Baby Food Tastes Bad And Bland: Should You Ditch It?

When your baby is six months old, you can start exposing them to new foods. By giving your kid a balanced diet, you can be sure that the infants will receive the vitamins and minerals they require to flourish.

Why does baby food taste bad? Since we have fewer taste buds than infants, it takes tastier flavors to please our taste buds. And we are accustomed to consuming foods with too salty, sugary, and perhaps even spices flavor. Infant food tastes "bad" because of its bland flavor and widespread manufacture.

You start to notice babies keep making weird expressions while eating. Does it mean the food taste so bad that they cannot tolerate? Should you change the way you cook? Actually, that is a good sign that they start to accept the food when your baby makes a funny face. 

I will explain funny facial expressions in the last part. 

What Are Baby Foods? When To Start?

Baby foods include infant cereals, meat or other proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurts, cheeses, and other foods.

Around six months of age, your baby can start eating solid foods. Your child can eat many meals from several food groups by the time they are 7 or 8 months old. 

If your babies eat cereal, it is crucial to feed them a range of fortified cereal, such as oat, barley, and multi-grain, rather than just rice cereal. The Food and Drug Administration does not advise only giving infants rice cereal because there is a chance that they could be vulnerable to arsenic. 

Why Does Baby Food Taste Bad?

You try a bite from your baby's food and it is really bad. You feel a little guilty for feeding your baby something that you don't even want to touch. You want your baby to enjoy your delicious meal as well. But, should you?

Indeed, you shouldn't.

Babies require the best nourishment possible for their daily caloric intake because their bodies and minds are still growing and developing. All the additional salt, sugar, spices, preservatives, and chemical compounds contained in adult food are unnecessary for their tiny bodies. 

Excessively sugar harms your baby's developing teeth, whereas too much salt is severe for their kidneys. Over time, giving your infant too much salt may result in health issues like high blood pressure.

Does your baby also think that his baby food taste bad?

Unlikely. Their extremely sensitive taste buds can taste every little flavor in the baby food and perceive it as tasty. However, for us adults, baby food tastes bad and bland.

Why is baby food so bland?

Suzie Goodell, an assistant professor of nutrition at NC State who researches children's nutritional and public health, provided a response to the question.

Baby food is bland because there are only limited choices for baby seasoning. If we use our daily seasonings for baby food, the seasoning ingredients may contain sodium with other flavors. 

A baby should not consume food with sodium because their kidneys are still growing, so eating a large quantity of sodium could strain them and lead to renal failure in the worst situation.

Is it normal for babies not to like baby food?

When introducing solid foods to kids, Daniel Flanders, a pediatrician in Toronto specializing in infant and child feeding, observes that "it is very usual for babies to refuse to eat." Furthermore, it is crucial to respect their choice to decline it. Never force food on a child.

According to Flanders, forcing creates a power struggle around eating and may damage the bond surrounding feeding. Regardless of whether they refuse meals or appear bored, he suggests giving your kids a break of about a week before trying again. He goes on to emphasize that it takes practice to learn to eat, chew food, and swallow.

Food prohibition

Honey, cow's milk, soy milk, fruit juice, beverages sweetened with sugar, unpasteurized meals, and foods with excess sodium or added sugars are among the items you should not give your infant. 

Large chunks, raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, hard or crunchy foods, sticky foods, and dollops of nut butter are not suitable for infants due to the high risk of choking.

Consult your doctor before introducing allergenic foods, including eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish, if allergies run in your family or your kid has eczema.

Read more: When can babies have egg white?

When can babies have cheese?

Cold-pressed baby food: What is it?

How Do I Make Baby Food Taste Better?

If your children refuse to eat bland food, seasoning the dish with different natural herbs and spices can be tastier for kids to try. Here are a few ideas to help you get started seasoning your baby's food:

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has a great flavor to sweet and savory dishes and has warm, sweet, and spicy undertones. Try including it in stews, muffins, oatmeal, fruit compote, banana, apple, and sweet potato purees.

Smoked paprika

Smoked paprika is a favorite of ours. The flavor of smoked paprika is sweet, rich, and smoky. Consider including it in dishes with sweet potato, carrots, poultry, fish, lentils, paella, chili, and eggs.

Cardamom has a flowery, minty, peppery flavor and works well in sweet and savory dishes. Green cardamom is the best option. Try including it in chicken, cereal, muffins, banana bread, pear puree, and carrot puree.

Tumeric 

Turmeric has a pleasant scent with warm, slightly bitter undertones. Try adding it to curries, stews, eggs, oatmeal, pureed cauliflower, and lentils to make the food more flavourful.

Cumin complements meats and vegetables with its nutty, spicy, and earthy flavor. Add it to lamb, chicken, stews, curries, chili, carrot, and cauliflower purees.

Nutmeg

The flavor of nutmeg is savory, sweet, and spicy. It goes well with creamy foods, as well as sweetened baking. Try including it in pasta bakes, fruit stews, bechamel sauce, and muffins.

Mint

Mint has a pleasant, cooling flavor and is fragrant and fresh. It works well with many vegetables, including new potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and peas, and gives fruits a vibrant flavor. Great for putting to both sweet and savory purees.

Oregano

A common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, oregano has a strong perfume with a hint of bitterness that is earthy and green. Try putting it on pizza, roasted veggies, eggs, pasta sauces, and vegetable purees.

Rosemary

Rosemary has a characteristic strong flavor and piney scent. You will need a small amount, and it is tastier. It offers purees, savory foods, and even sweet baked items with a beautiful flavor.

Basil

A range of cuisines pairs well with basil's delicate herbal aroma. For a flavorful, nutritious sauce, which is ideal for you and your baby, purée it on its own or test it in baby purees. 

I feel like my baby doesn't like the food as he makes funny faces

Well, there are no worries if babies make funny faces when mommies give them new food. It appears that Grandma was correct: babies create all kinds of the funny face when they try new, solid food, even if it is going to become a favorite.

Researchers captured the facial expressions of babies tasting pureed green beans for the first time in an experiment on infants just starting the transition from rice cereal to different types of baby food (Forestell and Mennella 2007). The majority of people had these reactions.

Such reactions convey disgust or displeasure, and the expressions were about the acceptance of infant food. Infants ate more slowly the more they strained their eyes.

But here is the crucial detail: Babies overcame their initial reluctance to eat green beans. It only needed some time.

Mothers of the newborns tried giving them green beans every day for eight days straight by the researchers. Daily exposure did not include forced feeding. Every day, the mother would feed the infant green beans until he either finished the jar or refused it three times (by looking away or pushing the spoon back with his hand). After eight days, babies ate three times as many green beans in the puree as they did in the first session.

Interestingly, their mothers were not able to tell. Before and after the 8-day exposure program, researchers surveyed mothers to gauge how much their infants enjoyed green beans. The mothers' evaluations remained the same. Maybe because infants kept making funny faces while they ate.

It would appear that a few odd facial expressions should not be too discouraging for parents. Your baby may learn to accept a new baby meal with regular exposure—even if it only involves three tiny samples.

Conclusion

After reading my short guide, I am sure now you know why does baby food taste so bad?

Even though infant food tastes awful, it is nutrient-rich for the baby's growth. 

Do not worry about when your baby makes a funny face. It is just an expression that babies make when they try new food and learn how to accept it. 

If you think baby food tastes bad, following my tips to season baby food will make baby food tastier. Natural herbs and spices can make the dish deliciously, and I am hoping my tips can assist you in locating the solution you seek.