The First hurdle: From Breast to Bowl

Surprisingly, we're all born hyper-fussy about food. "Babies are hard-wired to like sweet things and reject sour or bitter ones," says Leann Birch, Ph.D., head of the department of human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University. "This is because in nature, sweetness is an indication of energy-dense foods, while sourness may be an indication of poisonous ones." Unfortunately, this nifty survival tactic can throw parents off when it's time to make the transition from the breast or bottle to solid foods. "The first time you put a spoonful of applesauce in your baby's mouth, he's likely to happily accept it," explains Birch. "But the first time he tries a spoonful of pureed green beans, watch out!"

At this point, many parents decide that their child despises green beans. So they try other foods, only to get the same discouraging response. The common result: They end up labeling the child a fussy eater, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Don't give up so quickly. "Babies are likely to reject a new non-sweet food five or six times or more," says Birch. "But experiments have shown that if you're willing to persist, your child will accept some of these foods eventually." So wipe those beans off your face and keep at it.

To improve your chances of success, serve foods that she can feed herself. "Babies are so intent on mastering eating skills that they're more likely to try foods that they can practice with easily," says Parenting contributing editor William Sears, M.D., coauthor of The Family Nutrition Book: Everything You Need to Know About Feeding Your Children From Birth Through Adolescence. "Babies also like to dip and dunk. After they're one, providing some guacamole, healthy salad dressing, or yogurt is a good way to get them to try new foods and to boost the meal's nutrition."

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