AS any parents of young children will know, weaning your baby off of milk and introducing them to new foods can make mealtimes a bit more challenging… to say the least.
With parents trying desperately hard to decipher their little one’s likes and dislikes amidst temper tantrums, it’s no wonder new research has found that 53 per cent of them completely misread their babies’ expressions when weaning.
Not to mention the further 20 per cent of parents who admitted to finding weaning an incredibly stressful experience.
With National Weaning Week(6-13 May) coming up next month, baby food company Piccolo partnered up with leading psychologist Caspar Addyman to create a family-friendly guide called The Nine Faces of Weaning.
From nose wrinkles to pursed lips, this new guide reveals what your baby’s facial expressions REALLY mean – and the results are fascinating.
Wrinkled Nose
Unsurprisingly, a wrinkled nose after taking a mouthful can often be a sign of dislike or “mild rejection”.
However, all is not lost as the experts recommend waiting until your baby has settled down a bit before trying again.
Squint
Another one of Piccolo’s “faces of dislike” is a good old fashioned squint.
But although it might be one of the more obvious signs your baby isn’t keen on whatever it is you fed them, the expert also argued that this is their way of figuring out whether they like the taste.
In other words, don’t give up just yet.
Lowered Brow
While you wouldn’t be wrong for assuming that a frown indicates your baby doesn’t like the food they’ve been presented with, a lowered brow could suggest your baby is trying to make their mind up.
Instead of writing off this food group forever, the study found that your little one is merely puzzled by the new taste.
Savoury/Sweet
Whether they’re already a sweet tooth or savour salty foods, these two tastes get the most positive reactions for babies – including pursing their lips and raising their shoulders.
This adorable response could be due to the fact that breastmilk can be both savoury and salty.
Bitter
According to the study, a wide, open mouth suggests that your baby is eating something bitter.
But while they may look perplexed at the time, don’t assume this means they don’t like the taste.
Sour
Unsurprisingly, a sour taste gets an extremely similar reaction in babies as it does in adults.
Again, while you shouldn’t necessarily assume this response means your baby doesn’t like the flavour, experts recommend not forcing them to eat this food if they’re not keen.
Yes!
Let’s face it – babies are pretty well experienced at making their feelings clear.
If your baby has their mouth open and is expression an interest in their food (i.e. eyeing it up from across the room), then it’s pretty safe to assume they’re enjoying it.
Maybe…
A puzzled look of uncertainty (such as this one) suggests that your baby is simply trying to figure out what they make of this new food.
Only time will tell if they open wide for their next mouthful or push it away in disgust…
That’s a no then
Similarly to how they open wide when they’re enjoying their food, babies know how to make it known when they’re finished eating.
Whether they turn their face or simply pull away from you, it’s safe to say that dinner time is pretty much over the minute your little one decides they’re done.
Commenting on the 9-point guide, Piccolo’s infant nutritional specialist and co-founder Alice Fotheringham said: “Naturally most parents hate seeing their child distressed so there is a tendency to give up on a new food if your baby pulls what you might perceive to be an unhappy face.
“However, it can take up to 12 tries for a baby to get used to a new food, so understanding how to read little faces can be useful in helping you persevere – especially if you want to ensure you’re giving your little one plenty of varied foods and all the right nutrients.”
Caspar Addyman, leading baby psychologist, added: “Learning to read your baby’s new feeding time expressions doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience.
“Just like learning to interpret your baby’s signals for when they’re sleepy, hungry or happy, introducing foods to your child for the first time means you get to know your little one even better – understanding what’s really going on behind that furrowed brow, wrinkled nose or gaping mouth – and what that says about a new taste.”
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