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Ever wonder if your infant has the capacity to really taste his or her food? Well, this post will address the sense of taste in infancy!

To start, let’s review the basics of the “gustatory system”. Taste buds on the tongue relay information to the brain, which is perceived as taste.

The 5 basic tastes of any human are:

• sweet
• salty
• sour
• bitter
• savory (aka umami).

Research shows that infants are born with a predisposition to accept sweet tastes, such as breast milk. Infants also have a predisposition to reject new foods, a phenomenon known as “neophobia”[1]. During infancy, almost all foods are “new” so it’s no wonder that introducing a new food or formula may result in some resistance from your baby.

The good news is that this neophobia can be overcome by repeated exposure to the food. In other words, taste preferences aren’t set in stone; they are constantly evolving. With repeated experience, infants accept and may even prefer the previously rejected food. One study observed mothers who presented a particular food daily over a period of time. The researchers found that it took 15 feedings for the infants to accept the new food readily.

Therefore, whether you are introducing solids or switching over to Neocate from another formula, don’t be discouraged! It is not only ok, but normal for your little one to reject the new food at first. Just be patient and persistent and continue to present the food in a positive manner.

An interesting tidbit: An infant’s perception of bitter taste is developed several months after birth. A study found that newborn infants did not reject the taste of bitter, while older infants did[2]. Another study identified the time period for this developmental change to be around 4 months of age[3]. The researchers found that infants who were put on a specialized, broken down formula (which have a slightly bitter taste due to the broken down protein) before the age of 4 months transitioned to the new formula with no resistance.

After this age, the infants identify the change in taste and moms may have to be a bit craftier to transition their little one onto the new formula. The researchers pointed out that a gradual transition, where the new formula is mixed with the previous formula, helps older infants to accept the new formula. This allows infants taste buds to gradually and repeatedly be exposed to the new flavor and associates the flavor with something that they already like (the previous formula).

What tastes did your child prefer when you first began introducing foods? Have you noticed any change in their taste preferences as they get older?

- Mallory

[1] Birch, L. L. (2002). Acquisition of food preferences and eating patterns in children. In C. G. Fairburn, & K. D. Brownell (Eds.), Eating disorders and obesity (2nd ed., pp. 75-79). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
[2] Beauchamp GK, Cowart BJ, Kajiura H. Early developmental change in bitter taste responses in human infants. Dev Psychobiol. 1992 Jul;25(5):375-86.
[3] Beauchamp GK, Griffin CE, Mennella JA. Flavor Programming During Infancy. PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 4 April 2004, pp. 840-845

If you’ve ever tried to prepare a meal for a picky eater, you know that the process can be a handful. But what do you do when your little one has a very limited diet and they do not find the things they can eat appetizing? That’s just one of the many things we here at Nutricia have in mind, so we try to offer as many options to our customers as possible. Our goal is to make meal time as stress-free as possible for a diet that is difficult, but necessary. One of the easiest solutions we offer is our Flavor Packets.

What makes our Flavor Packets so great? They come in 3 flavors (cherry-vanilla, grapefruit and lemon-lime) that are different from the Neocate Junior and Splash flavors. Each packet adds only about 15 calories and contains no protein, making them perfect for an elemental diet. This gives more variety to a formula-based diet for children over one year.

The best feature of the Flavor Packets is that you can use as little or as much as needed to match your child’s flavor preference. For instance, some children who start using Neocate Infant at a young age and then transition to unflavored Neocate Junior make the switch with no problem. However, as they get older and experience new tastes (like fruit juice) they may not like the taste of an unflavored elemental formula as much. But it’s also possible to find one of our flavored formulas a bit overpowering. In this case, you can add just enough flavor to help mask the taste of the amino acids, but not so much that the flavor or sweetness is overwhelming.

Not sure how much of a flavor packet to use? Each flavor packet is designed to mix with about sixteen ounces (or two cups) of prepared formula. For a child who is accustomed to unflavored formula, a good suggestion might be to start out at half-strength and see what they think. If your child is old enough, you could set up a blind taste test “experiment” for them with a few different concentrations and flavors to see what they like best and make the experience more fun! Also, for children over a year old you can use Flavor Packets with Neocate Nutra. We suggest experimenting to see how much flavor is right and a good place to start might be ⅛ or ¼ teaspoon per serving of Nutra.

Have you found the Flavor Packets to be helpful with keeping your little one interested in their elemental formula? Let us know in the comments section below.

- Rob

If you’re used to preparing your little one’s powdered Neocate formula, you might be wondering if there is an easier way. It’s tough enough getting kids dressed in the morning, much less having to measure out and prepare powdered formula to send to daycare or school. Fortunately another option is E028 Splash!


What is E028 Splash?

E028 Splash, or just “Splash” for short, is part of the Neocate line of hypoallergenic formulas. The “E028” doesn’t mean anything special: it’s just a unique product code that stuck! Splash is technically a “medical food,” which falls somewhere in the middle of a food, a drug, and a supplement. Orange-Pineapple Splash has been available in the US since 1995, and in 2006 we introduced 2 new flavors: Tropical Fruit and Grape.

Splash, just like Neocate Junior, is designed for kids over a year old and contains some of all of the nutrients growing bodies need, like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Splash is unique because the protein source is free amino acids, which are safe for kids with food allergies and other medical needs that require an elemental diet. It’s also gluten-free and casein-free.


What makes Splash so great?

The number one reason parents love Splash is because it’s so convenient. Splash is the only ready-to-feed amino acid based formula there is! It goes into a backpack just as easily as any other juice box. No more measuring powder, measuring water, and shaking! Not only is this convenient for daycare or school, but it also takes the guesswork out of the equation for babysitters, family, and other parents when your child visits on a play date.

Kids love Splash for a number of reasons. Severe allergies may mean they need a special formula, but who says it has to LOOK like a special formula? Not us! Splash is packaged to look like other juice drinks, so allergic kids don’t have to feel “different” from everyone else. We even use colored straws to mask the look of a formula, because Splash has NO artificial colors. For some kids, the novelty of getting to drink their formula through a straw instead of from a cup can make a world of difference. And don’t tell your little one that we said this, but the drink box keeps the distinct smell of formula wrapped up. And to top it all off, Splash comes in 3 great flavors, which can help kids to stick to an elemental diet by adding variety.

Splash has been a blessing for so many families that it has even appeared in a few news stories: here’s a video of Splash helping Matthew Bernard!

- Rob