“Children are not born liking certain foods. They are born with an inbuilt strategy to learn to like the foods that they are given.” Dr Gillian Harris, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, The Children’s Hospital, Birmingham.
MODERN mothers face a myriad of options and alternative theories when it comes to early life nutrition, however, one common misconception is that children are born with a predisposition to like what they are given.
It’s an interesting space from a sociological and scientific perspective.
The way in which children learn these preferences is determined by the interaction of social, cognitive, and developmental factors in early life. This learning strategy has evolved to ensure that children eat foods that are appropriate for them, and avoid eating non-foods that might be poisonous.
Three stages of food preferences
Harris explains: “The development of food preferences goes through three stages; the first stage is a time of relatively easy acceptance¹, the second stage is one of rejection based on the way that foods look, the third stage is one of rejection based on what the child thinks about the food.”
“Toddler eating behaviour is therefore the result of an interaction between these three developmental stages and the eating environment to which the child is exposed.”
Remember, to read more from Dr Gillian Harris on the three stages of food preference go to ELN.Nutricia.co.uk.
“This learning strategy has evolved to ensure that children eat foods that are appropriate for them, and avoid eating non-foods that might be poisonous.”
A modern melting pot of advice
In the modern world, one of the key challenges from a sociological perspective is that we are learning to live with technology. A great resource, yes, but accessing the right and proper materials is key, and therefore understanding where you should go for support is absolutely crucial, rather than relying on the broad brush of Google.
Dr Josh, a GP from Islington, explains that healthcare professionals have to do more to help Mums. The modern digital landscape needs a map for modern mothers because — let’s face it — they have their hands full in those first 1,000 days and beyond.
“The internet presents both opportunity and it’s own problems,” Dr Josh explains. “It is a fantastic platform for Mums to talk with other mothers and establish an independent community to support each other. But there is also a plethora of unsubstantiated information online that is not evidence based and not supported by science.”
“The misleading information presents huge challenges for healthcare professionals, particularly if a mother has read it and referenced it in our surgery. There are also socioeconomic variables to consider with each patient, meaning that one mother might be more amenable to doing additional research than another.”
He continued: “As healthcare professionals part of our jobs now is to take responsibility for helping mothers navigate the myriad of resources out there, to ensure they are reading and consuming media we know are correct and backed by scientific research.”
“It’s important we have a bank of resources online that we can direct our patients to, and it’s important we are confident in the credibility of these resources.”
“Additionally, and although healthcare professionals are often bound by local authorities or are contracted to certain governing bodies, the more independent research and education we can do in our spare time, particularly using evidence based resources, the better we can become in our daily practices.”
At Nutricia ELN, we are very much following this school of thought and looking to build a respected, research-based educational platform to help healthcare professionals support Mums.
An example of our efforts to provide healthcare professionals with the necessary tools to help them support mums is our bank of guides on weaning and toddler nutrition, the links for which can be found below: –
Developing Healthy Eating Habits
Good early nutrition choices and lifelong eating habits are key to establish, as the diet of infants and young children can not only determine their health during childhood but can also influence the type of foods that they prefer in later life and, consequently, contributes to their long-term health. READ MORE.
A topic in 10 questions: weaning the child with cows’ milk allergy
Allergy expert Dr Carina Venter offers advice on weaning infants with cows’ milk allergy. READ MORE.
Encouraging infants and young children to eat vegetables: practical tips
Dr Alison Fildes is a Research Psychologist with an interest in the development and modification of food preferences in early childhood. Here she presents six practical tips to encourage infants and young children to eat vegetables. READ MORE.
The Importance of Vitamin D
Understanding the importance of vitamin D for infants and young children and ensuring they get their daily Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI). READ MORE.
Toddler development & feeding challenges — part 1
Part one of our article written by Dr Gillian Harris, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at The Children`s Hospital, Birmingham. Dr Harris carries out research into feeding and eating problems in infants and toddlers. READ MORE.
Toddler development & feeding challenges — part 2
Part two of our article written by Dr Gillian Harris, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at The Children`s Hospital, Birmingham. Dr Harris provides further feeding advice based on her research into eating problems in infants and toddlers. READ MORE.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Breastfeeding is best for babies. Infant formula is suitable from birth when babies are not breastfed. Follow-on milk is only for babies over 6 months, as part of a mixed diet and should not be used as a breastmilk substitute before 6 months. We advise that all formula milks including the decision to start weaning should be made on the advice of a doctor, midwife, health visitor, public health nurse, dietitian, pharmacist or other professional responsible for maternal and child care. Foods for special medical purposes should only be used under medical supervision. May be suitable for use as the sole source of nutrition for infants from birth, and/or as part of a balanced diet from 6–12 months. Refer to label for details.
