Taste During Infancy

The sense of taste begins in the womb.

Flavors from foods the mother eats are present in the amniotic fluid, influencing taste preferences before birth.

After birth, flavors from the food a mother eats can also pass into her breast milk.

Early exposure to healthy food flavors during breastfeeding can make children more willing to eat those foods after weaning and later in life.

Likewise, children introduced to a wide variety of flavors early in infancy often develop broader food preferences later.

For example, infants who are first introduced to fruits and vegetables are more likely to develop a preference for and consume a variety of these foods later in life.

Also, some taste preferences are inborn.

These innate preferences may help infants choose calorie- and protein-rich foods that support survival.

Additionally, newborns strongly prefer sweet flavors over bitter, sour, or salty ones.

However, a strong aversion to bitter flavors is likely a survival mechanism, as many bitter substances can be toxic.