Mother’s feeding practices may influence children’s reluctance to try new foods: NIN study

A mother cooks food as her baby takes a nap in a makeshift cradle overhead. File | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

A mother’s knowledge, attitude and feeding practices can significantly influence a child’s willingness to try new foods, which highlights the need for stronger nutrition counselling for caregivers during early childhood, according to a new study by researchers at the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).

Reluctance to try unfamiliar or diverse foods studied

The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Science, examined food neophobia, a condition in which children are reluctant to try unfamiliar or diverse foods. Such behaviour can limit dietary variety and potentially affect nutritional health during crucial years of growth.

Researchers assessed 150 mother-child pairs from Addagutta in Hyderabad between August and October 2025 focusing on children aged two- seven years and explored how maternal feeding practices were associated with food neophobia and children’s nutritional status.