Have you ever wondered why your toddler happily eats something one day and refuses the same food the next? Or why do some children seem to enjoy stronger flavours while others are highly sensitive to smell?
The answers lie in how taste and smell develop during early childhood. Food preferences are not random. They begin forming before birth and continue developing through everyday experiences during the first few years of life.
Understanding this process gives parents a clearer picture of why children respond differently to food, and how early feeding experiences may shape familiarity and food acceptance over time.
Taste Development Begins Before Birth
A baby’s sense of taste begins developing as early as 8 weeks into pregnancy. By the second trimester, taste receptors become functional, and babies are already exposed to flavour compounds present in amniotic fluid[1].
Research has shown that flavours from the mother’s diet can influence early familiarity with certain foods later on. Babies exposed to flavours such as carrot, garlic, or vanilla during pregnancy may show greater familiarity with similar flavours when complementary foods are introduced months later[1].
This means babies begin building early sensory familiarity with food long before they start eating solid meals. Early feeding experiences, repeated flavour exposure, and family eating environments all contribute to how children gradually respond to different foods during childhood.
Parents who want to better understand how nutrition supports healthy development during the early years of childhood may also find it helpful to learn more about the role nutrients play throughout different stages of growth.
Breastfeeding Continues Early Flavour Exposure
After birth, breastfeeding continues this early flavour learning process. Breast milk naturally changes flavour depending on the mother’s diet, exposing babies to a wider variety of taste profiles over time.
For closely related guidance, read our article: Early Signs of Pregnancy: What Every Expectant Mother Should Know.
Studies suggest that breastfed babies may show greater familiarity with new flavours during complementary feeding because of this broader flavour exposure[2].
This does not mean children will automatically accept every food later on, but early sensory exposure may help reduce unfamiliarity when new foods are introduced.
For breastfeeding mothers, maintaining a varied and balanced diet can therefore support broader flavour exposure during infancy.
Parents who want to better understand how feeding habits develop over time may also find it helpful to explore how early weaning experiences can influence food familiarity later in childhood. According to NHS guidance, introducing a wide variety of foods and textures during the weaning stage can help babies gradually become more comfortable with different tastes as they grow.
Repeated exposure to foods, especially vegetables and less familiar flavours, may support greater acceptance over time, even if a child initially refuses them. Babies often need multiple opportunities to explore, touch, and taste new foods before they feel confident trying them, which is why consistency and patience during mealtimes can be important for building positive feeding experiences.
How Smell Shapes Food Preferences
Smell plays a major role in how babies experience food. In fact, smell is often even more influential than taste during infancy because the two senses work closely together to create flavour perception.
Newborns are able to recognise familiar smells shortly after birth and often show a preference toward scents encountered during pregnancy and breastfeeding[3].
This is why home food environments matter more than many parents realise. Children who regularly smell home cooking, sit near family meals, or experience a variety of food aromas receive ongoing low-pressure sensory exposure that gradually builds familiarity with different foods.
Understanding how smell, texture sensitivity, and repeated food exposure may influence a child’s eating habits can sometimes help parents feel less frustrated during difficult mealtimes.
Many children naturally go through picky eating phases as they become more independent, more aware of flavours and textures, and more emotionally reactive during meals. In some situations, children may reject foods simply because the smell, appearance, or texture feels unfamiliar to them, even when they were previously willing to eat it.
Some toddlers may also become more cautious around foods after having a negative experience with a certain taste or texture, which can make them more resistant to trying similar foods again.
Over time, constantly pressuring children to finish meals or forcing them to try foods may create even more resistance and stress around eating.
A gentler approach, such as:
- continuing to introduce foods without pressure
- involving children in simple food choices
- maintaining consistent mealtime routines
- creating a calmer eating environment
may gradually help children feel more comfortable exploring different foods at their own pace.
Allowing children to touch, smell, or observe foods before eating may also help reduce anxiety around unfamiliar meals. Small changes in the overall mealtime experience can sometimes help feeding feel less like a daily battle for both parents and children, while also encouraging more positive associations with food over time.
The Basic Taste Preferences Babies Are Born With
Babies are not blank slates when it comes to taste. Research has identified several natural taste responses present from birth.
| Taste | Natural Response | Why It Matters |
| Sweet | Strong preference | Sweetness is associated with energy-rich foods and breast milk |
| Salty | Preference develops later | Sensitivity increases gradually during infancy |
| Sour | Often rejected initially | Sourness may signal unripe foods |
| Bitter | Strong rejection | Bitter taste sensitivity is thought to be protective |
| Umami (savoury) | Generally accepted | Often associated with protein-containing foods |
These natural responses help explain why sweet foods are often more easily accepted by young children, while bitter vegetables may require repeated exposure before familiarity develops.
Importantly, rejecting certain flavours during early childhood does not automatically mean a child is being difficult. Taste sensitivity is often part of normal development.
How Food Preferences Change During the First Five Years
Taste and smell preferences continue developing actively throughout early childhood. Experiences during this period play an important role in long-term food familiarity.
0 to 6 Months: Flavour Learning Through Milk
During early infancy, flavour exposure comes primarily through breast milk or formula feeding. Babies gradually become familiar with the sensory characteristics of what they consume regularly.
6 to 12 Months: Complementary Feeding Period
Research consistently suggests that introducing a variety of foods during complementary feeding may help improve familiarity with different flavours and textures later on[4].
Repeated exposure is especially important during this stage. Even if a child initially rejects a food, offering it again regularly in small amounts may gradually reduce unfamiliarity.
Understanding Selective Eating in Young Children
Many children go through phases of selective eating, particularly during the toddler and preschool years. During this stage, appetite, food preferences, and eating behaviours can change rapidly.
Some children may eat very little one day, refuse foods they previously enjoyed the next, or become more sensitive to certain textures, smells, or flavours. While occasional picky eating is common, consistently limited food choices over time may make it more difficult for children to obtain a balanced variety of nutrients from daily meals alone.
Why Weekly Eating Patterns Matter More Than Individual Meals
Maintaining a routine that includes balanced meals, regular food exposure, and positive mealtime experiences may help support healthier eating habits over time.
Rather than focusing on how much a child eats during a single meal, it can be more helpful to look at their overall eating patterns across the week. This often provides a clearer picture of their nutritional intake and eating habits.
Simple Strategies to Encourage Food Acceptance
Parents may find it beneficial to offer nutrient-dense foods in smaller portions, involve children in simple meal preparation activities, and continue introducing new foods gently and consistently without pressure.
Repeated exposure to different foods can help children become more familiar with new tastes, textures, and flavours over time.
Supporting Nutritional Needs During Picky Eating Phases
During periods of selective eating, some families may explore additional nutritional support to help address potential nutrient gaps while continuing to encourage healthy eating habits.
Any nutritional support should complement, rather than replace, a varied and balanced diet whenever possible.
Building Positive Mealtime Experiences
A calm and positive feeding environment can play an important role in supporting healthy eating behaviours.
Avoiding forceful feeding practices and helping children build positive associations with food may gradually improve their confidence and comfort around mealtimes, making eating a more enjoyable experience for the whole family.
1 to 3 Years: Food Neophobia
Between ages 1 and 3, many children go through a stage called food neophobia, where unfamiliar foods may suddenly feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
This phase is common and developmentally normal[5].
Children may temporarily refuse foods they previously accepted, become cautious around textures, or show stronger preferences for familiar meals. Consistent low-pressure exposure generally remains the most helpful approach during this stage.
3 to 5 Years: Social Eating Influences
From around age 3 onward, children become increasingly influenced by social eating environments.
Seeing parents, siblings, or peers regularly eating a variety of foods may gradually encourage broader food familiarity through observation and routine family exposure.
Practical Ways to Support Healthy Taste Development
Vary Flavours During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
A varied maternal diet may help expose babies to broader flavour profiles early in life.
Introduce Foods Repeatedly
Repeated exposure is often more important than immediate acceptance. Foods rejected initially may become more familiar over time with continued low-pressure offering.
Avoid Overly Sweetened Foods
Regular exposure to highly sweetened foods may narrow flavour familiarity over time. Offering naturally flavoured foods allows children to experience a broader range of tastes.
Allow Children to Smell Food First
Smell is an important part of flavour perception. Allowing children to smell foods before tasting them may help reduce unfamiliarity.
Eat Together as a Family
Shared family meals provide natural social modelling that encourages familiarity with different foods over time.
Nutrition During Early Taste Development
The years between ages 2 and 6 are also important for overall nutrition. During this stage, children continue undergoing active brain development, bone growth, and immune system maturation.
Nutrients such as iron, calcium, Vitamin D, zinc, protein, and healthy fats all contribute to normal childhood development during this period.
Most children can meet these needs through a balanced and varied diet. However, some families may consider additional nutritional support during periods where daily food intake is less varied or inconsistent.
For families exploring additional nutritional support alongside regular meals, Little Étoile Optimum Growing-Up Formula Stage 4 provides 41 key nutrients at reinforced levels for children aged 2 to 6 years. It is formulated from grass-fed Australian cows’ milk with no added sucrose and is designed to complement a balanced diet as part of everyday nutrition routines.
>> How to evaluate growing-up formulas beyond marketing claims.
FAQs about Taste and Smell Preferences
1. Why does my child accept food one day and reject it the next?
This is very common during early childhood. Appetite, tiredness, teething, illness, and developmental stages can all influence how children respond to food from day to day. What matters more is the overall eating pattern across weeks rather than individual meals.
2. Why did my toddler suddenly stop eating foods they used to like?
Food neophobia commonly appears between ages 1 and 3. During this stage, children may temporarily become more cautious around familiar or unfamiliar foods. Consistent low-pressure exposure usually remains the most helpful response.
3. Can repeated exposure really help children become more familiar with foods?
Yes. Research suggests that repeated exposure may gradually improve familiarity and acceptance of foods over time. The key is consistency without pressure.
4. Does introducing sweet foods early affect taste preferences later?
Potentially, yes. Babies naturally prefer sweet tastes from birth. Repeated exposure to a wider variety of flavours during complementary feeding may help support broader flavour familiarity over time.
Suggested reading: Types of Formula: Key Differences and Nutrients
Reference
- Mennella, J. A., Jagnow, C. P., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2001). Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics, 107(6), E88. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.107.6.e88
- Hausner, H., et al. (2010). Differential transfer of dietary flavour compounds into human breast milk. Physiology & Behavior, 99(3), 372–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.11.013
- Sullivan, R. M., & Toubas, P. (1998). Clinical usefulness of maternal odor in newborns: soothing and feeding preparatory responses. Biology of the Neonate, 74(6), 402–408. https://doi.org/10.1159/000014061
- Maier, A., et al. (2008). Breastfeeding and experience with variety early in weaning increase infants’ acceptance of new foods for up to two months. Clinical Nutrition, 27(6), 849–857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2008.08.002
- Cashdan, E. (1994). A sensitive period for learning about food. Human Nature, 5, 279–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02692155
Disclaimer: Breast milk is the ideal nutrition for babies, and it’s crucial to seek professional advice before using infant formula. Introducing bottle feeding can impact breastfeeding, so consider carefully. Besides, good maternal nutrition is critical for breastfeeding, and reversing the decision not to breastfeed may be challenging. Infant formula should always be used according to instructions to ensure the infant’s health. Social and financial implications should be considered when determining a method of feeding.
This guide is for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose health conditions or make changes to medical treatments. Always consult with your healthcare professional for advice.
