New survey finds Irish babies love tucking into unusual dishes

Irish babies aren't fussy when it comes to grub.

A new survey on weaning has found our babies have sophisticated palettes.

The study carried out by WaterWipes discovered that 40 per cent of Irish babies love the taste of avocados and cous cous.

Other exotic foods they love chomping down on include quinoa and hummus.

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However, traditional dishes remain a firm favourite, with 77 per cent loving sausages and mash and 75 per cent beef stew.

Brussels sprouts topped the chart as the food most likely to leave babies screwing their face up in disgust.

The survey also found that most parents started to wean their child around six months old.

But 75 per cent of mums and dads said they felt confused when it came to what foods they should be weaning their baby on.

Six in ten admitted there were times when they chose what to feed their child based on the amount of mess it would make.

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Siobhan Berry, a leading weaning/feeding expert, said messy dinnertimes prevent babies becoming fussy or picky eaters:

"Allowing your baby to play with their food, they become more familiar with new foods as they are introduced. I always say to parents it’s not always about getting them to eat it, it’s about the exposure. It can take a child up to 10 times before they accept a new food and it may not just be down to the taste but also the texture."

Here's Siobhan's five top tips on feeding your baby:

1. Set the scene. From six months, sit your baby in their high chair and offer a bowl of puree or finger food, a beaker and a spoon. Eat some food yourself and show baby the way.
2. Give your baby control by allowing your baby to self-feed either by offering a bowl with some of the puree while you also feed baby or by offering finger foods. By allowing control your baby will have a positive experience with his/her food.
3. Offer your baby lots of variety. Seasonal Fruits and vegetables are so colourful and they come with a variety of tastes and textures. Recipes such as Beetroot and Plum puree show baby that food is colourful and they will be much more likely to accept these foods at the toddler stage.
4. Embrace the mess! A messy baby is a happy baby, your baby has had a full sensory experience with the food and will be much more likely to eat it again and again.
5. Hold off on wipes until the end. Don’t be tempted to scrape food off your baby’s face or wipe down their hands until the very end. At this stage they will have enjoyed the experience and now it's time to clean down with a soft WaterWipe.