By the time you're 9 weeks pregnant, your baby's mouth and tongue have formed, along with their first taste buds. In the womb, your baby can taste what you eat through your amniotic fluid. Babies are born with a highly developed sense of taste, and their first preference is for the sweetness of your breast milk. When they start on solids, your baby may favor the flavor of foods that you ate when you were pregnant.
Your baby's sense of taste, combined with their own natural curiosity, helps them explore the big, wide world. Even before they start solids, your baby's taste buds can help them discover whether they like or dislike different textures and flavors.
When does my baby's sense of taste develop?
Your baby's sense of taste starts developing in the womb. By the time you're 9 weeks pregnant, their mouth and tongue have formed, along with their first tiny taste buds.
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Amniotic fluid surrounds your baby in utero. They naturally breathe and swallow this fluid, which helps with the development of their lungs and digestive system. The flavors of the food you eat and what you drink pass through your bloodstream and into the amniotic fluid.
As your baby tastes the amniotic fluid, they have their first experience of various flavors. They can smell them, too. Whether you've been eating sweet, savory, or spicy food, your baby will share a little bit of the experience.
After birth, your baby's new taste buds are very sensitive. They can recognize sweet and sour tastes, but prefer sweet. This is one reason they love the taste of your breast milk.
The senses of taste and smell are linked, and your baby has a well-developed sense of smell at birth too. They can smell which way to turn to be fed, and even smell the difference between your breast milk and another mom's.
How many taste buds are humans born with?
At birth, babies have about 10,000 taste buds. (You'll have between 2,000 and 8,000 taste buds as an adult – they get replaced every few weeks. But as you age, some stop working or aren't replaced.)
Taste buds are found mostly on the tongue, but also on the roof of the mouth and along the lining of the throat. Many of the small bumps on the tip of your tongue (called papillae) contain taste buds. Each taste bud contains taste receptor cells.
When you eat or drink, chemicals from your food or beverage stimulate your taste receptor cells. The cells send messages to your brain, where specific tastes are identified. Taste cells have receptors that respond to one of at least five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami (savory).
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People used to think that different zones of the tongue sensed different flavors – but that's not true. The five tastes can be sensed by all parts of the tongue.
How will my baby's sense of taste and taste buds develop?
Your baby's sense of taste is well developed at birth, but their reactions to different tastes changes as they grow.
Newborn to 3 months
At this stage, your baby's sense of taste is very sensitive. In fact, as a baby they may have a wider distribution of taste buds in their mouth than you do as an adult. Taste buds in newborns can be found on the tonsils as well as the usual places like the tongue.
During their first three months, your baby can distinguish between sweet and bitter tastes. They prefer sweet flavors, like the taste of breast milk.
3 to 6 months
By 3 months of age, your baby's tongue has grown. You may notice that they're putting things in their mouth, such as toys or a blanket. This shows that they're using their tongue to try and make sense of different textures and tastes.
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Don't discourage your baby from putting objects in their mouth – as long as they're safe, it's a good learning opportunity. But make sure to babyproof your home to remove all choking hazards.
6 to 12 months
After six months of nothing but breast milk or formula, it's understandable that new tastes come as a surprise to babies when you introduce solids. It's natural for your baby to be hesitant about new flavors and textures. Experts suggest offering a new food at least eight times before deciding whether your baby likes it.
By about 7 or 8 months, your baby has the skills to try finger foods. This is a good opportunity for them to try new tastes and explore different textures with a variety of soft fruits or vegetables.
When do babies start liking the taste of certain foods?
Your baby may tend to favor the taste of foods they were exposed to in the womb, but they'll also learn to like the foods they get used to once they get going on solid food. You'll find that they may love the taste of some new foods right away, but they may reject certain foods and you may have to offer them numerous times. Keep trying: If you offer a variety of foods, your child is more likely to continue to eat them as they get older.
Your baby also copies you and your reactions to food. So, it's a good idea not to draw attention to any strong dislikes you have for particular foods – especially healthy foods that you're trying to encourage them to like!
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The variety of foods your baby enjoys when they're older may also depend on how long you breastfeed. Studies have shown that the different flavors in your breast milk can have a positive effect on your baby's taste buds and make them more open to eating different foods as they get older.
When you first feed solids to your baby, choose a plain pureed fruit or vegetable. Then gradually introduce new flavors. For more details, see our age-by-age guide to feeding your baby.
It's a myth that babies should eat bland food. If you want to branch out, try these adventurous first baby foods, and watch a video that shows how easy it can be to make your own baby food.
Let your baby explore food at their own pace. The first few tastes may be just that – a taste and an exploration with their tongue, before dribbling it back out. With encouragement and support, you can help them get used to different flavors and feel confident about trying new foods.
Be careful when it comes to salt and sugar – avoid processed foods, and don't add salt or sugar to your baby's food. Young kidneys can't cope with processing too much salt, and sugar causes tooth decay. Also, if your baby has salty or sugary foods, as they may start preferring them to healthier options.
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Why does my baby want to taste everything?
Your baby uses their mouth as a way of exploring, learning, and making sense of the world around them.
In babies, the mouth is more sensitive than the hands or fingers. "Mouthing" things gives your baby a handy way to get to know different textures and tastes – both food and non-food. It's why you often see young babies pick up toys, books, and other objects and immediately put them in their mouth.
The fact that your baby can and will put anything in their mouth means you'll have to be on high alert for a while. You'll need to take care that they don't try mouthing anything sharp, dirty, or otherwise hazardous. And you'll need to keep a close eye on your baby if they're in a sandbox, so they don't eat the sand.
You can help them learn by offering age-appropriate baby toys with different textures and colors to explore with their mouth.
Your baby eventually stops using their mouth and taste buds in this way. By the time they're 12 to 18 months old, they use their mouth less to explore and make sense of objects.
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