Baby's First Bites: Promoting Vegetable Intake in Infants and Toddlers

Overweight and obesity in preschool children is more and more common and predicts overweight in later childhood and adulthood. A healthy eating pattern with many vegetables decreases the risk to develop overweight. As many food preferences are learned in the first years of life, teaching children to like vegetables from the very start of eating solid foods is essential. Starting baby\'s first bites of solid foods with vegetables instead of more sweet tastes like fruits may promote vegetable liking. Also, it is important that parents know how to feed their children: e.g., paying attention to whether the child is hungry or full is essential, as is not pressuring them to eat. What is yet unknown is which of these two are more important to promote, to facilitate vegetable liking in young children. Is starting with vegetables most important, or educating parents on their feeding-techniques? And is a combination of both most effective? This study tests which of three interventions is most effective to promote vegetable intake and liking in children up until the age of 3 years: a) a focus on the \'what\' (starting with vegetables); b) a focus on the \'how\' (listen to your child\'s cues while feeding); c) a focus on both the \'what\' and the \'how\'. These three groups will be compared to a control group receiving no advice on how to introduce solid foods on children\'s vegetable intake and liking.