Parenting / 18 April, 2025 / Christina Walter
If you’ve ever second-guessed your baby’s facial expressions throughout feeding time, you’re not alone. New analysis from Heinz has revealed that 45% of UK parents battle to grasp their baby’s mealtime cues. What must be a joyful bonding expertise typically turns into a irritating guessing sport.
Nearly half (48%) of parents admit they’d get pleasure from mealtimes extra if they might simply work out what their baby was making an attempt to say with each pout, giggle, or spoonful of puree spat again out.
But what if these frowns weren’t indicators of disgust – however curiosity?
Heinz and a Child Psychologist Team Up to Crack the Code
On a mission to construct parents’ confidence, scale back stress, and switch each chew right into a optimistic bonding expertise, Heinz has partnered with famend Clinical Child Psychologist, Dr. Angharad Rudkin, to uncover the hidden which means behind infants’ reactions – reworking mealtimes from a thriller right into a second of pleasure and connection.
Together, they’ve revealed the hidden meanings behind a few of the commonest mealtime cues – and plenty of of them would possibly shock you.
Baby Body Language: What Those Mealtime Cues Really Mean
“Babies are natural communicators,” explains Dr Rudkin, who has labored with kids and households for over 20 years. “From their first smiles to their most exaggerated frowns, they are constantly sharing how they feel – we just need to learn how to listen.”
Frowning: A Sign of Discovery, Not Disgust
“While adults often associate frowning with dislike, for babies, it’s more about discovery and experiencing something new. A furrowed brow often signals that they’re processing a new flavour or texture – not rejecting it outright. Keep offering that food with encouragement and patience.”
Eye Contact: Looking for Reassurance
“Babies look to us, quite literally, for reassurance, locking eyes with us especially when encountering something unfamiliar. Eye contact helps them gauge our approval. As parents and caregivers, being attentive, present, enthusiastic, and supportive during these moments gives them the confidence to explore.”
Lip-Smacking: A Happy Reaction
“Here’s an adorable sign of approval to watch for – lip-smacking! For babies, eating is a whole new sensory adventure, and they want to explore every taste and texture with their entire mouth, from their lips to their gums and tongue.”
Clenched Fists: Tension or Discomfort
“Clenched fists are a sign of tension. This is usually to do with discomfort leading to a build-up of tension in the body. It can sometimes be to do with excitement – but for this to be the case it would need to be accompanied by open eyes and excited facial expressions. So, on the whole, it is to do with displeasure.”
Flailing Arms: Overwhelmed or Upset
“This is usually a sign of discomfort and is generally accompanied by crying, shouting, screaming or a very sad face. It’s almost like the baby is trying to rid themselves of something unpleasant by moving their arms in this way. But this is not to be mixed up with hand waving which can often be a sign of happiness and excitement rather than sadness.”
Sticking Out Tongue: Exploring and Engaging
“When babies lick, suck, or stick out their tongue, it’s often a playful signal of curiosity and openness to new experiences. If they seem relaxed and content, it’s a great sign that they’re enjoying themselves.”
Spitting or Dribbling: Part of the Process
“Spitting out food might seem like rejection, but it’s often part of how babies explore new textures and sensations. Sometimes, they’ll even put the food back in their mouths and play around with their hands, and as messy as that might seem to us adults, these are all good signs, so embrace the mess. And dribbling happens when we have an abundance of saliva in our mouths, and that is usually because we’re really enjoying a taste.”
Heinz’s Mission: Making Mealtimes Joyful Again
With over 90 years of baby meals experience, Heinz is devoted to supporting parents by this thrilling (and typically messy) stage of parenting. Their vary of thoughtfully designed baby meals is created to thrill tiny tastebuds and help wholesome improvement.
Don’t Miss: Heinz’s Happy Highchair Hints
To make issues even simpler, Heinz is sharing bite-sized mealtime suggestions and encouragement on their Heinz for Baby UK Instagram. From decoding expressions to navigating choosy consuming phases, it’s a go-to useful resource for parents able to carry extra pleasure to the highchair.
For You and Your Little Explorer, It Has to Be Heinz
Whether you’re introducing solids or making an attempt to grasp your baby’s newest response to broccoli, Heinz is right here to assist flip each mealtime right into a second of connection.
Sponsored content material in collaboration with Heinz.
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