Advice

Decoding Baby Mealtime Cues: Understand Mealtime Reactions

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2025

Contributing Together

Parenting / 18 April, 2025 / Christina Walter

If you’ve ever second-guessed your baby’s facial expressions during feeding time, you’re not alone. New research from Heinz has revealed that 45% of UK parents struggle to understand their baby’s mealtime cues. What should be a joyful bonding experience often becomes a frustrating guessing game.

Nearly half (48%) of parents admit they’d enjoy mealtimes more if they could just figure out what their baby was trying to say with every pout, giggle, or spoonful of puree spat back out.

But what if those frowns weren’t signs of disgust – but curiosity?

Heinz and a Child Psychologist Team Up to Crack the Code

On a mission to build parents’ confidence, reduce stress, and turn every bite into a positive bonding experience, Heinz has partnered with renowned Clinical Child Psychologist, Dr. Angharad Rudkin, to uncover the hidden meaning behind babies’ reactions – transforming mealtimes from a mystery into a moment of joy and connection.

Together, they’ve revealed the hidden meanings behind some of the most common mealtime cues – and many of them might surprise you.

Baby Body Language: What Those Mealtime Cues Really Mean

“Babies are natural communicators,” explains Dr Rudkin, who has worked with children and families 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 food expertise, Heinz is dedicated to supporting parents through this exciting (and sometimes messy) stage of parenting. Their range of thoughtfully designed baby foods is created to delight tiny tastebuds and support healthy development.

Don’t Miss: Heinz’s Happy Highchair Hints

To make things even easier, Heinz is sharing bite-sized mealtime tips and encouragement on their Heinz for Baby UK Instagram. From decoding expressions to navigating picky eating phases, it’s a go-to resource for parents ready to bring more joy to the highchair.

For You and Your Little Explorer, It Has to Be Heinz

Whether you’re introducing solids or trying to understand your baby’s latest reaction to broccoli, Heinz is here to help turn every mealtime into a moment of connection.