Do kids really copy their parents' eating habits?

Question

I'm 32 weeks pregnant, and have twin girls on the way.

Normally I eat quite a bit of veggies, but throughout my pregnancy I've done so rather sparingly because a lot of the stuff I used to eat (mainly spinach in my salad) have made me sick to my stomach.

Some studies say that kids will eat the way their mothers did when they were pregnant, but I don't want that to be the case... I'd rather they have a broader palate than just meats, cheeses, breads, etc.

I really hope that they'll be willing to eat their veggies, and learn by example (both my husband and I usually eat a lot of them).

Are those of you who eat a lot of veggies able to get your kids to eat them? I know some kids go through a picky phase, but hopefully it doesn't last forever. If your kids don't follow your example, what do you do as an alternative?

Answer 1

You teach them early on when they start to get solids after 6 mos.  Our baby has been taught to eat cooked spinach, brocoli, meats (chicken, beef, lamb) and fish (even anchovies/sardines, making sure no bones!), asparagus, cut into small soft pieces (grapes, cooked pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash). cheese, yogurt, pasta, cereal, etc.

Answer 2

I have not noticed it in my kids one little bit! They are veggie like me, but that is about it. They also have very different tastes to each other, so meals are a juggling act and one of mine is a fussy eater, and one an adventurous eater.

Answer 3

In the beginning, yes, they follow the parents' eating habits. Eventually, they realize they have their own tastes and may change what they prefer to eat.

As for eating what mom ate when she was pregnant, I guess there COULD be some truth to it. The only time in my life I was able to eat jalepeno peppers was while pregnant with my son. He now will eat them like they were apples.

Answer 4

No-- it's just another example of how pregnant women and moms in general are made to feel guilty and responsible for everything.  The truth is that yes, babies are probably born with certain predispositions toward foods their mothers ate while pregnant, but if you expose them to lots of different flavors and textures once they start solids, your child will develop his or her own palate.  If you and your husband have a healthy diet, then your children will also.  If they see you eat junk, they'll want it, too.  When I was pregnant with my two girls, I had gestational diabetes and couldn't eat sugar or very many carbs at all, but they don't seem to be gravitating toward the Atkins diet at all! And like you said, all kids go through a picky phase so don't get discouraged and think that it's your fault.  Just keep presenting the good stuff and DON'T freak out if they don't eat very much of it-- from expereince (and from watching lots of other moms) I can tell you that it is not worth the energy to force certain foods on your kids.  It becomes a power struggle and the last think you want is for food to become a source of conflict.  I don't know-- maybe I'm more laid back than the average parent, but I wish you lots of luck-- sometimes the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to materialize.  Just take it as it comes and good luck!

Answer 5

I pretty much craved the same thing with my kids, ate the same kind of food too. One of my kids is soooo picky. Doesn't like to eat meat, but loves veggies and fruits. My other one likes all kinds of food, then there is the one that doesn't really care for veggies, but loves fruit....So I don't know?? I guess only time will tell. I do think that as you get older your taste buds kind of change, and you broaden what you like.

Answer 6

don't worry too much about it, all off my children are eating almost anything serve them. except lamb meat for my 2nd child coz she pity bambi and fish for my youngest daughter coz she's afraid she might be eating nemo. other than that everythings okay.

Answer 7

What you eat during pregnancy has no influence.  What you eat when your baby is a young child does. (Though there is no way to 100% prevent transient  pickiness.)

Breastfeed if at all possible. (Breastfed babies are exposed to a variety of tastes through the milk, so may be less picky when they start solids.)

Model good eating. If your child sees YOU eating (and enjoying) brocolli and tofu and whole grain bread, he will assume that that's the good stuff.

When you start solids, offer baby a wide range of healthy, nutritious foods, and avoid ALL junk for the first couple of years, if at all possible. (Whenever I see a post from a mom whose 2 year old 'won't eat anything but chicken nuggets and fries' I wonder why the child was ever GIVEN chicken nuggets and fries.

Give food with taste and seasoning as early as possible. (There is no need to avoid spices or seasonings for an infant on table foods.)

Get the idea out of your head that there are special 'kid foods' that kids are supposed to eat, and that  more sophisticated foods are too 'grown up.' (I love to cook, and prepare lots of different foods. My daughter grew up eating lamb chops and squid and kalamata olives from early toddlerhood .. and loves them.) Kids offered nothing but mac n' cheese, chicken nuggets and PBJs will grow up to eat nothing but mac n' cheese, chicken nuggets and PBJ's.

(Everyone in my family does have likes and dislikes, and there are certainly foods that my daughter didn't like as a toddler ... and doesn't like now, but compared to most of her peers, she has always had a very wide and sophisticated palate. [Used to freak out waiters by ordering calimari and clam chowder rather than deep fried c**p off the kids menu in restaurants.]

Answer 8

well, as I understand it, babies become familiar with the flavor of the mother's diet through her breast milk.  For example:  I eat a lot of East Indian, Vegetarian food- (however, I'm not Indian,) and my daughters drank mostly formula.  they are okay with some Indian food, but not like my friend's kids-- who had more breast milk and actually live in an Indian household where those flavors were in the mothers milk and the smells in the air every day.  so it's important to realize that if you aren't breastfeeding, you may have a tougher time getting your kids acclimated to the various flavors of food- regardless of what those flavors may be.   After that-- babies have a lot of taste buds... more than we adults....so they are often more finicky than we are.  (it helps protect them from eating bitter things that may poison them.)   I suppose to sum it up, it can be hard to get your children used to a variety of foods, but the only choice you have is to expose them to different flavors at least 20 times, and try to breast feed if you want to give yourself a head start in this area, so that bland formula doesn't become the norm.  Good luck!

Answer 9

I wouldn't worry to much.  I didn't eat a whole lot of fruit and veggies while pregnant and so far both my boys love them.  My two year old will go for those items first before anything else on his plate.  When you start feeding him/her just be sure to introduce a broad range of foods, adding to them as they get older.   I believe if you start them off eating healthy they will continue to eat healthy.  I've seen many of my friends feed their kids junk then complain because they don't eat fruits and veggies.  What kid would want to after a diet of McD's?