Pregnancy cravings and the resulting child's food preferences

[Bugglette]

So, I've been thinking a lot about the food I have been craving this pregnancy and what it means in regards to this babe's food likes/dislikes when he/she is older.

Case in point, when PG with DS I craved and devoured so much peanut butter, it is not even funny...DS's FAVORITE thing ever?  Peanut butter.  My other favorite foods while PG:  Mexican food, salads, fruit...all things that DS regularly requests to eat.  I disliked tomato products then, and now so does he.

Any other mamas have similar experiences with past pregnancies/current children?  Or hopefully, tales that contradict my experience.

I'm kind of worried that this one will be a picky eater, I will crave something very intensely, and it will taste great until I get about half-way through and then it makes me want to vomit and it never sounds good again.  The only constant "yummy" comes from corn products...on the cob, in a chip, POPCORN.....not super healthy, lol

[mollsworth]

Since this is my first, I can't speak to your question but I do have an example on the other end of the spectrum. When my mom was pregnant with me she craaaaaaved egg nog. Even froze it during the holidays since I wasn't due until June! I really couldn't get anywhere near the stuff until I was about 25 and even now it is very hit or miss. So who knows, you may create an aversion!

That being said, we are huge food lovers and eat a crazy diversity of food. Having a picky eater would be so rough for us, I was committed to continuing the diversity during pregnancy but right now so little appeals that I am lucky to eat anything at all. Like you, corn products and graham crackers are about it...oh and fish tacos, but I have to be careful about mercury intake. So hopefully 2nd trimester I'll be able to get back to more diverse and healthy options. 

[Frenchie2]

They just had a piece about this on the news last week - apparently what you eat while pregnant definitely impacts your baby's future taste buds.  They say that the more exotic you are with your eating, the more adventurous your baby will be.  I thought it was an interesting story - makes me think that there is hope that my veggie ways will influence baby more than my DH's eating habits:)

Here is the story:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/child-vegetables-birth/story?id=14266921

[cameragirl]

Normally I eat pretty well, but I've been dealing with aversions and a sick tummy. I'm hoping I'll start feeling better in a couple weeks so that I can get more veggies in.

[amberskyfire]

I think it works more the other way around. You don't crave certain foods because it's what the baby likes, the baby likes certain foods because you craved them during pregnancy.

I once read an interesting baby book that talked about how babies can taste the foods that their mothers eat inside the womb. This generally creates taste preferences in the baby that, in a more natural setting, would allow the baby to survive and not eat plants and other things that are not edible. When trying new things, baby would prefer to eat flavors he/she was already familiar with from having tasted it often in the womb rather than try something new which could be harmful or dangerous.

I don't know how true it is, but it sure makes sense!

[RachaelsMommy]

I haven't noticed a connection between what I ate or avoided during pregnancy and my kids' eating habits now. They just eat the same stuff we eat.

[SparklingGemini]

It's true in my case.  I wanted nothing but Indian, Thai and fruit when I was pregnant with my DD.  Now, at four, if you ask her her favorite foods, she always says it's Indian and other spicy foods and tons of fruit.  Crazy kid.  She really, really, REALLY loves spicy foods.  I remember when she was about 18 months, she was eating salsa by the spoonful, her eyes watering, and making noises of enjoyment the whole time.  Love her!

[Lovesong]

Well, judging from my family, what the mother eats during pregnancy doesn't really matter. We've always eaten rather diverse food, since my father loves to cook and experiment. When my mother was pregnant, he made sure to vary the cooking more than usual to make sure my mother's nutrition needs were covered. So, all three of us kids were exposed to all kinds of food. The result?

Well, I don't really care for too bland food. I like my food to taste something, which is probably why I never took to formula, nor gruel or the baby safe taste portions. I must have seemed like such a picky eater, as my parents were following the recommendations. But once my grandmother introduced me to a small teaspoon of cream cake, and I was fine, my parents started experimenting with their own food pureed in the mixer. At the first taste of spinach, I started eating like never before. Bland was just, and is not, for me.

On the other end of the spectrum, is my brother, who really detests anything too strong in taste, even though my mum ate the same things during her pregnancy with him as she did with me.

The only difference between us is that he did take to the formula, and the gruel, and the baby taste portions and so was subjected to "real" food tastes much later and once he was, he really didn't care for them.

I don't believe the food we are subjected to in the womb plays a role. I do, however think that we might inherit taste buds from our parents. So, if for example you as a mum eat a lot of curries, because you love curries, there is a good possibility your baby will also grow to love curries. Not because the baby was subjected to it in the womb, but because of how the taste buds experience curry.

[cameragirl]

I haven't noticed by daughter take a liking to anything in particular that I had during pregnancy. I was really worried about it because I had hyperemesis, though. Later on I ate a lot of peanut butter & honey sandwiches, oranges, apples, pineapple, spinach salads, cottage cheese, frozen yogurt, chicken, etc. I ate a lot of high calorie fettuccine alfredo to help counteract the weight loss, and she won't touch that, but adores mac n' cheese.

[GrowingPeaPod]

I craved Salads, Apples. Mostly I just ate really healthy which was kind of unlike me at the time when I used to live at Taco Bell and Dairy Queen and being pregnant with DS changed all that. I also stopped all caffine and now my son eats super healthy. We have to tell him he cant have more spinach or salad until he eats his chicken nuggets and his go to snacks are apples and carrot so I could say there is a trend but I guess this second pregnancy will really tell.

[katroshka]

With my first daughter I didn't have strong cravings for a particular thing all the time, just day to day cravings, but with my second daughter I couldn't eat anything that wasn't spicy, it turned my stomach. I ate tons of kimchee through the whole pregnancy, and lots of other spicy stuff. As a toddler she would grab the bowl of salsa at restaurants and start drinking it, and at 2 would eat a whole jar of kimchee in one sitting. She is almost 9 now and still loves spicy food, and often freaks out waitresses and other strangers when she pops a big clump of ginger, wasabi, chili paste/ powder, whole chiles, etc into her mouth.

That being said, I hope it doesn't always work like that as I craved lots of sweets during my last pregnancy, she's 5 months now and I really don't want her to be a sugar junkie!

[Toposlonoshlep]

That's my DS too! We ate tons of super spicy stews, spicy Thai, all that stuff. When other women were having problems with breast milk tasting of these spices, I had to smile, because my DS actually preferred its taste that way. And now at 28 months, he will eat any degree of spice and may pause a couple times and say "Whew! Spicy, mama! Can I have a little bit of my water?" Then go right back to it.

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini 

It's true in my case.  I wanted nothing but Indian, Thai and fruit when I was pregnant with my DD.  Now, at four, if you ask her her favorite foods, she always says it's Indian and other spicy foods and tons of fruit.  Crazy kid.  She really, really, REALLY loves spicy foods.  I remember when she was about 18 months, she was eating salsa by the spoonful, her eyes watering, and making noises of enjoyment the whole time.  Love her!

[bcblondie]

My theory is that you crave what your BODY needs, nutritionally, and that yes, your baby tastes that and might be  more inclined to like those foods. Interesting to note though, it's funny you mentioned peanut butter becuase a friend of a friend craved it bad and ate tons, her kid ended up being allergic lol. But I mean. It's a common allergy...

And thanks a lot. Now I want eggnog. (I have a fabulous recipe. Don't worry.)

[Janel47]

No correlation here.  I craved OJ with DD1 and she barely touches juice.  I craved refined sugar with DD2 and she's my veggie lover.  :) 

[Kiyla]

I craved Izzes.  She would go crazy in my belly when I would drink them.  Milan LOVES them now:)

[Janel47]

This reminds me.... DD1 would go CRAZY when I ate candy canes.  I actually brought them to ultrasounds to make her move if she was sleepy, lol!  Now she adores them even though she dislikes sweets in general, although I didn't crave them exactly...
 

Originally Posted by Kiyla 

I craved Izzes.  She would go crazy in my belly when I would drink them.  Milan LOVES them now:)

[Bugglette]

Thank you for all the input!  I'm interested to see how my cravings change when my MS subsides.

[paleohailey]

Nothing to do with my childhood, but when pregnant with me, my mum craved Rice Krispies and ate bowlfuls daily. Now that I'm pregnant, guess what I can't stop thinking about? Not great as I'm grain-free!