A Short Spring Pause
A few favorite Flavor Pathway articles to explore this week.
A quiet moment in the garden.
Hello parents and friends,
I’m taking a short spring pause from publishing new Flavor Pathway: One Flavor, Six Paths articles.
This also marks six months since I began writing this series, and it feels like a natural moment to step back and reset the pace.
New Flavor Pathway articles will resume soon.
In the meantime, I’ve gathered a few favorites from the archive.
If you are new here, these are good places to begin. Each one offers a way to see how children come to recognize and feel more comfortable with flavor over time.
From the Flavor Pathway Archive
Back in the kitchen, where familiar flavors take shape.
Carrot – One Flavor, Six Paths
A steady and familiar place to begin. Carrots show how early sweetness and soft texture can help a child feel comfortable enough for flavor learning to take hold.
Tomato (Cooked) – One Flavor, Six Paths: The Flavor Hiding in Plain Sight
Many children meet this flavor long before they recognize the ingredient itself. Cooked tomato appears in familiar meals, allowing recognition to build across dishes and textures.
Apple – One Flavor, Six Paths
A familiar flavor that appears in many forms. Each experience offers a slightly different texture and preparation, helping the brain connect taste across variations.
What Is Taste Literacy?
An introduction to the central idea behind this work. Taste literacy is the skill children develop as they learn to recognize, interpret, and feel comfortable with new flavors over time.
Baby-Led What? New Babies, New Methods, Same Love
A calm conversation between parents and grandparents around today’s feeding norms.
Inside the Collective
Full Flavor Pathway articles include the developmental path progression, seasonal serving inspiration, and printable Flavor Pathway cards that guide parents from familiarity toward confident flavor exploration.
If you’ve been reading along and would like to follow the full series as it unfolds, you can learn more about the Collective here.
You don’t need to start from the beginning. Many families begin with foods that are already familiar at their table.
As you look at the table this week, which flavor already feels most familiar in your home?
It might be something simple – pasta, yogurt, apples, bread, or a favorite sauce that appears again and again.
Those familiar flavors are often the starting place for how children learn to recognize and feel comfortable with new foods.
I hope there are a few calm moments at the table this week.
Warmly,
Dr. Bonnie