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Neophobic behavior: What is Food Neophobia?
Food neophobia is a term used to describe the fear of trying new foods, foods prepared differently, or foods one hasn’t had in awhile, particularly in toddlers and young children.
Neophobic behavior is often seen in children ages 2 to 6 years old.
Research has shown that this fear is a natural part of development and can be attributed to a variety of factors, including genetics, culture, and past experiences with food.
Studies have found that children who are more resistant to trying new foods tend to have a stronger reaction to unfamiliar tastes and textures, which can lead to a negative association with certain foods.
When dealing with children who exhibit neophobic behaviors, it is very important to avoid forcing, shaming, or punishing, at mealtimes.
These things will intensify their negative feelings and make them clam up further, grow to resent meal times, dislike certain foods, and possibly even resent the parent who is pressuring them.
This is not a healthy environment for a toddler or young child to eat in.
Many parents don’t realize that food neophobia can be a natural part of development, not something that is their fault.
So, lean into that knowledge. Take a breath, and trust that you can find positive, helpful ways to guide your child through this passing phase! (lots of tips and helpful articles listed below!)
It’s helpful to also know that many babies who were once big, diverse eaters, may have a smaller more selective appetite as they age into toddlerhood and their growing slows. Totally normal!
Continuing to serve variety alongside foods they love, while staying positive, curious, and playful, will be key if you notice your toddler exhibiting neophobic behavior. (Don’t worry, I share more on this below!)
Overall, while food neophobia is a common behavior in young children, it is important to address it early on in order to promote a healthy and varied diet, and a love for food and mealtimes with family.
How Do You Treat Neophobia In Toddlers and Young Children?
The great thing is, neophobia can be modified through repeated, positive exposure like shopping and meal prep, positive reinforcement, meal time rules, drawing connections to other foods they like, and teaching toddlers about food. (I have lots of picky eater articles that can help you overcome your challenges!)
Parents and caregivers can help children overcome their food neophobia by offering a variety of healthy foods in both traditional and playful settings, without pressure or coercion, and by tweaking how they talk about food and approach meal times.
For example, you might offer one tiny piece of a new food next to 2-3 of their favorite foods or sprinkle a tiny bit of a new food into one they love (also know as food chaining) and remind them that their bodies need all different types of foods to stay healthy, strong, and grow.
Check out more on this technique called ‘food chaining’, here: How To Use Food Chaining To Overcome Picky Eating
You might also try and let them help you scrub all the produce form the store 1-2 days a week by letting them stand at the sink with a scrub brush, some broccoli, strawberries, and a zucchini.
It is also important to model healthy eating habits yourself, teach them about where foods come from and what they do for our bodies, and encourage toddlers to participate in meal planning and preparation so they can see and be hands on from before the meal begins.
This builds trust, pride, and curiosity!
Here are a few in-depth, how-to articles that will help you address and overcome food neophobia and other picky eating behaviors, asap:
- How To Use Food Chaining To Overcome Picky Eating
How Can I Help My Child With Food Neophobia?
There truly is a lot you can do to help your child through food neophobia, and most of it is a lot simpler than most parents think it is!
Simple little things like bringing a bowl of produce down to the floor with your for story time so that your child can dig around and explore, can make all the difference in getting your child more comfortable around foods. (I always do this with picky eaters and they always end of grabbing and sometimes biting foods!)
Silly things like lining beans up to make a “long choo choo train” can get your child hands on with foods they wouldn’t normally touch, in a playful, laid back manner. Soon, boom! They are so curious, they try one and maybe discover they like the flavor!
Taking the ‘education route’ can be a game changer, too. Maybe while you are driving in the car to or from daycare, you might say, “did you know that asparagus kind of looks like a paintbrush!? And that it’s crunchy until you cook it, then it gets soft and creamy!? And it changes they smell of your pee!! So wild! Maybe next time we are at the store we can buy some.”
Trust that progress will happen when you go through the motions and activities that I have laid out in the articles I shared above. You can also browse all of my picky eating articles with more tips, how-tos, and wording here.
Here are some key tips for dealing with toddlers with food neophobia:
- Give them a heads up that things will be changing in 1-2 days, at mealtime: “Ok love, we are going to start adding new foods to our plates in a couple days. All different flavors and textures. We will have some of your favorites like cheese and strawberries, and some new ones next to them. Some might be red, some might be soft, some might be green, some might be crunchy, we will see!”
- Know that it’s not about getting them to eat, it’s about getting them comfortable being around foods. Once they are comfortable, they get curious, calm, happy…and the eating will happen.
- If they say “I don’t want it!” You can say, “I hear you. You’re still learning about all the different foods in the world. There are so so many, thousands! And we don’t know what we love until we try them. That is called pineapple. I’m going to stack my squares like this. Wanna try stacking too?” Stick to serving foods, validate what they say, plant ideas of how they can engage with the food, and move on to eating yourself.
- Avoid forcing, shaming, punishing, and bribing, as all of these can worsen neophobia and put a strain on you and your child’s relationship. Doing these things can also create negative feelings toward you, foods, and mealtimes.
- Educate them on where foods come from and how cooking them differently makes them taste differently.
- Describe foods using facts, not opinions. Ie: Instead of saying, “try this, it’s so yummy”, try saying, “Ooooh this is soft. I am going to try it. It’s creamy and sweet! I love it!”
- Expose them to foods in playful settings, not just at the dinner table. Ie: bowl of produce at story time, helping with meal prep, scrubbing broccoli, breaking carrots apart, shucking corn, putting foods in blender etc. Do this until you see them become more comfortable around new foods. Toddlers and young children love to be a part of what their parents are doing – lean into that and use it to aid you in exposing them to new foods.
- Always serve 2-3 things they recognize and enjoy, with any new food. This will help them feel safe and comfortable at mealtimes.
- Make mealtime a relaxing, laid back, bonding, time for connecting and enjoying together.
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When To Get Professional Help For Neophobia
If you ever feel any concern in your mind or gut, reach out to your pediatrician and ask questions. Never feel silly or embarrassed. We all need support in different areas of our lives, and it can make a world of difference actually asking for and getting the support we need!
Generally speaking, if neophobia persists beyond early childhood, or if it is causing significant distress or affecting their growth and development, it’s important to seek professional support.
If your child only eats a handful of the same foods each day for every meal, or if you find they are extra sensitive to textures and smells, or rarely eat, check with your pediatrician.
Likewise, if a child’s food neophobia is still present after the age of 3-5, it may be time to seek help from a healthcare professional who can use their unique set of skills to help your child past this phase, and guide you on how to do it, too.
A pediatrician or a registered dietitian can assess the child’s eating habits and provide guidance on how to introduce new foods into their diet in a safe and gradual manner.
A professional who takes a ‘responsive feeding’ approach can be very beneficial for most children, including those with neophobia.
It’s important to keep in mind that every child is different, and some may take longer to overcome their food neophobia than others. With patience and professional guidance, most children can eventually learn to tolerate a wider variety of foods and develop healthy eating habits.
In my experience, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on approach and the child.
And, don’t be afraid to ‘shop around’ for the right support if the first feeding therapist you work with just doesn’t seem like a good fit.
Here are a couple books that can also be very helpful for you:
Final Thoughts On Neophobia
Focus on their feelings, not their actions.
This will help keep you calmer and more patient as you try different approaches for overcoming neophobic behavior.
Remember that your child is behaving this way because of a real and natural emotion they are having – true fear of the foods in front of them.
Think of this fear like any other fear they may have had in a passing phase – being afraid of the slide, but now they run right up to it and slide down, being afraid of the vaccuum and now they can’t wait to help you with it, being reluctant and emotional at daycare drop off and now they have a go-to routine that makes them happy and comfortable…
Have empathy.
Don’t rush and don’t stress. Instead, focus on learning and trying some new strategies, like the ones I shared above and have linked to in my picky eating articles, and stay in that confident leader mindset.
You can and will figure out a way to help your child with this.
And if you feel like it is just too much, and you need help, ask for it. Reach out to your pediatrician and ask for a referral and an evaluation.
It’s very developmentally normal, but not many parents know how to approach it, other than ignoring it or forcing.
You don’t need to take either of those routes. And if you have so far, it’s not too late to turn onto a new road and start in a new direction!
After almost a decade of working with picky eaters and their families, I am here to assure you that you can make tweaks to your approach and see massive changes AND there are supportive pediatric feeding professionals waiting for your call right now.
We are all on the same team and are here to help families have easier, more enjoyable, healthier and happier mealtimes!
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