Baby responds hilariously ‘honestly’ when he tries peas for the first time

A six-month-old girl’s hilarious reaction to tasting peas for the first time has left her mother in hysterics.

Encouraging children to eat more fruits and vegetables is crucial to helping develop healthy eating habits, and that starts by making them a staple of every meal.

In 2021, researchers at Penn State University found that simply filling half a child’s plate with fruits and vegetables was enough to increase the amounts of both that children end up eating.

As part of the study, researchers tested two strategies designed to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables. The first involved adding 50 percent more vegetable and fruit side dishes to children’s meals throughout the day. The second involved substituting 50 percent more fruits and vegetables for an equivalent weight of the other food, for example 50 grams of vegetables instead of 50 grams of pasta.

Researchers found that while adding more vegetables and side dishes led to children eating 24 percent more vegetables and 33 percent more fruit, replacing them with other foods led to children eating 41 percent more vegetables and 38 percent more fruit.

Tyiesha, a mother of one living in the Bronx in New York City, is very conscious of starting her daughter Leila on vegetables at an early age. Unfortunately, that is sometimes easier said than done. Over the past few months, Tyiesha has dedicated herself to filming Leila’s mealtime experiences, capturing some hilarious moments along the way.

“I’m a new mom and I video her all the time,” Tyiesha said. “She is very photogenic. Since I started her journey with new foods, I always turn on the camera to film her, among other things, because her personality is captivating.”

A recent highlight saw Tyiesha documenting the aftermath of her young daughter trying green peas for the first time, and it’s fair to say she’s not a fan.

In the clip, Leila can be seen happily receiving the spoonful of pea puree from her mother. However, a few seconds later, Leila’s curious expression changes to one of disgust at what has been put in her mouth. She soon gags at the taste. Tyiesha, for her part, can only watch and laugh, at one point momentarily regaining her composure to catch the mashed peas that her daughter eventually spits out.

The response got her mother into trouble and inspired her to share the clip online and post it on TikTok under the name @growingupwithleila. “I couldn’t stop looking at it,” Tyiesha said. “It made me laugh so much that I thought it could bring joy to a lot of other people, and it certainly has. Everyone hates peas.”

At the time of writing, the video has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, with viewers equally amused by Leila’s visceral reaction. “Baby girl immediately said no,” one fan commented, while another wrote, “That gag reflex hit hard and fast.”

A third posted: “That’s how I feel about them,” while a fourth added: “I love how you had your hand ready. Perfect timing.”

Tyiesha still can’t quite believe Leila’s reaction. “I was honestly surprised by her reaction,” she said. “I laughed so uncontrollably that I couldn’t even open my eyes.”

Nevertheless, Tyiesha estimates the popularity of the clip to be more than just a hilarious moment. “I think it’s popular because it’s such an honest moment,” she said. “It reminded a lot of people of the precious moments they shared with their child when they were that age.”

While Leila’s introduction to peas may not have gone to plan, Kyiesha said her daughter is off to a good start eating solid foods. “While she may not like some things, her curiosity about food always makes her at least try it before deciding she doesn’t like it,” she said.

“There are challenges in choosing things for her to eat to cultivate her taste buds, because I definitely want her to enjoy a lot of foods and not be afraid to try anything in the future.”

Her one piece of advice to anyone in the same situation with a young child is simple: “hang in there.” Kyiesha said, “Even if they don’t like something, try it for at least two additional days as babies may need some time to adjust to the taste and textures.”

Leila may not have enjoyed peas, but Kyiesha is undeterred; Next on the menu is broccoli!