caprice at the table (blackmail, taking power over the parent), generally not before the age of three, and food neophobia where the child is really afraid of what is on his plate. ” It is very important not to interpret food neophobia as a whim but as a way of asserting oneself, of appropriating the “no” of his parents that he hears more and more since he learned to walk. », Explains Céline de Sousa, culinary chef and infant nutrition consultant.

Food neophobia: a peak around 3 years old

The period of food neophobia is between 18 months and 6 years old. The peak is around 18 months and 3 years and coincides with the phase of opposition or “age of no”. She touches 77% of children aged 2 to 6, and is therefore common and normal.

The signs of food neophobia: why does my child refuse to eat?

Overnight, the child refuses almost everything that is offered to him. “ Sometimes this neophobia spreads to other areas », Explains Dr Solsona, a nutritionist specializing in infant nutrition. For example, the toddler wants always the same story at night and refuses all the others. Ultimately, anything new is badly accepted.

Among the characteristic behaviors of food neophobia we find:

• Refusing to open your mouth to food
• Turning your head as soon as an adult hands food
• Refusing any food without even tasting it
• Failure to put up with food being mixed
• Spitting out food or even throwing it up
• The fact of tirelessly making meals last by touching the food with the cutlery but without eating them

Demonstrate psychology

In general, food neophobia lasts a few weeks or even a few months. But it really depends largely on the adults present during the children’s meals. For Doctor Solsona, the more they are calm and neutral, the faster the food neophobia passes.

It can happen, however, that it lasts several years, but fortunately it is much rarer. This is sometimes the case when children notice that their food refusals give them some power over their parents, according to the nutritionist.

How to fight against food neophobia?

In the first place, ” when the child refuses to touch the food, we don’t scold him “Advises Dr. Solsona. He has above all need to be reassured. You have to tell him it’s good and show him that we eat it too. If he still does not want to taste, we continue the meal as if nothing had happened.

The child still has the right to a dessert (compote or fruit) because he must not feel punished. ” It is the balance of the child’s meal that must prevail, he must still eat a little!, insists Céline de Sousa. If our child refuses to eat the dish, we do not cook another, but we do not deprive him of milk and fruit ».

We also avoid any blackmail such as: “ If you eat, you will have the right to a chocolate mousse “. You can also tell your child anecdotes, tell him that we have also been there. In the end, it is important that the meal takes place more serenely possible.

Solutions to encourage your child to eat

Another possibility to fight against food neophobia is to have all the foods that will make up the meal, from starter to dessert, on the table. ” We explain to our child that there is only that to eat and thus he can visualize what he will have if he refuses to eat something and he can mix it up: it doesn’t matter if he soaks his green beans. in his chocolate dairy after all! », Reassures the head specialist in infant feeding.

In addition, when the food arrives on the plate, it must be known to the child. For this, it is important to involve your little one because the more he will be in contact with food upstream, the more quickly the phase of food neophobia will settle. We can thus go shopping with him and make him participate in the preparation of the meal, by entrusting him with small tasks adapted to his age.

Other possibilities: show him a food picture book or create one with him. Finally, the whole family (brothers and sisters, parents…) must eat the same foods as the child to set an example. Eating should not be experienced as a punishment but as a pleasure.

From when to worry and who to consult in the event of food neophobia?

It is essential not to get discouraged too quickly. ” The watchword of this period is patience! The most important thing is that our child tastes a little food, even if he does not eat it entirely, it is already a great victory “, Encourages Céline de Sousa. Doctor Solsona explains on this subject that there is ” a marked increase in the acceptance of a food when it is presented 8 or 9 times. » On the condition, however, that the presentation of the food is the same so that the child can recognize it.

As soon as the child’s growth slows down or stops, we consult our pediatrician. Before, as soon as we are worried as a parent, we can seek advice from a health professional, in particular one or more. nutritionist specializing in infant nutrition. He or she can reassure them, give them courage, and talk with the child. Parents need to feel confident to get through this period as well as possible and know how to accept that their child eats little for a while.