News Copy - By Gemma Francis
Modern parents are weaning their babies on avocados, sweet potato – and quinoa, it has emerged.
Researchers who polled 1,500 mums and dads who have weaned their baby within the last five years found today’s youngsters are getting their first taste of more exotic foods at just months old - and are enjoying it.
Around one in seven babies also love the taste of houmous, while one in twenty even loved to tuck into quinoa.
Others enjoyed cous cous, aubergine and even lemon on the first try.
It’s not all modern foods though, with toad in the hole (41 per cent) and chicken korma (46 per cent) popular meals to serve up for babies.
But Brussel sprouts are most likely to leave babies screwing their face up in disgust.
It also emerged 73 per cent of parents felt confused about what foods they should be feeding their baby in the early months, with 67 per cent overwhelmed by conflicting advice about when they should begin weaning.
David Lawlor, from WaterWipes, which commissioned the research to mark the new wipes with added Soapberry, said: “Far from being fussy, millennial babies love tucking into a variety of unusual dishes and exciting flavours.
“With the variation in our diets now, and exotic food more readily available than ever before, a baby’s first foods are changing.
“But as any parent will tell you, a baby enjoying a meal can be a messy experience. No matter how much they are loving the taste, most of it will still end up anywhere but in their mouth.''
Researchers who polled parents from the UK and Irish parents also found that on average, parents begin to wean their children around six months old.
But convenience is key - while 55 per cent of parents served their babies home-cooked meals from scratch when weaning, 30 per cent simply mashed or pureed whatever food they had for their own meal.
And after feeding their youngsters, parents have found food in some unexpected places.
A third found food on the kitchen wall (33 per cent), a fifth found some in their bra or under their top (20 per cent) and some even found that food had made its way to the hallway after mealtime had ended (12 per cent).
Forty-six per cent of babies also ended up with food under their bottom, 38 per cent had some behind their ears and 33 per cent were left with food under their feet.
As a result, almost six in 10 parents admitted there were times when they chose what to feed their child based on the amount of mess it would make, opting for the least-messiest meal.
One in twenty even said the mess that comes with feeding babies is one of the biggest challenges about weaning.
Pre-planning what to cook, preparing the meal and getting the baby to eat what you make are also among the challenges that parents face when it comes to feeding their babies.
To celebrate the launch of WaterWipes with Soapberry, the company has teamed up with parenting influencer and recipe expert Natasha Corrett to create the ultimate “messy menu” of five dishes for parents to try as inspiration during the weaning stage.
Lawlor added: “We’re really proud to launch WaterWipes with Soapberry so we can help parents during this exciting, but messy stage in their baby’s life.
“We believe there is never a good time to put chemicals on your skin.''
* These recipes can be found on the WaterWipes Facebook page.
20 foods babies like on the first taste
1. Yoghurt
2. Mashed banana
3. Pasta
4. Mashed sweet potato
5. Steamed veggies
6. Stewed apple
7. Rusks
8. Soft cheese
9. Meatballs
10. Mangos
11. Mashed Butternut squash
12. Mashed fish
13. Tomatoes
14. Peanut butter
15. Avocados
16. Salmon
17. Houmous
18. Cous Cous
19. Pumpkin Soup
20. Lentils
Top 10 disliked foods
1. Brussel Sprouts
2. Lemon
3. Mushrooms
4. Eggs
5. Broccoli
6. Grapefruit
7. Fish
8. Meat
9. Pesto
10. Soft cheese
ENDS
